Juventud de Torremolinos set for football season opener with new signings and full stands on the cards

History will be made this weekend as Juventud de Torremolinos begin the most important season in their history, having secured promotion to Primera Federación for the first time.

Their campaign in the third tier, where they will join local rivals Antequera and Marbella, begins this Saturday, 30 August, at El Pozuelo, where they will take on Club Esportiu Europa.

A capacity home crowd is expected, especially given the club recently announced it had surpassed 600 season ticket holders and anticipates further growth in support given recent achievements.

Officials have even gone as far as acknowledging that El Pozuelo may prove too small for the club’s long-term ambitions and have suggested that work towards a new stadium will be necessary.

Preparations for the new season began in July and pre-season results have been largely positive. The only setback came in a 0-2 defeat to Al-Sadd of Qatar.

Head coach Antonio Calderón remains in charge after guiding Torremolinos to consecutive promotions with a brand of attacking football that has earned him strong backing from supporters.

The squad has been strengthened with several arrivals who bring experience at this level. Among the new faces are 35-year-old striker Pito Camacho, formerly of Zamora, and attacking midfielder Usse Diao, the younger brother of Assane Diao, who joins from Betis.

Local talent has also been added, including winger Escardó and full-back Rafa Roldán.

The main departure was Fran Castillo, last season’s standout player with 17 goals and seven assists, who joined Ibiza. However, much of the promotion-winning squad remains in place, giving the team continuity.