Debate was held on the name of the club, which it was agreed would not include the names of any of its predecessors. An early option, "Deportivo Canarias", was scrapped due to referring to the Canary Islands on a whole rather than the island of Gran Canaria. The name "Las Palmas" by itself was also put forward, and then rejected due to the name having already been taken by a defunct club in the city; "Unión Deportiva Las Palmas" was finally chosen due to its connection to the union which created the team, and its home city of Las Palmas. The first training session at the new club was held on 16 September 1949.