Football is a passion that is felt throughout Tenerife, go into any bar or cafe and you will see a CD Tenerife scarf, photo, mirror or clock on the wall. Sometimes it ebbs and flows with the changing form of the blanquiazul (white and blue) but even now with the team fighting against a second successive relegation home games in Santa Cruz are holding steady around the 16,000 mark.
Barcelona and Real Madrid shirts tend to be the easy souvenir option for visiting football fans but for a true taste of Tenerife there is now Soy Del Tete the CD Tenerife fan shop in Centro Commercial Fañabe Plaza. Opened 3 months ago by Thomas and Nikki it’s bursting with shirts, kit, leisure wear, scarfs, mugs and even underwear all boasting the Tenerife club badge. Thomas and Nikki are both fanatical about football in general and CD Tenerife in particular, Thomas showed me around the shop and explained why they opened it.
“We want to encourage people to take a piece of Tenerife passion and culture with them, football is very important to the people on this island and the atmosphere at home games is unique and very special. We have something for everyone here from the full kit and day to day leisure wear down to small souvenirs like key rings and mugs and myself, Nikki and Chris all love to meet other football fans and talk about the game we love.”
Over the moon and sick as a parrot, CD Tenerife have been there over the past 2 years but keep coming back for more. Promotion to the Primera turned the island blue and white and some thought Mount Teide was rumbling as promotion parties had Tenerife rocking. A season rubbing shoulders with Barcelona and Real Madrid ended in heartbreak and relegation but renewed hopes of a swift return to the top flight. Early hope dissolved into a relegation struggle but the Heliodoro stadium is still a cauldron of noise and passion and there is a belief that the ship will soon be in calmer waters.
Tenerife fans are used to being underdogs but we have a proud history and a vision for the future.
Slip on the blue and white shirt, or the green or blue change strip, and you are wearing a symbol of the history of the island itself, the latest design even features the iconic Mount Teide. The saltire cross of Saint Andrew or San Andres as he is known on these shores has featured strongly on the blue away shirt the last few seasons and many Scottish visitors have snapped them up to impress their friends back home.
Back at Soy Del Tete I was tempted to show my silky skills with one of the new CD Tenerife footballs but remembered those skills are all in my mind. The shop is open Monday to Saturday 10 am to 8 pm, pop down and say hello to Thomas, Nikki and Chris and have a chat about the beautiful game.
