Digital Project · 2013–2020
CanteiraCeleste: From Independent Digital Project to RC Celta Academy Official Channel
CanteiraCeleste started in 2013 as an independent digital project focused on RC Celta’s academy and youth football. Over seven years, I helped create and develop the project alongside Berto Carballo and Dani Vans, working across website management, digital content, photography, design, social media, community building and analytics.
The project grew from a small independent initiative into a digital asset with millions of page views, its own community and accredited match coverage. In October 2020, its independent stage came to an end when CanteiraCeleste was integrated into RC Celta’s official digital ecosystem, with its social channels continuing as official academy profiles.
RoleCo-founder
Period2013–2020
AreasWebsite · Content · Photography · Design · Social · Analytics
MilestoneIntegrated into RC Celta’s official digital ecosystem
Scale and continuity
Results that still carry context years later.
The primary figures relate to the website asset built during the independent stage. Later social-channel growth is presented separately so that results under RC Celta’s management are not attributed to our work.
Origin
A project built from scratch
CanteiraCeleste began as an independent initiative focused on RC Celta’s academy. The starting point was a basic foundation in HTML, CSS and search fundamentals, without an established audience, complex infrastructure or significant resources.
As the project grew, its needs drove continuous self-directed learning. The website, built on Blogger, evolved through customisation and code modifications, while content formats, social presence and publishing processes also became more sophisticated.
Growth came progressively through specialised content, consistency, original coverage and a deep understanding of a specific community. The value did not come from sophisticated infrastructure, but from making technology, content, publishing, community and continuous improvement work together consistently over time.
8 October 2020
Integration into RC Celta’s official digital ecosystem
On 8 October 2020, RC Celta publicly announced the continuation of CanteiraCeleste within its digital ecosystem, with its social media profiles becoming official academy channels.
In that announcement, the club recognised the work carried out during the previous years and stated that the project had already exceeded five million visits and built a community of almost 20,000 followers.
The integration marked the end of our independent stage and, at the same time, provided external validation of the value the project had built.
View RC Celta’s official announcement →
Execution
A cross-functional digital project
CanteiraCeleste went far beyond publishing articles. The project required several disciplines to work together as one coherent digital experience, with processes and skills evolving as its needs became more demanding.
- Website management and ongoing development.
- Writing, editing and publishing digital content.
- Original sports photography and image editing.
- On-site and accredited match coverage.
- Video editing and production of digital pieces.
- Graphic design and visual assets.
- Social media and community management.
- Radio participation connected to youth-football coverage and communication.
- Audience, performance and format analysis.
Coverage and original production
Digital work backed by real on-site coverage.
Radio and media
CanteiraCeleste also had a presence on Radio Marca Vigo.
The project also extended into radio. The public Directo Marca Vigo archive includes broadcasts listing a Canteira Celeste segment with Berto Carballo and Edgar Garrido, providing additional external evidence of the project’s editorial and media reach.
Growth and community
Growth built over time
CanteiraCeleste did not begin with an established community. Its audience was built progressively through specialised content, original coverage, consistency and a close relationship with a highly specific audience.
Over time, the website reached millions of page views and the social channels developed their own community.
When our independent stage ended in 2020, the Instagram account had around 15,000 followers. Today, under RC Celta’s management, it has more than 59,500.
That later growth is not part of our direct results, but it illustrates the continuity of a digital asset that began as an independent initiative and continued evolving within the club’s official ecosystem.
Evergreen content
The value of content after publishing stops
CanteiraCeleste’s last new article was published in June 2020. However, the website archive remains online and continues to attract a significant volume of traffic.
Across the 12 months measured up to August 2026, the archive generated more than 650,000 page views, bringing the historical total to more than 7.5 million.
This is particularly relevant given that the website was built on Blogger and has not received new editorial content for years.
It should not be presented as the result of one isolated SEO tactic or a single technical formula. It is the accumulated outcome of years of content, topical specialisation, structure, links, search demand, authority and the continued availability of the archive.
For me, this remains one of the project’s most valuable lessons: a digital asset does not necessarily stop creating value when active publishing ends. When content continues to answer real searches and user interests, part of that value can remain visible for years.
Evergreen content and accumulated authority
Years after the active stage ended, certain pieces of content continue to be discovered by new users. That persistence provides a practical example of how useful content, topical depth and historical continuity can continue generating organic visibility even without an active editorial strategy.
650K+
Archive page views · previous 12 months, measured in August 2026, with no new content since June 2020. This reflects the current performance of the digital asset built during the active stage, not traffic generated through later editorial activity.
Later evolution
What happened after 2020
After our stage ended, CanteiraCeleste stopped publishing new content, but the website archive remained online.
From that point, two assets followed different paths:
- The social channels continued developing within RC Celta’s official ecosystem.
- The historical website archive continued attracting traffic through its existing content.
This distinction matters because it separates the results achieved during the independent stage from the later evolution under the club’s management.
The later growth of the social channels belongs to RC Celta. The continued page views generated by the website archive, however, show how content created during the original stage continues to retain demand and visibility years later.
Role
My role in CanteiraCeleste
As a co-founder, I worked cross-functionally throughout the project’s active stage. It became a practical, self-directed learning environment where website management, content, photography, image and video editing, design, social media, community, radio and analysis were all part of the same digital product.
- Co-founding and developing the project.
- Website management, customisation and evolution.
- Content creation, writing and editing.
- Sports photography and image editing.
- On-site and accredited match coverage.
- Video editing and digital materials.
- Digital visual design.
- Social media and community management.
- Radio participation related to youth-football coverage.
- Audience and content performance monitoring.
- Continuous improvement of formats, processes and publishing.
Independent project developed between 2013 and 2020.
Lessons
What the project taught me
CanteiraCeleste became one of my earliest major digital learning environments.
It allowed me to learn by doing: building a product from scratch, understanding an audience, creating and distributing content, interpreting performance signals, working with limited resources, improving formats and processes, and sustaining a project over several years.
It also taught me something I still apply today: digital disciplines do not work in isolation. Technology, content, user experience, community, data and operations reinforce each other when they are approached as one connected system.
Many of those lessons still shape the way I work today across e-commerce, digital operations, content, CRM and process optimisation.
The project also reinforced a way of learning that I still use today: start from a real need, research, test, measure and improve with the resources available.
Timeline
Seven years of development and a legacy that continues today.
CanteiraCeleste launches as an independent digital project.
Website, content, photography, match coverage, social media, community and growth.
Last new article published during the active stage.
RC Celta announces the project’s continuation within its official academy channels.
More than 5 million visits publicly recognised by RC Celta.
More than 7.5 million historical page views; more than 650,000 page views across the 12 months measured up to August 2026; 59,500 Instagram followers under RC Celta’s current management.
Connected career