On the night of the 9th of May 2006, the stadium where Castilla play was officially opened with a match between Real Madrid and Stade de Reims. The ground bears the name of one of the greatest footballers of all time, Alfredo Di Stéfano, and has a statue of ‘The Blond Arrow’ himself at the entrance.
 
The statue is a sculpture made by Pedro Montes and was officially presented on the 17th of February 2007. It weighs more than 400 kilos and is more than two metres tall, and shows the celebration of a famous goal in the European Cup against Vasas, a goal that will remain forever in the memory of Real Madrid fans.
 
This modern stadium has nine key elements that make it special and different:
 
1. A stadium in a very special location
The Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium takes pride of place at Real Madrid City and is right at the heart of the 120 hectare complex.

2. A growing stadium
The stadium is designed to continue to grow in line with the needs of the club. There is currently space for 6,000 spectators: 4,000 on the West Side and 2,000 on the East Side, and this capacity could increase to 25,000 when the fourth phase is finished.

3. A stadium to play and to train
This is where Real Madrid Castilla play their competitive games and is also used for training by the first team and the reserve team. That’s why, along with the Bernabéu, the pitch is one of the few that has its own undersoil heating system. 

4. A comfortable stadium for the media
It has two television areas, four booths for TV commentators and 10 for radio commentators. There are also 28 posts for newspaper journalists and 32 for commentators. There is also a gallery for the cameras that follow offside positions and for the main and close range cameras. The members of the press have their own media centre which is at pitch level where we find the press room, the photographers’ room, the mixed zone area and the TV studio.

5. A technologically advanced stadium
The Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium has its own Facility Control Unit and an Organizational Control Unit to ensure operational control of matches. 
 6. An environmentally friendly stadium
The Stadium is like the City itself: environmentally friendly. Hot water for sanitation is obtained through the solar panels located on the roof of the complex. Water for pitch irrigation is obtained by waste water treatment and the cold for the air-conditioning comes from ice tanks. 

7. A stadium that cares for fans
Fans have their own parking area with space for more than 10 buses. They enter through a controlled area and they have their own stands. 5% of the tickets for the stadium (currently 300 tickets) are reserved for away fans, and this figure may increase depending on the game. Visiting fans have their own bathrooms and an eating and drinking area.

8. A safe stadium
If there is ever a need to evacuate the stadium in an emergency, it is spacious and safe. It was initially designed thinking about the needs of people with reduced mobility and they have a special area reserved for them. 

9. A multi-purpose stadium
Its main purpose is to be the home ground of Castilla although it has also been designed for commercial use in the future.  It is possible to hold any kind of major public event or concert. The facilities have been designed so that trailers can enter to set up the stage for concerts and in the future the complex will include special dressing rooms for this type of event.