Alicante Club de Fútbol was a
Spanish football team based in
Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...
, in the
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...
. Founded in 1918, it played its home matches at ''Estadio Alicante CF'', with a 4,000-seat capacity.
History
''Alicante Club de Fútbol'', under their previous name, were formed in 1918. Five years later, in 1923, the club joined the Valencian Football Federation, with Joaquín Tomás Terol being its first official president.
The team spent the vast majority of its early existence in the ''
Tercera División
Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segunda División'', and the semi-professional ''Segunda Di ...
'', whilst also having very brief spells in the
second division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
(1939–40 – as Alicante Football Club – 1951–52 and 1956–58). For eight years in the 60's, the club acted as the feeder team for neighbours
Hércules CF
Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish football team in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community. Founded on 25 October 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 3 and plays its hom ...
..
In the 2000s, the club firmly established itself as one of the
third level
Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...
's strongest sides. However, the team still failed to get promoted, frequently missing promotion via the playoffs, until
2007–08, in which Alicante were finally promoted to the Segunda División. In the same season, the team famously took
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
powerhouse
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
to task in
the fourth round of the Copa del Rey, only losing in 2–3 on aggregate against the team two divisions above.
Facing severe economic problems during the 2008–09 season, Alicante were immediately relegated back to the third division, despite a strong start to the season. The financial situation persisted in the following years and, on 1 July 2011, at the end of
2010–11, the team was relegated to the fourth division after failing to pay its players on time.
In June 2014, Alicante CF was dissolved and replaced by ''
CFI Alicante'',
who adopted its colors and its logo.
Season to season
*As ''Alicante Club de Fútbol''
----
* 5 seasons in
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...
* 9 seasons in
Segunda División B
Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foot ...
* 45 seasons in
Tercera División
Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segunda División'', and the semi-professional ''Segunda Di ...
Stadium
Alicante held home games at ''Estadio Alicante CF'', inside the ''
Ciudad Deportiva de Villafranqueza
Ciudad () is the Spanish Language, Spanish word for City
Ciudad may also refer to:
*La Ciudad (archaeological site), Hohokam ruins in Phoenix, Arizona
*La Ciudad, district of Durango City, Mexico
*''La ciudad'', novel by Mario Levrero 1970
*La Ciu ...
'', with a 4,000-seat capacity. Previously owned by the club, it was then purchased by the
City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, and the team held their official matches there since 1979.
However, between 2001 and 2010, Alicante played at the ''
Estadio José Rico Pérez
Estadio José Rico Pérez is a multi-purpose stadium in Alicante, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches, being home to Hércules CF. It also hosted World Cup matches when Spain organized the event in 1982. With a capacity of 2 ...
'', the home ground of
Hércules CF
Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish football team in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community. Founded on 25 October 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 3 and plays its hom ...
. After returning to the third division, ''Villafranqueza'' did not possess the required structures to host games in the category, and the municipal authorities refused to renew them.
Notable former players
See also
*
Alicante CF B, Alicante CF's reserve team
References
External links
Official websiteFutbolme team profileFFCV team profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alicante
Alicante CF
Association football clubs established in 1918
1918 establishments in Spain
Defunct football clubs in the Valencian Community
Association football clubs disestablished in 2015
Segunda División clubs