Girona FC

Girona Futbol Club, S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Founded on 23 July 1930, it plays in La Liga, to which they gained promotion in the 2022 Segunda División play-offs.[3]

Girona
Full nameGirona Futbol Club, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)Blanquivermells (White and Reds), Gironistes
Founded23 July 1930 (1930-07-23)
GroundEstadi Montilivi
Capacity11,810[1]
OwnerCity Football Group (47%)
Marcelo Claure (35%)
Girona Football Group (16%)
Others (1–2%)[2]
PresidentDelfí Geli
Head coachMíchel
LeagueLa Liga
2021–22Segunda División, 6th of 22 (promoted via play-offs)
WebsiteClub website
Clubs owned by CFG
(listed in order of acquisition/foundation)
Bold indicates the club was founded by CFG.
* indicates the club was acquired by CFG.
§ indicates the club is co-owned.
2008Manchester City F.C.*
2009–2012
2013New York City FC§
2014Melbourne City FC*
Yokohama F. Marinos*§
2015–2016
2017Montevideo City Torque*
Girona FC*§
2018
2019Sichuan Jiuniu F.C.*§
Mumbai City FC*§
2020Lommel S.K.*
ES Troyes AC*
2021
2022Palermo F.C.*§
2023Bahia*§

Girona holds its home matches at the 11,810-capacity Estadi Montilivi and is known for its association with Catalan nationalism.[4] 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).[5] 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.[6]

On 23 July 1930, in the café Norat in La Rambla of Girona, 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.[6] 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, and the club finished in top position in its group, subsequently appearing in the playoff stage against Celta de Vigo, Real Zaragoza, Arenas Club, Real Murcia, and Xerez, but finishing second from bottom, thus out of the La Liga promotion zone.

Chart of Girona FC league performance 1929–2023

After the Spanish Civil War, the club fluctuated between the second level and Tercera División, falling into the latter category in 1959 and being further demoted in 1980 – Segunda División B 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 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.[7] On 16 June 2008, after defeating Ceuta 1–0 in the play-offs, the Raül Agné-led side achieved a second consecutive promotion, returning to the second tier after a 49-year absence.[8][9]

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, 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.[10]

In 2011, Girona created a reserve team, having previously grown a natural grass pitch in Palau.[11] On 9 May 2013, the club's board of directors, under the slogan "El Girona FC també és meu" ("Girona FC is mine too"), approved an increase of the club's capital in €300,000 to be distributed in €10 shares, aiming to balance its estate.[12]

On the last matchday of the 2014–15 season, Girona needed to beat Lugo 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, despite winning the first leg 3–0. The next season, they reached the play-off final but were defeated by Osasuna. 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 in their 87-year history.[13]

On 23 August 2017, it was announced City Football Group (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.[14] On 29 October 2017, Girona recorded a memorable victory defeating reigning European Cup winners Real Madrid 2–1.[15][16]

In July 2018 it was announced that Girona FC would be participating in their first ever Pre-Season international tournament held in India by Nippon Toyota. Girona FC faced the Indian team Kerala Blasters and the Australian Team Melbourne City FC.

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,[17] located at the PGA Catalunya Golf Course complex to the south of Girona. Occupying an area of 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft), the new complex will serve as the exclusive training centre of the club for the next 3+1⁄2 years. It will be home to a 110 m × 72 m (361 ft × 236 ft) training pitch of hybrid grass as well as a 160 m × 72 m (525 ft × 236 ft) pitch of natural grass, in addition to indoor training facilities.[18]

Season to season
Main article: List of Girona FC seasons
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1933–34 3 3ª 1st
1934–35 2 2ª 4th Third round
1935–36 2 2ª 1st Round of 16
1939–40 2 2ª 3rd First round
1940–41 2 2ª 4th Third round
1941–42 2 2ª 5th
1942–43 2 2ª 6th
1943–44 3 3ª 5th Second round
1944–45 3 3ª 3rd
1945–46 3 3ª 6th
1946–47 3 3ª 4th
1947–48 3 3ª 1st Third round
1948–49 2 2ª 10th Round of 16
1949–50 2 2ª 9th Third round
1950–51 2 2ª 16th
1951–52 3 3ª 6th
1952–53 3 3ª 8th
1953–54 3 3ª 2nd
1954–55 3 3ª 1st
1955–56 3 3ª 2nd
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1956–57 2 2ª 9th
1957–58 2 2ª 9th
1958–59 2 2ª 15th First round
1959–60 3 3ª 11th
1960–61 3 3ª 4th
1961–62 3 3ª 2nd
1962–63 3 3ª 4th
1963–64 3 3ª 6th
1964–65 3 3ª 7th
1965–66 3 3ª 7th
1966–67 3 3ª 3rd
1967–68 3 3ª 8th
1968–69 3 3ª 11th
1969–70 3 3ª 3rd Second round
1970–71 3 3ª 2nd First round
1971–72 3 3ª 8th First round
1972–73 3 3ª 2nd Second round
1973–74 3 3ª 3rd First round
1974–75 3 3ª 6th Second round
1975–76 3 3ª 3rd First round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1976–77 3 3ª 2nd Third round
1977–78 3 2ª B 6th Third round
1978–79 3 2ª B 13th Third round
1979–80 3 2ª B 19th First round
1980–81 4 3ª 7th
1981–82 4 3ª 18th
1982–83 5 Reg. Pref. 1st
1983–84 4 3ª 9th
1984–85 4 3ª 7th
1985–86 4 3ª 2nd
1986–87 4 3ª 7th First round
1987–88 3 2ª B 19th
1988–89 4 3ª 1st First round
1989–90 3 2ª B 12th
1990–91 3 2ª B 7th Second round
1991–92 3 2ª B 3rd
1992–93 3 2ª B 15th Third round
1993–94 3 2ª B 15th First round
1994–95 3 2ª B 18th First round
1995–96 4 3ª 13th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1996–97 4 3ª 19th
1997–98 5 1ª Cat. 5th
1998–99 5 1ª Cat. 1st
1999–2000 4 3ª 7th
2000–01 4 3ª 8th
2001–02 4 3ª 9th
2002–03 4 3ª 2nd
2003–04 3 2ª B 7th
2004–05 3 2ª B 17th Round of 32
2005–06 4 3ª 1st
2006–07 4 3ª 2nd First round
2007–08 3 2ª B 1st
2008–09 2 2ª 16th Third round
2009–10 2 2ª 14th Third round
2010–11 2 2ª 11th Second round
2011–12 2 2ª 15th Second round
2012–13 2 2ª 4th Second round
2013–14 2 2ª 15th Round of 32
2014–15 2 2ª 3rd Third round
2015–16 2 2ª 4th Second round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
2016–17 2 2ª 2nd Second round
2017–18 1 1ª 10th Round of 32
2018–19 1 1ª 18th Quarter-finals
2019–20 2 2ª 5th Round of 32
2020–21 2 2ª 5th Round of 16
2021–22 2 2ª 6th Round of 16
2022–23 1 1ª Second round

Players

First team squad
As of 4 February 2023[19]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Spain ESP Juan Carlos
2 DF Colombia COL Bernardo Espinosa
3 DF Spain ESP Miguel Gutiérrez
4 DF Spain ESP Arnau Martínez
5 DF Spain ESP David López
6 MF Mali MLI Ibrahima Kebe
7 FW Uruguay URU Cristhian Stuani (captain)
8 MF Ukraine UKR Viktor Tsyhankov
9 FW Argentina ARG Taty Castellanos (on loan from New York City FC)
11 FW Spain ESP Valery Fernández
12 MF Spain ESP Toni Villa
13 GK Argentina ARG Paulo Gazzaniga (on loan from Fulham)
14 MF Spain ESP Aleix García
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Spain ESP Juanpe (vice-captain)
16 DF Spain ESP Javi Hernández (on loan from Leganés)
17 FW Spain ESP Rodrigo Riquelme (on loan from Atlético Madrid)
18 MF Spain ESP Oriol Romeu
19 MF Brazil BRA Reinier (on loan from Real Madrid)
20 DF Brazil BRA Yan Couto (on loan from Manchester City)
21 MF Venezuela VEN Yangel Herrera (on loan from Manchester City)
22 DF Uruguay URU Santiago Bueno
23 MF Spain ESP Iván Martín (on loan from Villarreal)
24 MF Spain ESP Borja García
25 DF Peru PER Alexander Callens
26 GK Spain ESP Toni Fuidias

Reserve team
Main article: Girona FC B

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
30 GK Spain ESP Lluc Matas
33 FW Spain ESP Joel Roca
34 DF Spain ESP Biel Farrés
No. Pos. Nation Player
36 MF Spain ESP Ricard Artero
37 FW Mauritania MTN Dawda Camara

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF Spain ESP Eric Monjonell (at Lommel until 30 June 2023)
— MF Spain ESP Álex Sala (at Sabadell until 30 June 2023)
— MF Spain ESP Pau Víctor (at Sabadell until 30 June 2023)
— MF Spain ESP Ramon Terrats (at Villarreal B until 30 June 2023)
— FW Spain ESP Arnau Ortiz (at Murcia until 30 June 2023)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW Spain ESP Gabri Martínez (at San Fernando until 30 June 2023)
— FW Morocco MAR Ilyas Chaira (at San Fernando until 30 June 2023)
— FW Spain ESP Manu Vallejo (at Oviedo until 30 June 2023)
— FW Spain ESP Oscar Ureña (at Cartagena until 30 June 2023)

Club officials

Current technical staff
Position Staff
Head coach Spain Míchel
Assistant coach Spain Salva Fúnez
Fitness coach Spain David Porcel
Goalkeeping coach Spain Juan Carlos Balaguer

Last updated: 8 November 2021
Source: Girona FC (in Spanish)

Board of directors
Office Name
President Delfí Geli
Board president Pere Guardiola
Vice president Diego Gigliani
Board members Marcelo Claure
John MacBeath
Roger Solé
Simon Cliff
CEO Ignacio Mas-Bagà

Last updated: December 2022
Source: Girona FC

Coaches

Honours

National
  • Tercera Division
    • Winners (5): 1933–34, 1947–48, 1954–55, 1988–89, 2005–06

Regional titles

See also

References
  1. "ENTIDAD | Girona" (in Spanish). Girona FC. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. "Marcelo Claure strengthen the Girona FC project | Girona - Web Oficial".
  3. "Girona return to La Liga after winning promotion playoff - Get Spanish Football News". getfootballnewsspain.com. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  4. Willis, Craig; Hughes, Will; Bober, Sergiusz. "ECMI Minorities Blog. National and Linguistic Minorities in the Context of Professional Football across Europe: Five Examples from Non-kin State Situations". ECMI. ECMI. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  5. "HISTORIA DEL CLUB | Girona - Web Oficial". HISTORIA DEL CLUB | Girona - Web Oficial (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  6. "Análisis a fondo del rival: Girona FC SAD". SPORTARAGON.com (in Spanish). 11 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  7. "Historia" [History] (in Spanish). Girona's official website. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  8. "El Girona entona el alirón" [Girona sings "We are the champions"] (PDF) (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  9. "El Girona aconsegueix un ascens històric a la Segona Divisió en vèncer el Ceuta per la mínima (1–0)" [Girona achieves historic promotion to Second Division by beating Ceuta by odd goal (1–0)] (in Catalan). Esport 3. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  10. "Cesado por sus malos resultados deportivos" [Fired for poor sporting results] (in Spanish). Huelva Ya. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  11. "El Llagostera entrena en el campo del Girona" [Llagostera trains in Girona pitch] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  12. "El Girona FC también es mío" [El Girona FC también es mío] (in Spanish). Girona's official website. 9 May 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  13. "Girona promoted to la Liga for first time in 87 years | : The World Game". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  14. "Girona FC, acquired by new investors" (in Catalan). Girona FC. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  15. "Real Madrid suffer shock defeat at Girona on first visit to Catalan club". TheGuardian.com. 29 October 2017.
  16. "Real Madrid stunned as Girona record shock win". 27 October 2017.
  17. "Comienza la instalación del césped en los nuevos campos de entrenamiento del Girona en el PGA Catalunya Resort de Caldes de Malavella" [The installation of the turf begins in the new Girona training camps at the PGA Catalunya Resort in Caldes de Malavella] (in Spanish). 18 January 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  18. "El Girona FC estrenará en enero dos nuevos campos de entrenamiento en el PGA Catalunya Resort de Caldes" [Girona FC debut in January two new training camps in the PGA Catalunya Resort in Caldes] (in Spanish). 13 December 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  19. "First team". Girona FC. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
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