Real Club España
Mexican sports club, football pioneer, 13 amateur league titles.
Real Club España, A.C., often called Real España or Club España, is a sports club based in Mexico City. It offered a wide range of activities, including aerobics, Basque pelota, billiards, canoeing, climbing, football, gymnastics, jai alai, mountaineering, paddle tennis, paleta frontón, rowing, Spanish dances, squash, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and weightlifting. The football side started in 1912 as España Foot-Ball Club and became Real Club España in 1920.
The club was best known for its football team, which played in amateur leagues from 1912 to 1943, first in the Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association and later in the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza/Liga Mayor. It also competed in the top professional division from 1943 until it withdrew and was disaffiliated in 1950. During the amateur era, Real España was one of the most popular and successful teams, winning 13 amateur league titles (five in the Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association, six in the Campeonato de Primera Fuerza/Liga Mayor, and two in the Liga Nacional) and seven amateur cup tournaments (four Copa Tower titles and three Copa Eliminatoria titles). In the professional era, it won four titles: one Liga Mayor (1944–45), one Copa México (1943–44), and two Campeón de Campeones (1944 and 1945).
**History**
**Beginnings**
España F.C. was founded on March 20, 1912, in Mexico City, after a split from the earlier club México F.C., which had been founded in 1910 by Alfredo B. Cuellar, Jorge Gómez de Parada, and Alberto Montaña. The club began with the aim of playing football, created by a group of young Spanish immigrants who missed their homeland. In 1920, through the efforts of Don Antonio de Zayas, Duke of Amalfi and Spain’s minister in Mexico, King Alfonso XIII granted the institution the title of Royal, and it became Real Club España.
**Success**
Real Club España found success quickly. The season after its founding, it won its first amateur league title in 1913–14 in the Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association. It won its first double that season. Between 1912 and the start of the professional era, the club amassed 13 amateur league titles and 7 amateur cup tournaments. When Mexico’s first professional football league was created in 1943, Real España was a favorite but lost the title to Asturias in a playoff. The following season, 1944–45, it won the championship. During t
- founded
- 1912 (as España Foot-Ball Club); renamed Real Club España in 1920
- location
- Mexico City, Mexico
- sports
- Football, aerobics, basque pelota, billiards, canoeing, climbing, gymnastics, jai alai, mountaineering, paddle tennis, paleta frontón, rowing, Spanish dances, squash, swimming, tennis, volleyball, wei
- amateur_titles
- 13 league titles, 7 cup titles
- professional_titles
- 1 Liga Mayor, 1 Copa México, 2 Campeón de Campeones
- disaffiliation
- 1950 (withdrew from professional football)
Quick Facts
- Upright
- 0.7
- Full Name
- Real Club España, A.C.
- Nicknames
- Los Hispanistas (The Hispanists) / Los Españistas (The Spaniards) / Los Albinegros (The Black-and-White)
- Short Name
- RCE, ESP
- Founded
- 1912-03-20 / (as España Foot-Ball Club)
- Folded
- 1950-07-23 (the football team)
- Arena
- Parque España / Mexico City
- Website
- [http: · www.clubespana.com.mx/ clubespana.com.mx]
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The club's professional football program ended during the 1949–50 season when Real España withdrew due to disagreements with the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol and was subsequently disaffiliated. Today, Real España continues as a multi-sport club in Mexico City, offering activities such as rowing and tennis, though its football program is no longer active, with only fields, photographs, and trophies remaining.
Reader's Guide
Real Club España holds a significant place in Mexican football history as one of the most successful clubs of the amateur era, winning 13 league titles and 7 cup competitions between 1912 and the start of professional football in 1943. Its transition to the professional era was brief but notable, capturing the 1944–45 Liga Mayor title, the 1943–44 Copa México, and two Campeón de Campeones trophies. The club's withdrawal in 1950 due to conflicts with the football federation marked the end of its professional football chapter, but its legacy endures through its amateur dominance and its role as a cultural hub for the Spanish community in Mexico. The club's facilities in Mexico City continue to serve members in various sports, preserving its institutional identity. Real España's history reflects the broader development of Mexican football from amateur roots to professional organization, and its trophy haul places it among the most decorated clubs of its time.
Did You Know?
- Real Club España was granted the title 'Royal' by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1920.
- The club won its first amateur league title in the 1913–14 season, just one year after its founding.
- Real España fielded a reserve team called España B during the 1915–16 season.
- The club withdrew from professional football in 1950 due to disagreements with the Mexican Football Federation.
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