Peñas

There are trips you take to fulfill a commitment, and then there are those that are forever etched into your soul. What we experienced last Saturday at the IX Anniversary of Peña Atlética Castañera in Castañar de Ibor undoubtedly belongs to the second kind.

From the very first moment, they took care of absolutely everything, looking after every single detail of our trip and the hotel, constantly keeping an eye out for us. We found a fan club that is incredibly tight-knit, filled with wonderful, genuine people whose hospitality is the kind you only receive from truly authentic, salt-of-the-earth people. When I accidentally met them three years ago in Guadalupe (also partying, of course!), I already sensed that this fan club was different. That’s why I didn’t hesitate for a second to dedicate a whole chapter to them in the book. And time has proven me right: the club is growing non-stop, and it’s all thanks to their hard work and the power of their community. We had the honor of presenting Merece la peña in a place that actually has its very own chapter written in gold within the book. The welcome couldn’t have been more beautiful, warm, and respectful.

PRESENTATION OF ‘MERECE LA PEÑA’

On September 12, 2025, as part of the Atlético de Madrid Supporters’ Clubs Day, a very special event took place at the Cívitas Metropolitano Auditorium: the presentation of the book MERECE LA PEÑA. Así son las peñas del Atlético de Madrid.

The presentation was led by none other than the author herself, Carmen García, the President of our Atlético de Madrid Supporters’ Club in Germany, and a true expert on the world of Atlético peñas. She had been personally invited by the Club—an honor that not only recognized her work as a writer but also her years of dedication to the Atlético supporters’ movement. For the Germany Peña, it was a source of immense pride that their president was the author of the first major book to so fully and movingly portray the life of Atlético’s peñas.

PRESENTATION OF “MERECE LA PEÑA. THIS IS WHAT ATLÉTICO DE MADRID’S PEÑAS ARE LIKE”

On September 12th at 7:00 p.m., we have a very special date: the presentation of the book by our president Carmen, a true expert in the world of peñas and in what it really means to live Atlético from the inside.

The setting couldn’t be more symbolic: the auditorium of the Metropolitano Stadium, as part of the activities of the much-anticipated Día de las Peñas. A perfect stage for an event that is already generating great excitement among members, peñistas, and the media.

Sometimes, fan clubs come up with ideas that initially seem utopian, but when the International Union of Fan Clubs (Unión Internacional de Peñas) and Club Atlético de Madrid collaborate, everything becomes easier.

One of these ideas was to shape a project that had been in mind for a while but had never been carried out: a Meeting of European Atlético Fan Clubs. The number of fan clubs representing us beyond national borders is growing, and the goal of this meeting was to give them a voice and visibility, and, above all, to make them feel part of the red-and-white family.

We had known for some time about the celebration of the III International Congress of Atlético Madrid Peñas in Badajoz. Our president headed there to collaborate in the organization of the event and, above all, to represent our Peña. The event was organized by the International Union of Peñas under the sponsorship of Cívitas and took place on the 14th and 15th of October.

On Friday, we traveled there to begin organizing everything. Alonso, from the Badajoz-based Peña “Tos por igual,” generously offered his restaurant for a meal for those of us arriving and, in the evening, for an informal dinner that turned out to be a great success. The most festive among us ended the night in one of the city’s trendy venues, while others went straight to the hotel, as the next day promised to be a long one. On Saturday morning, we started distributing accreditations to those arriving at the Río and NH hotels. Welcome bags were prepared for the attendees, containing small tokens of welcome, and it was a pleasure to get to know the different members of the Peñas and reunite with those we already knew.