Mercantil: (Prado de San Sebastián)

At the end of the 19th century, relations between the Círculo Mercantil and Sevilla FC were of capital importance. The members of the Mercantile, with its president Montes Sierra at the head, represented an important bastion in the regenerationist current that arrived like a breath of fresh air from Europe.

Sevilla FC fully shared these ideals and many of its members were members of the Círculo. Edward Johnston, Hugo Maccoll, Isaias White and a long etcetera, including José Luis Gallegos, maintained excellent relations with Montes Sierra, and José Luis Gallegos, who became responsible for the Festivities and Library Section of the Mercantil, became especially close friends. This collaboration would result in the development of sport in both institutions and the promotion of sport among the city's inhabitants.

Sevilla FC's secretary's office was set up in the Mercantil's premises, and a Feria tent in Prado de San Sebastián was used as a makeshift changing room in the old stadium. It was one of the members of the Círculo Mercantil itself, the Catalan José María Miró Trepats, at that time President of Sevilla FC, who, with great experience in the management of sports clubs in Catalonia, began negotiations with the City Council for the transfer, after the corresponding annual payment of taxes and municipal fees, of the land behind the permanent Feria tent that the Círculo Mercantil owned in Prado de San Sebastián.

All this took place at the end of 1912, and on 1 January 1913 the inauguration of what will always be remembered as Sevilla's Mercantil Stadium was achieved.

At first, the stadium was open and admission was free. A metal grandstand was prepared as an extension of the Feria tent and served as a support for the roof that provided protection for the members. A removable wire fence was installed around the pitch, supported by cast iron posts made by the Balbontín company.

For the inauguration, a decoration of garlands and flags was prepared and from very early in the morning, the municipal band provided entertainment for the event. The inaugural match was played by two teams from Sevilla FC - the so-called red team, although they actually wore red and white striped shirts, against the white team - and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The president Miró Trepats gave an emotional speech at the dinner following the inauguration, of which it is worth remembering these beautiful words:

"You represent joy, health, strength and robustness; in our meetings we do not talk about politics, in the heart of our sport society there is room for the poor and the rich alike, even our fans are a reflection of our sport society, because at our stadium people from all social classes rub shoulders and you should be praised, because you have discipline as a rule, victory as an ideal, strength is our aspiration and the admiration of others is our reward".

At that time, the pitch was the only one in the city that had the right size and conditions for important matches. At the same time, the seats around the pitch were rented out, which led to the first box office income.

On 16 October 1916, after raising a large sum of money from the club's members, the pitch was surrounded by a 2.5m fence painted red, hence its other nickname: the stadium of the red boards. The boards were numbered to facilitate dismantling and subsequent reassembly when the grounds needed to be vacated during the Feria de Abril. The Campo del Mercantil was maintained until the summer of 1918, witnessing great triumphs in the Sevilla Cup and the Andalusian and Spanish championships, as well as the beginnings of what would later be known as the Sevillista School.