Founded | 1901 |
---|---|
Folded | 1940 |
Country | Spain |
Last champions | RCD Espanyol (9th title) |
Most championships | Barcelona (23 titles) |
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, offered a trophy (the Copa Macaya) to be contested by several football teams from Spain. The league was played between 1901 and 1940 and was cancelled in Francoist Spain after the Spanish Civil War.
In 1901, Hispania AC became the first Catalan champions after winning the inaugural Copa Macaya , the first football championship played on the Iberian Peninsula. [1] The following season, 1901–02, saw FC Barcelona win the title, the club's very first piece of silverware. [2] During the 1902–03 season, two rival competitions were organized with RCD Espanyol winning the Copa Macaya after beating Hispania 3–1 in a title-deciding play-off (as they had finished level on points), while FC Barcelona won the Copa Barcelona. After 1903 the championship was organized by the Football Associació de Catalunya and it became known as the Campionat de Catalunya, and they recognized the Macaya Cup as the first edition of the Campionat de Catalunya. The stand-out players of this Copa Macaya period were Joan Gamper, who was proclaimed the top scorer of the first two tournaments with 31 and 19 goals respectively, and Gustavo Green, who is considered to have been the first great star of Catalan football, winning all the three editions of the Copa Macaya with three different clubs (Hispania, Barça and Español). [3] The winners of the Campionat de Catalunya also began to represent Catalonia in the Copa del Rey. By 1917 the league had turned professional and included a second division.
The first edition of the Campionat de Catalunya in 1903–04 was won by Club Espanyol (now RCD Espanyol), which at the time had Gustavo Green, and also with Ángel Ponz and José Maria Soler. The first dynasty of the Catalan championship came shortly after, when X Sporting Club won it three times in a row between 1906 and 1908. This historic X side had great national figures of that time such as Pedro Gibert, Emilio Sampere, the Massana brothers (Santiago and Alfredo), José Irízar and José Berdié, with the latter four going on to play for Barcelona. [4] On the other hand, FC Internacional achieved three successive runner-up finishes between 1904 and 1906, and interestingly, they lost the title to a different opponent each time: Club Español, FC Barcelona and X Sporting Club respectively. This FCI team had the likes of Paco Bru, Charles Wallace and Enrique Peris, all of which went on to join Barcelona. Naturally, all of these great players joining Barcelona meant a big leap in quality for the club, and as a result, at the turn of the first decade, Barcelona was enjoying its first great team. As well as the aforementioned players, Barça also had the likes of Amechazurra, Romà Forns, Pepe Rodríguez and Carles Comamala, and this team managed to repeat X's feat of winning three championships in a row, doing it so between 1909 and 1911. Their streak came to an end when RCD Espanyol won their second championship in 1911–12, largely thanks to the goalscoring feats of their foreign players such as Frank Allack, captain Victor Gibson and the Wallace brothers, Charles and Percy. [5]
In the 1910s, FC Espanya, propelled by their infamous back line of Hermenegild Casellas and Eduardo Reguera, began to disrupt the monopoly of Barcelona and RCD Espanyol, winning the championship three times in 1912–13, 1913–14 and 1916–17. However, RCD Espanyol managed to form an even better defense whose solo architect was Ricardo Zamora, thus claiming the title in 1914–15 and 1917–18, winning the former after beating Barça 4–0 in the title-deciding play-off, with braces from Juan López and José Maria Tormo. The Catalan Championship then witnessed their third dynasty, which was with no doubt the greatest. At the turn of the second decade, Barça was enjoying its second golden age, which was the legendary team coached by Jack Greenwell, that also included Paulino Alcántara, Sagibarba, Félix Sesúmaga, Ricardo Zamora and Josep Samitier, and this side won 9 out of 10 titles between 1919 and 1928. The only team that managed to break their supremacy was CE Europa in the 1922–23 season, largely thanks to Estebán Pelaó, Manuel Cros and Antonio Alcázar, with the latter netting the only goal of the title-deciding play-off (they had finished tied on points) that gave CE Europa the trophy. [6]
In 1928 three Catalan clubs: FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol and CE Europa, became founding members of La Liga and the Campionat de Catalunya gradually began to decline in importance during the Spanish Civil War. In the 1930s, the championship was won by either Barcelona or Espanyol, except in 1933-34 when CE Sabadell FC, surprised everyone by winning it against all odds. The last competition was held on 1939-40, and the Campionat de Catalunya ended in the same way it began, with an RCD Espanyol triumph.
The historical classification of Catalonia Football Championship is a classification that compiles all the matches, results, points and goals of all the teams that participated in the Championship of Catalonia football since its inception in 1900 until its disappearance in 1940. [1] The classification includes the results of the Copa Macaya, the Barcelona Cup and the championship of the Football Association of Catalonia, also considered official. The 1902–03 and 1912–13 seasons were contested with two clubs claiming championships. This classification has been done with the data collected through the archives of Los Deportes, Mundo Deportivo, La Vanguardia. Classification may contain errors due to the inaccuracy of the data published in those years,
Pos | Team | Seasons | Points | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Debut | Last Appearance | BR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FC Barcelona | 39 | 644 | 402 | 301 | 42 | 59 | 1356 | 386 | 970 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 1900–1901 | 1939–1940 | 1 |
2 | RCD Espanyol | 37 | 513 | 398 | 231 | 51 | 117 | 922 | 520 | 402 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 1900–1901 | 1939–1940 | 1 |
3 | CE Sabadell FC | 24 | 241 | 272 | 98 | 45 | 129 | 442 | 530 | -88 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1914–1915 | 1939–1940 | 1 |
4 | FC Espanya | 18 | 203 | 190 | 89 | 25 | 76 | 323 | 295 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1907–1908 | 1927–1928 | 1 |
5 | CE Europa | 14 | 195 | 164 | 81 | 33 | 50 | 362 | 260 | 102 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1919–1920 | 1937–1938 | 1 |
6 | CF Badalona | 16 | 122 | 175 | 50 | 22 | 103 | 255 | 431 | -176 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1912–1913 (2) | 1939–1940 | 2 |
7 | FC Internacional | 14 | 121 | 136 | 51 | 19 | 66 | 212 | 235 | -23 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1902–1903 (1) | 1921–1922 | 2 |
8 | UE Sants | 9 | 91 | 110 | 36 | 19 | 55 | 182 | 224 | -42 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1922–1923 | 1932–1933 | 2 |
9 | University SC | 10 | 85 | 95 | 36 | 13 | 46 | 167 | 191 | -24 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1901–1902 | 1916–1917 | 3 |
10 | CE Júpiter | 8 | 85 | 96 | 38 | 10 | 48 | 174 | 219 | -45 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1929–1930 | 1937–1938 | 2 |
11 | FC Català | 14 | 80 | 119 | 35 | 10 | 74 | 179 | 385 | -206 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1901–1902 | 1914–1915 | 2 |
12 | Girona FC | 6 | 61 | 68 | 25 | 12 | 31 | 106 | 107 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1933–1934 | 1939–1940 | 2 |
13 | Hispània AC | 4 | 52 | 34 | 25 | 2 | 7 | 109 | 30 | 79 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1900–1901 | 1902–1903 (2) | 1 |
14 | Terrassa FC | 5 | 50 | 66 | 20 | 10 | 36 | 98 | 165 | -67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1924–1925 | 1928–1929 | 4 |
15 | FC Palafrugell | 3 | 33 | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 54 | 100 | -46 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1931–1932 | 1933–1934 | 3 |
16 | EC Granollers | 4 | 32 | 48 | 13 | 6 | 29 | 72 | 128 | -56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1933–1934 | 1939–1940 | 4 |
17 | X Sporting Club | 5 | 31 | 40 | 15 | 1 | 24 | 39 | 65 | -26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1903–1904 | 1907–1908 | 1 |
18 | FC Martinenc | 5 | 28 | 66 | 10 | 8 | 48 | 83 | 217 | -134 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1923–1924 | 1932–1933 | 6 |
19 | FC Atlètic de Sabadell | 4 | 27 | 42 | 12 | 3 | 27 | 38 | 93 | -55 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1915–1916 | 1918–1919 | 4 |
20 | L'Avenç de l'Sport | 6 | 26 | 50 | 10 | 6 | 34 | 60 | 107 | -47 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1912–1913 (2) | 1922–1923 | 2 |
21 | Salut SC | 2 | 17 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 46 | 98 | -52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1902–1903 (2) | 1903–1904 | 5 |
22 | Joventut FC | 1 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 57 | -35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1903–1904 | 1903–1904 | 6 |
23 | Irish FC | 1 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1902–1903 (2) | 1902–1903 (2) | 5 |
24 | FC Sant Gervasi | 1 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 95 | -83 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1903–1904 | 1903–1904 | 7 |
25 | Real Club de Polo de Barcelona | 1 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 23 | -14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1912–1913 (1) | 1912–1913 (1) | 4 |
26 | Ibèria SC | 1 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 25 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1902–1903 (2) | 1902–1903 (2) | 7 |
27 | Club T.B.H. | 1 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 13 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1914–1915 | 1914–1915 | 7 |
28 | Casual SC | 1 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 25 | -14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1912–1913 (1) | 1912–1913 (1) | 5 |
29 | FC Barcelona C | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1912–1913 (2) | 1912–1913 (2) | 3 |
30 | FC Numància | 3 | 5 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 17 | 100 | -83 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1911–1912 | 1913–1914 | 5 |
31 | FC Barcelona B | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1912–1913 (2) | 1912–1913 (2) | 4 |
32 | Star FC | 1 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 30 | -29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1909–1910 | 1909–1910 | 6 |
33 | AUF Tarragona | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 30 | -30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1900–1901 | 1900–1901 | 4 |
34 | FC Central | 1 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 40 | -35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1909–1910 | 1909–1910 | 7 |
35 | Club Franco-Espanyol | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 54 | -54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1900–1901 | 1900–1901 | 5 |
36 | Ibèric FC | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 70 | -66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1903–1904 | 1903–1904 | 9 |
Active Club | |
Club deceased |
Source [1]
Team | Winners | Runner-up | Winning Years |
---|---|---|---|
FC Barcelona | 23 | 7 | 1901–02, 1902–03, 1904–05, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1912–13, 1915–16, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1937–38 |
Club Espanyol / RCD Espanyol / CD Espanyol | 9 | 9 | 1902–03, 1903–04, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1917–18, 1928–29, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1939–40 |
FC Espanya de Barcelona | 3 | 4 | 1912–13, 1913–14, 1916–17 |
X Sporting Club | 3 | – | 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08 |
CE Europa | 1 | 6 | 1922–23 |
CE Sabadell FC | 1 | 3 | 1933–34 |
Hispania AC | 1 | 2 | 1900–01 |
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 of football in Spain, organizing both the first association and the first championship. Today football in Catalonia is organized by the Catalan Football Federation and the RFEF and teams from Catalonia compete in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Copa Catalunya and several European competitions.
FC Espanya de Barcelona, was a Spanish Catalan football club based in Barcelona. They enjoyed a golden age during the 1910s and were Catalan champions three times during the decade. They were also Copa del Rey runners-up in 1914. By 1923 the club had changed its name to Gràcia FC and in 1932 it merged with CE Europa.
The 1901–02 season was the third season for FC Barcelona.
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 AC, who won the first edition in 1901. Initially, the championship was open to all Spanish clubs, thus some historians consider this cup to be the first national championship in Spain, as well as the predecessor and forerunner for the Catalan football championship which began in 1903. Until that point, the teams founded at the end of 1899 and during 1900 had been limited to playing friendly games only. It was one of the first football championships played on the Iberian Peninsula, after Taça D. Carlos I in Portugal (1894) and the Merchants Cup in Gibraltar (1895).
Real Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona, commonly known as Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. They compete in the Segunda División, the second division of the Spanish football league system.
The 1900–01 Copa Macaya was the 1st staging of the Copa Macaya. This tournament is best known for being the very first football competition played on the Iberian Peninsula. The competition was held on the road between 20 January 1901 and ended on 14 April, and it was won by Hispania AC, narrowly beating FC Barcelona by just two points.
The Hispània Athletic Club was a football team based in Barcelona, Spain, which existed during the years 1900 and 1903. It was one of the first football clubs in the city and in 1901, Hispania was the fundamental head behind the organization of the inaugural edition of the Copa Macaya, which was the first football competition played in the Iberian Peninsula, and they won the tournament after beating FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol for the title, thus becoming the very first Spanish club to win an official title. The Copa Macaya was later recognized as the first edition of the Catalan championship, hence they were the first Catalan champion in history.
Gustavo Gren Córdoba, better known as Gustavo Green, was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol.
Ángel Ponz Junyent was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Club Español.
The 1901–02 Copa Macaya was the 2nd staging of the Copa Macaya. This tournament is best known for being the very first trophy won by the Spanish club FC Barcelona. The competition was held on the road between 22 December 1901 and ended on 12 March 1902.
Frank Albert Allack was an English footballer who played as a forward for Spanish clubs RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona. The highlight of his career was winning the treble with Barcelona in the 1912–13 season, netting a goal in the final of the 1913 Pyrenees Cup.
John Hamilton was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper and defender for Spanish club FC Barcelona.
Joseph Black was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. He and his brother, Alexander, were part of the infamous group of Scottish workers that formed Escocès FC at the start of 1900, and he was also one of the first Scottish players to ever play for Barcelona.
The 1902–03 Catalan Football Championship was the 3rd staging of the Championship of Catalonia. This season was peculiar because it comprised two different competitions held the same year.
Joaquín García Cenarro was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona and Club Español. Although little has been recorded of his life, he was one of the most prominent footballers in the Copa Macaya, the first football championship played on the Iberian Peninsula, winning the competition with both Barça (1901–02) and Espanyol (1902–03).
Eduardo Alesson Gravirona was a Spanish football executive and fencing teacher. He was one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of football in Catalonia since he was the fundamental head behind the foundation of both Hispania AC and the Catalan Football Federation in 1900, and then serving both entities as their first-ever president. He also worked as a football referee.
Joaquim Carril de Monasterio was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for RCD Espanyol. He later worked as a referee He was a defender who did not cower at all in front of the strikers.
Emilio Sampere Oliveras was a Spanish footballer referee and manager. He was one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of RCD Espanyol as a player, captain, club founder, manager, and director.
Enrique Montells Gatell was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for RCD Espanyol between 1901 and 1904, winning two Catalan Championships. In addition to football, he also performed in other modalities such as shooting, cycling, and sailing.
Manuel del Castillo de Arechaga was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for RCD Espanyol.