football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
based in
Girona
Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...
,
Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy.
Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
, Spain. Founded on 23 July 1930, it plays in
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 ...
, to which they gained promotion in the
2022 Segunda División play-offs
The 2021–22 Segunda División play-offs were played from 1 June to 19 June 2022 and determined the third team promoted to La Liga for the following season. Teams placed between 3rd and 6th position took part in the promotion play-offs.
Regulat ...
.
Girona holds its home matches at the 11,810-capacity
Estadi Montilivi
Estadi Montilivi is a multi-use stadium in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home ground of Girona FC. It was built and opened in 1970.
After their first ever promotion to La Liga, Girona expanded ...
. The club also has youth and amateur women's teams for competition.
History
Football became of a particular interest in Girona at the beginning of the 20th century. The first major club in the city was Strong Esport (founded in 1902 under original name of FC Gerundense). In the 1920s in Girona there were two new clubs, CE Gironí and UD Girona. After the disappearance of the UD Girona it was decided to create a new football team in the city.
On 23 July 1930, in the café Norat in La Rambla of
Girona
Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...
, Girona Futbol Club was founded upon the dissolution of Unió Esportiva Girona for economic reasons. On 1 August 1930 the city council authorized the club so that it could use the city's emblem on its badges. It was achieved thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts led by the club's first president Albert de Quintana de León. The team subsequently entered in the second division of the Catalan Championships. Its first official match was against Colònia Artigas with the lineup: Florenza, Teixidor, Farró, Flavià, Comas, Corradi, Ferrer, Escuder, Clara, Torrellas and Taradellas.
1935–36 was the first season Girona played 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 ...
, and the club finished in top position in its group, subsequently appearing in the playoff stage against
Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues ...
,
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...
,
Arenas Club
Arenas Club de Getxo is a Spanish football club based in the town of Getxo, near Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1909, it currently plays in Segunda División RFEF – Group 2, holding home games at Campo Mu ...
,
Real Murcia
Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia (, "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, playing ho ...
and Xerez, but finishing second from bottom, thus out of the
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 ...
promotion zone.
After the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, the club fluctuated between the second level and
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 ...
, falling into the latter category in 1959 and being further demoted in 1980 –
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 ...
was created as the new division three in 1977, and the club lasted three years in the competition. In 1968, construction of the
Estadi Montilivi
Estadi Montilivi is a multi-use stadium in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is used mostly for football matches and serves as the home ground of Girona FC. It was built and opened in 1970.
After their first ever promotion to La Liga, Girona expanded ...
began, with home matches being held there on a permanent basis from 1970 onwards after nearly five decades at the Vista Alegre stadium.
In the following decades, Girona alternated between the third and the fourth divisions, even spending three seasons in the regional championships, in 1982–83 and 1997–99. On 16 June 2008, after defeating
Ceuta
Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa.
Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...
Raül Agné
Raül Agné Montull (born 24 May 1970) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender, currently a manager.
Playing career
Born in Mequinenza, Province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Agné never competed in higher than Segunda División ...
-led side achieved a second consecutive promotion, returning to the second tier after a 49-year absence.
On 22 July 2010, a group of local businessmen led by Ramon Vilaró, Joaquim Boadas and Josep Slim purchased 72% of the club's shares, previously held by former club president Josep Gusó and Josep Rofes, thus becoming the new owners of Girona. Vilaró was elected the new president while Agné, after a spell with
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. () is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, 2 days before Christmas, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play i ...
, returned as manager for the upcoming second division campaign, lasting in the position until 14 January 2012 when he was sacked following a 0–3 loss at Recreativo.
In 2011, Girona created a
reserve team
In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...
, having previously grown a natural grass pitch in Palau. On 9 May 2013, the club's
board of directors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
, under the slogan "''El Girona FC també és meu''" ("Girona FC is mine too"), approved an increase of the club's capital in
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
300,000 to be distributed in €10 shares, aiming to balance its estate.
On the last matchday of the 2014–15 season, Girona needed to beat
Lugo
Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...
at home to earn promotion to La Liga, but were denied by a last-minute goal by the visitors. Girona had to settle for a play-off place, but were eliminated in the semi-finals by
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...
, despite winning the first leg 3–0. The next season, they reached the play-off final but were defeated by
Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El ...
. Girona finally earned promotion to La Liga after the 2016–17 season as they finished runners-up to Levante. This was the first time that Girona had ever been promoted to
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 ...
in their 87-year history.
On 23 August 2017, it was announced
City Football Group
City Football Group Limited (CFG) is a holding company that administers association football clubs. The group is owned by three organisations; of which 81% is majority owned by Newton Investment and Development LLC, 18% by the American firm Si ...
(CFG) had purchased 44.3% ownership in Girona. Another 44.3% was held by Girona Football Group, led by Pere Guardiola, the brother of CFG-owned Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. On 29 October 2017, Girona recorded a memorable victory defeating reigning
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
winners Real Madrid 2–1.
In July 2018 it was announced that Girona FC would be participating in their first ever Pre-Season international tournament held in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established i ...
and the Australian Team
Melbourne City FC
Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne East, that plays in the A-League, the top level of Australian soccer, under licence from Australian Professio ...
.
On the last match day of the 2018–19 La Liga season, Girona were relegated to Segunda Division, ending their two-year spell in the Spanish top tier.
Training centre
The club's new training facilities are under construction since December 2017, located at the PGA Catalunya Golf Course complex to the south of
Girona
Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...
. Occupying an area of , the new complex will serve as the exclusive training centre of the club for the next years. It will be home to a training pitch of hybrid grass as well as a pitch of natural grass, in addition to indoor training facilities.
Season to season
*3 seasons in
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 ...
*24 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 ...
*13 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 ...
*44 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 ...
Delfí Geli
Delfí Geli i Roura (born 22 April 1969) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a right-back, currently president of Girona FC.
Club career
Born in Salt, Girona, Catalonia, Geli began his professional career as a forward, ...
, -
, Board president
, Pere Guardiola
, -
, Vice president
, Diego Gigliani
, -
, rowspan=4, Board members
, Marcelo Claure
, -
, Andy Young
, -
, Roger Solé
, -
, Simon Cliff
, -
, CEO
, Ignacio Mas-Bagà
Coaches
*
Francisco Bru
Francisco Bru Sanz (12 April 1885 – 10 June 1962), also known as Paco Bru, was a Spanish football player, referee and manager. As a footballer he played as a striker and midfielder for FC Internacional and as a defender for FC Barcelona, RCD ...
(1937–39)
*
Károly Plattkó
Károly Plattkó also known as ''Carlos Platko'' was a Hungarian football player and manager who coached CD Castellón, Sporting de Gijón, Real Valladolid, Recreativo de Huelva, Celta de Vigo, Girona FC and SD Ponferradina in Spain. His broth ...
(1948–49)
*
Hilario Hilario or Hilário can be both a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Hilario (footballer, born 1905), Hilario (1905–1989), Spanish footballer and manager
*Hilário (footballer, born 1939), Hilário (born 193 ...
(1949–50)
*
Domènec Balmanya
Domènec Balmanya i Perera (; 29 December 1914 – 14 February 2002), also referred to as Domingo Balmaña, was a former Spanish football midfielder and manager who spent most of his playing career at FC Barcelona. As a manager, he guided CF Barc ...
(1952)
*
Emilio Aldecoa
Emilio Aldecoa Gómez (30 November 1922 – 4 September 1999) was a Spanish professional footballer who played in the English and Spanish football leagues and later managed in Spain and England. He made one appearance for the Spain national team ...
(1955–57), (1959–60)
*
Dagoberto Moll
Dagoberto Moll Sequeira (born 22 July 1927) is a Uruguayan former professional association football, football player and manager.
He is remembered for his part in the "Orquesta Canaro", an attacking line of Deportivo de La Coruña in the 1950s f ...
(1965–66)
*
Emilio Aldecoa
Emilio Aldecoa Gómez (30 November 1922 – 4 September 1999) was a Spanish professional footballer who played in the English and Spanish football leagues and later managed in Spain and England. He made one appearance for the Spain national team ...
Emilio Aldecoa
Emilio Aldecoa Gómez (30 November 1922 – 4 September 1999) was a Spanish professional footballer who played in the English and Spanish football leagues and later managed in Spain and England. He made one appearance for the Spain national team ...
Pepe Pinto
José "Pepe" Pinto Rosas (born 11 November 1929) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a defender, and a current coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coachi ...
Emilio Aldecoa
Emilio Aldecoa Gómez (30 November 1922 – 4 September 1999) was a Spanish professional footballer who played in the English and Spanish football leagues and later managed in Spain and England. He made one appearance for the Spain national team ...
Pere Gratacós
Pere Gratacós Boix (born 14 February 1958) is a Spanish retired Association football, football Defender (association football)#Centre-back, central defender and coach.
Playing career
Born in Besalú, Province of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Grat ...
(1997–99)
*
Narcís Julià
Narcís Julià Fontané (born 24 May 1963) is a Spanish retired Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender, and a current Manager (association football), manager.
Playing career
Born in Girona, Cat ...
(2003)
*
Agustín Abadía
Agustín Abadía Plana (; born 15 April 1962) is a Spanish former professional football left midfielder and manager.
Blessed with few technical skills but a tremendous hard-worker,Josep María Nogués (2005)
* Joan Carrillo (2006–07)
* Ricardo Rodríguez (2007)
*
Raül Agné
Raül Agné Montull (born 24 May 1970) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender, currently a manager.
Playing career
Born in Mequinenza, Province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Agné never competed in higher than Segunda División ...
Cristóbal Parralo
Cristóbal Parralo Aguilera (born 21 August 1967), known simply as Cristóbal as a player, is a Spanish retired professional footballer, currently the manager of Racing de Ferrol.
He played mainly as a right back, but could also appear as a ce ...
(2009)
*
Narcís Julià
Narcís Julià Fontané (born 24 May 1963) is a Spanish retired Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender, and a current Manager (association football), manager.
Playing career
Born in Girona, Cat ...
(2009–10)
*
Raül Agné
Raül Agné Montull (born 24 May 1970) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender, currently a manager.
Playing career
Born in Mequinenza, Province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Agné never competed in higher than Segunda División ...
(2010–12)
*
Josu Uribe
Jesús Uribesalgo Gutiérrez (born 25 May 1969), commonly known as Josu Uribe, is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager.
Club career
Born in Gijón, Asturias, Uribe began coaching at the age of 21, manag ...
Pablo Machín
Pablo Machín Díez (; born 7 April 1975) is a Spanish manager. he is the currently head coach La Liga club of Elche.
Playing career
Born in Soria, Machín was a CD Numancia youth graduate. Despite making five first team appearances during the ...
(2014–18)
*
Eusebio Sacristán
Eusebio Sacristán Mena (; born 13 April 1964), known simply as Eusebio in his playing days, is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder.
He had a 20-year playing career, which started and e ...
(2018–19)
*
Juan Carlos Unzué
Juan Carlos Unzué Labiano (born 22 April 1967) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a goalkeeper.
As a player, he represented mostly Sevilla, for which he appeared in nearly 300 official games. He also spent two years ...
(2019)
*
José Luis Martí
José Luis Martí Soler (born 28 April 1975) is a Spanish professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a central midfielder.
Known for his tactical awareness, he amassed La ...
(2019–20)
*
Francisco
Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name '' Franciscus''.
Nicknames
In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father o ...
CF Peralada-Girona B
Club de Futbol Peralada is a Spanish football team based in Peralada, in Province of Girona of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1915, it plays in Tercera División RFEF – Group 5, holding home matches at ''Municipal de Peralad ...