The day Spanish football was born

The prestigious Spanish sport newspaper MARCA published the following article on October, 9 2012.

The Sevilla Football Club's History Department has unearthed a treasure in Scotland, published by 'The Dundee Courier' on 17th March 1890, reporting how the first official football match was played on Spanish soil in Seville on 8th March 1890. It was held at the Hipódromo de la Sociedad de Carreras de Caballos (horse racing track) and was between Huelva Recreation Club and Sevilla Football Club.

The first official game was played on 8th March 1890 in Seville

On the eighth of this month, 22 members of this city's Recreation Club left for Seville on the mail train to take part in a 'football' game (the first played in Spain) which took place on the same day at 5 o'clock in the afternoon", the ' Dundee Courier' correspondent in Sevilla reports.

The game was very pleasant with two halves of thirty five minutes, ending in a 2-0 victory for Seville. Ritson scored the first…." the anonymous journalist continues. The British Vice-Consul in the Andalusian capital acted as the referee.

The article tells the story of the founding of the Sevilla Football Club on 25th January 1890: "Six weeks ago, several young enthusiasts, residents of British origin, met in a café to consider the proposal of forming an Athletics Association (…) After much discussion and some moderate partaking of small beers, the 'Club de Football de Sevilla' was duly formed. Half of us were Spanish and half British…

Published by Marca
Tomás Campos
October, 10 2012