Campeonato Regional Vasco

The Lions of San Mamés, a Basque institution.

Athletic Club, commonly known as Athletic Bilbao, is a professional football club based in Bilbao, Spain. They are known as Lehoiak (The Lions) because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés, named after Saint Mammes, an early Christian thrown to the lions by the Romans. The team plays its home matches at the San Mamés Stadium. Its home colours are red and white striped shirts with black shorts.

Lore & Background

Athletic are the fourth most successful club in La Liga with eight titles to their name. In the table of cup titles, Athletic is second only to Barcelona, having won it 24 times. It is also the most successful Basque football club in both league and cup titles won. The club also has one of the most successful women's teams in Spain, which has won five championships in the Primera División Femenina. The club is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929, the others being Real Madrid and Barcelona. These three clubs, along with Osasuna, are the only four professional clubs in Spain that are not sports corporations; this means that the club is owned by its members, who elect the president. The president cannot invest his own money. Athletic's main rivals are Real Sociedad, against whom it contests the Basque derby, and Real Madrid, due to sporting and political identity; a minor rivalry also exists with Barcelona due to historical significance. At various points in the club's history, further Basque league derbies have been contested against Alavés, Eibar and Osasuna. The club is known for its cantera policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks, as well as recruiting players from other Basque clubs. Athletic's official policy is to sign players native to or trained in football in the greater Basque Country, which includes Biscay, Gipuzkoa, Álava and Navarre (in Spain), as well as Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre (in France). Since 1911, Athletic has played exclusively with players meeting its own criteria to be deemed Basque. The rule does not apply to coaching staff, with several examples of non-Basques head coach both from Spain and abroad having coached the first team. Despite the implications of the name 'Athletic Club' in English, and unlike some of the other major Spanish teams which have several departments, it is not a multi-sport club, participating only in football, although sections for cycling and other sports existed prior to the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.

Reader's Guide

The club was founded in 1898. In 1901, at a meeting held at the Café García, a group of football pioneers became a legalized official football club, which they called Athletic Club. Luis Márquez became the club's first president. In 1902, Athletic and city rivals Bilbao Football Club combined to form Club Bizcaya, which won the 1902 Copa de la Coronación. On 24 March 1903, Bilbao FC was absorbed by Athletic Club. Athletic won their first Copa del Rey in 1903. In 1904, holders Athletic were declared winners of the trophy after their opponents failed to turn up. In 1907, they revived the name Club Vizcaya after entering a combined team with La Union and were beaten in the Copa final. They won again in 1910. The San Mamés Stadium opened in 1913. Athletic won the Copa del Rey three times in a row between 1914 and 1916, with Billy Barnes as coach. Between 1917 and 1919, the club did not participate in the Copa del Rey. In 1921, they won the Copa del Rey again. In 1923, under English coach Fred Pentland, they won the Copa del Rey. Pentland returned in 1929 and led the club to La Liga/Copa del Rey doubles in 1930 and 1931. The club won the Copa del Rey four times in a row between 1930 and 1933. In 1931, Athletic defeated Barcelona 12–1. Under English coach William Garbutt, Athletic won the Liga in 1936. The league did not restart until the 1939–40 season after the Spanish Civil War. Athletic Club did not win the title again until 1943.

Did You Know?

Athletic's star player Pichichi scored the first goal at the San Mamés on 21 August 1913 and a hat-trick in the 1915 final. The La Liga top-scorer is declared the Pichichi in his honour.
In 1931, Athletic defeated Barcelona 12–1, Barcelona's worst defeat and the biggest win in La Liga history.
Goalkeeper Gregorio Blasco was the most unbeaten goalie in La Liga on three occasions.
Ángel Zubieta, at 17 years of age, became the youngest ever to play for Spain at the time.