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Eduardo Alesson Gravirona was a Spanish football executive and
fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...
teacher. He was one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of
football in Catalonia Football is the most important sport in Catalonia and was introduced in the late 19th century by a combination of mostly British immigrant workers and visiting sailors, and students returning from Britain. Catalonia led the way in the development ...
since he was the fundamental head behind the foundation of both Hispania AC and the
Catalan Football Federation The Catalan Football Federation ( ca, Federació Catalana de Futbol, es, Federación Catalana de Fútbol; FCF) is the football association responsible for administering football in Catalonia. It was formed on 11 November 1900 as the Football Ass ...
in 1900, and then serving both entities as their first-ever president. He also worked as a football referee.


Sporting career


Fencing

Alesson was a man of great culture and very well regarded in the sporting environments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Barcelona, as he represented the prototype of the sportsman, a man who enjoyed all the sports and practiced most of the ones who were in fashion at that time, such as fencing and football. In 1893, he became a fencing teacher at the ''Gimnàs Mèdic de Barcelona'' (Medical Gymnasium in Barcelona), and between 1897 and 1898, he opened the armory that bore his name, where some of the best fencers were trained, such as Alfonso Ardura, a future president of the and of
RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...
, or Alfredo Conde. On 9 December 1898, Alesson participated in the first athletic race that took place in the city of Barcelona, organized by
Jaime Vila Jaime Vila Capdevila (1860 – 21 July 1954) was a physical education teacher, sports promoter and leader. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of gymnastics and football in Catalonia, having been o ...
, a teacher at the Tolosa Gymnasium.


Hispania AC

In October 1900, Alesson played a fundamental role in the foundation of ''Hispània Athletic Club'', which was formed, among others, by a group of football players from
Català FC Català Futbol Club, and later Català Sport Club, was a football team based in Barcelona, Spain, which existed from 1899 until its dissolution in the late 1920s. It was one of the most important entities in the amateur beginnings of football in C ...
, which included several of Català's founding members, such as
Fermín Lomba Fermín Amadeo Agustín Lomba de la Pedraja (7 July 1877 – 20 April 1946) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder and forward for Catalá FC and Hispania AC in 1900 and 1901, helping the later club became the first-ever to win an ...
, and Carlos Soley. Hispania AC, however, was not just a football club, but a Society that participated in other sports, such as
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
and
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
. Hispania's first president was José Ortiz, but the soul of the club was Alesson and the sports patron
Alfonso Macaya Alfonso Macaya Sanmartí (1878 – 1950) was a Spanish football executive and businessman. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of football in Catalonia since he was the fundamental head behind the ...
, who were the honorary presidents of Hispania during its first years.


Catalan Football Federation and

At the turn of the century, several clubs were informally playing football matches in Catalonia, so on 11 November 1900, Alesson, together with representatives of eight clubs, founded the ''Asociación de Clubs de Football de Barcelona'' (A.C.F.B.) in a room on ''Carrer Archs'' in Barcelona. This was the body that regulated the first rules of Catalan football, and that six years later became the
Catalan Football Federation The Catalan Football Federation ( ca, Federació Catalana de Futbol, es, Federación Catalana de Fútbol; FCF) is the football association responsible for administering football in Catalonia. It was formed on 11 November 1900 as the Football Ass ...
. He was elected as its first president, with his mandate lasting from the entity's foundation until 1904, when he was replaced by
Josep de Togores Josep is a Catalan language, Catalan masculine given name equivalent to Joseph (Spanish ''José''). People named Josep include: * Josep Bargalló (born 1958), Catalan philologist and former politician * Josep Bartolí (1910-1995), Catalan painter ...
. In the following week, on 18 November, on the occasion of the inauguration of the first
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...
field, next to the Casanovas hotel, the A.C.F.B. published its first football regulation.


Copa Macaya

It was under his presidency that the
Copa Macaya The Hispania Athletic Club Tournament–Alfonso Macaya Cup, popularly known as the Copa Macaya, was a football competition contested by clubs from Catalonia which ran from 1900 until 1903, disappearing at the same time of its organizers, Hispania ...
was created, a football championship contested in a league format between the different clubs that had been created in Spain, which was hosted by Hispania AC, who won its first edition in 1901. On 24 March 1901, Alesson attended the match between Hispania AC and
Tarragona Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...
, which was played on Hispania's field, at the Montaner Street, and once the match was over, the Hispania players became the object of all kinds of entertainment from their visitors, with Alesson being one of the "many sporting elements of the capital" that was among the distinguished crowd that witnessed the party. After being crowned the best Catalan team of the moment, Hispania started the 1901–02 season with a major setback: the departure of its captain and best player, Gustavo Green, to direct rivals
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...
. Furthermore, Carlos Soley, club secretary and
midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, returned to his native Costa Rica. This led to a few changes in the board of directors: José Ortiz took over as secretary to replace Soley, leaving the presidency of the club to Alesson. The 1901–02 Copa Macaya was won by Barcelona, in part thanks to Gustavo Green. By the end of 1902, Hispania was already in decline, but it still had the strength and courage to organize the third edition of its championship. Alesson was Hispania's president for as long as the club lasted, holding the position until its disappearance in November 1903, partly motivated by the departure of its most emblematic players, who joined other clubs, mainly FC Barcelona.


Other activities

He was one of the promoters of the foundation of the Badalona Football Club in 1903, and was also a member of the Sportsmen's Club, a multi-sport entity that existed between 1903 and 1906. He was also a referee who oversaw several matches in the
Catalan football championship The Catalan football championship ''(Campionat de Catalunya)'' was a football competition in Catalonia and the first football league in Spain before La Liga was established in 1929. In December 1900, Alfons Macaya, the president of Hispania AC, ...
. He then emigrated to
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, but returned to take charge of the ''Tiro Nacional'' fencing room in 1935.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alesson, Eduardo Year of birth missing 1951 deaths Spanish football chairmen and investors Spanish football referees Sportspeople from Barcelona