Global Fútbol

In addition to the 11 players on the pitch, there is another figure that aims to be a key element of connection with the fans this season at the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero: Datigol. In Elche CF's Centenary season, the club has decided to bring back its beloved mascot, who had disappeared for the last 20 years.

At the time, back in the 1990s, a competition was held in all the schools of the city and Datigol was the winning design and was brought to life to help whip up a great atmosphere on matchdays. Datigol is a red fox, the type common in the region, while the name refers to the date palm orchards that the city of Elche is famous for. Now, Datigol is back with a much more modern look, having made a return in the final match of last season, just in time for the party as Elche CF fought off relegation.

Explaining the reasoning and timing behind the decision to recover Datigol, the Elche CF communication and marketing departments stated: “In preparation for our centenary, and as part of our aim of finding new ways to be close to our fans, we wanted to bring back a figure that is very dear to our supporters, especially those who were children in the 1990s and are now parents. It’s a way of linking back to our history. In a way, it’s a reminder of who we are because the mascot was created during a period of poor sporting results. It helps us remember who we are, strengthening our identity but adapted to modern times.”

Datigol takes to the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero pitch before every LaLiga Santander match and at half time, signing autographs and taking photos with all the fans who want one. The fox’s image also appears on all the youth season ticket cards for the 2022/23 season, with first-team midfielder Gerard Gumbau even sharing a video on social media explaining how excited his own daughters are at this development.

As the club continued: “We want to strengthen the sense of belonging to the club, so everything related to our younger fans will have the presence of Datigol, such as, for example, on the Baby, Infantil and Juvenil season ticket cards. In addition, the mascot will play an active role in all our centenary events over the course of this season.”

Given that times have changed since the era when Datigol was previously the club mascot, there was a need for an update to the design, both the digital artwork and the costume. Sonia Arcos is the head of design at Elche CF and took the lead in the restyling process.

Discussing the project, Arcos stated: “We had to convert this mascot that had disappeared and was obsolete into a mascot adapted to modern times. Inspired by the original, I opted to keep some characteristic features, such as the shape of the eyes, and then from there create more modern lines and shapes, the kinds that are more commonly used nowadays. Having seen the process and result, we believe that the mascot fulfils the stated objective: to remind fans of the historical Datigol but to possess a more modern vision that reflects the time that has passed between the disappearance and the return.”

Another of the objectives of the return of Datigol is to help communicate the club’s values, as those in charge at Elche CF believe that this will help build the fanbase of the future. As the communication and marketing departments concluded: “The values that we want Datigol to convey revolve around our approach to young supporters and their experience, with the club and with the football match. One of the club's objectives is to ensure that there are more and more young fans, that they become permanently linked to the club and its values and that their team will always be Elche CF. The return of Datigol is one of the key steps to achieving this. Undoubtedly, this is a further example of fan engagement and fun.”