Full name | Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. | |||
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Nickname(s) | Recre Decano (Dean) Abuelo (Grandfather) Los blanquiazules (The Blue and Whites) | |||
Founded | 23 December 1889 as Huelva Recreation Club | |||
Ground | Nuevo Colombino | |||
Capacity | 21,670 | |||
President | Jesús Vázquez | |||
Head coach | Abel Gómez | |||
League | Primera Federación – Group 2 | |||
2022–23 | Segunda Federación – Group 4, 2nd of 18 (promoted via play-offs) | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal ˈkluβ rekɾeaˈtiβo ðe ˈwelβa]) is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, they are the oldest football club in Spain, and currently play in Primera Federación – Group 2, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a 21,670 capacity.
Team colours are white shirts with blue vertical stripes and white shorts.
History
Foundation/Early years
Two Scots, Alexander Mackay and Robert Russell Ross, overseas workers at the Rio Tinto mines, founded Huelva Recreation Club to provide their employees with physical recreation. Then they were invited by Sevilla F.C. to play their first football match. Very little is officially reported, being one of the most notable games of the time a knock-out stage in 1896 against Locomotoras Albacete Balón-Pie, precursor of the latter Albacete Balompié, in a national cup championship.
During the 1910s, the club won three non-official Andalusian regional cups, and became the first Spanish side to defeat a Portuguese team, winning against Sporting Clube de Portugal. In 1940, it first reached Segunda División, only lasting however one year and not returning until 1957. Since 1965, the team also began hosting the Trofeo Colombino.
Later years
In 1977–78, led by, amongst others, former Real Madrid youth graduate Hipólito Rincón, Recreativo first gained promotion to the top flight. After just one season, it returned to level two, staying there until 1990, the year of a Segunda División B relegation.
In 1999–2000, Recreativo were due to be relegated to the third division, but were redeemed when Atlético Madrid descended into the second and thus their reserves were ejected.[1] With a new stadium and the appointment of Luis Alcaraz as manager, and the club returned to the top flight for the first time in 23 years on 19 May 2002 with a 2–1 home win over fellow Andalusians Xerez CD.[2] After this one season at the top, the team was immediately relegated back. However, in the same campaign, it reached the final of the Copa del Rey for the first time, being defeated by Mallorca 0–3 in Elche.[2]
In 2005–06, after beating Numancia on 4 June 2006, Marcelino García Toral's Recreativo mathematically secured promotion with two matches left to be played. Ahead of the new season, the club bought players including France youth international striker Florent Sinama Pongolle from Liverpool,[3] and young winger Santi Cazorla from Villarreal CF, with a budget of only €15 million.[4] The club finished eighth in the table, at 54 points, a best-ever, and made headlines with a 3–0 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.[4] The club's leading goalscorer was Sinama Pongolle with 12 goals to his name, while García Toral left at its conclusion for Racing de Santander.[5]
Recre narrowly avoided relegation the following season, and in 2008–09, one win in its last 15 matches led to it coming in last place and returning to Segunda after three years. Overspending in aim of returning to the top flight led to debts.[2] At the end of the 2014–15 season, the team fell into Segunda B for the first time in 18 years.[1] A year later, the club was nearing extinction due to financial problems.[6] In May 2021, due to restructuring of the Spanish football league system, the club was relegated two tiers to the fifth level for the first time in its history.[7] Journalist Damián Ortiz of the Diario de Huelva called the entire squad "bastards without honour" and "a black mark on the history of Recreativo de Huelva".[8] In April 2022, Recre achieved promoted back to fourth division. In June 2023, Recre achieved second consecutive promoted to third division after beating Cacereño in last playoff.
Season-by-season record
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- 5 seasons in La Liga
- 38 seasons in Segunda División
- 1 season in Primera Federación
- 14 seasons in Segunda División B
- 1 season in Segunda Federación
- 23 seasons in Tercera División
- 1 season in Tercera División RFEF
- 2 seasons in Divisiones Regionales
Current squad
- As of 29 October 2023.[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Youth players
Honours
- Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup): Runners-up: 2003, Semi-finals: 1906, 1918
- Campeonato Regional Sur (Andalusia Championship): 1918
- Segunda División: 2005–06
Notable coaches
International players
See also
References
- 1 2 "El Decano se vuelve a estrellar en El Sadar como hace 15 años" ["The Dean" crashes again in El Sadar just like 15 years ago]. Marca (in Spanish). 1 June 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- 1 2 3 Stevens, Tom (23 February 2016). "'It's a real matter of faith:' Life as a Recreativo Huelva supporter". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ↑ "Recreativo land Sinama-Pongolle". BBC Sport. 4 May 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- 1 2 Lowe, Sid (21 December 2006). "Recreativo rip up the form book, and Real with it". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ↑ "Marcelino, nuevo entrenador del Racing de Santander" [Marcelino, new Racing de Santander manager] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ↑ Farni, Azi (23 March 2016). "Recreativo de Huelva: Spain's oldest club on the brink of extinction". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
- ↑ Núñez, Manuel S. (9 May 2021). "El Recreativo de Huelva desciende sin jugar" [Recreativo go down without playing] (in Spanish). Huelva Información. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ↑ Ortiz, Damián (9 May 2021). "¡Bajad, bastardos sin honor! (1-2)" [Go down, you bstards without honour!]. Diario de Huelva (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ↑ "Plantilla" [Template]. Recreativo de Huelva. Retrieved 5 October 2018.