Last weekend I decided to truly follow Los Blancos. On Sunday the ninth of November they visited Rayo Vallecano in the Vallecas neighbourhood in Madrid. This would be the first ‘Madrid derby’ I would be attending. But I did not want to just go out and watch the game. Thus I decided that I would make a video. But what would this video be about? Real Madrid and it’s star studded first team are well known all around the world. So I came to the conclusion that the main topic of the video should be the hosts of this derby: Rayo Vallecano.
Rayo Vallecano located in Vallecas– a working class neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city- is a football club which represents exactly that: the working class. It’s a club whose supporters consists of everyday working people; locals. The club and it’s fans are often politically engaged taking support for social causes and even using the club and their position as a community to organise protests. Their ultra’s are known as los Bukaneros. When a laliga game was scheduled for a Friday-night 11pm kick-off they decided to show their disagreement. Emptying the stands and leaving Bert and Ernie, and a banner of the two cartoon characters stating: ‘Quiet, the kids are sleeping’ in protest of the late kickoff.
Thus I decided to show the world what this small club from Vallecas was all about. Speaking to local vendors, and fans to ask them what Rayo Vallecano truly meant to them. The idea for this was strongly inspired by one of my idols Sierd de Vos also know as El Sierd. Sierd is a Dutch sports-journalist known in my home country of the Netherlands as the specialist in Spanish football. As a Atletico Madrid fan he has made video’s on the fans, culture and history of his favourite club. As a historian this way of creating content and putting what football is about, namely the fans first, really attracted and inspired me.
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