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.
Girona holds its home matches at the 14,624-capacity Estadi Montilivi. It is a part of City Football Group Limited. The club also has youth and amateur women's teams for competition.
Girona FC home stadium Estadi Montilivi.
History
Football became of 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 the original name of FC Gerundense).[4] Some of the team's first players were Narciso Callicó and Salvador Hormeu, both of whom went on to play for FC Barcelona.[5] In the 1920s, football gained strength with clubs such as CE Gironí, founded in 1921, but above all by Unió Deportiva Girona, founded on 13 February of the same year, when the elements united of the Sports Center Gironenc, heirs of the dissolved Strong, with other sports enthusiasts.[5] The club soon became the strongest in the city. UD Girona, however, disappeared in 1929 due to financial problems, following a debt of around 200,000 pesetas (a real fortune for those times).[5] 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.
Chart of Girona FC league performance 1929–present
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, 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]
Goalkeeper Dani Mallo played in Girona between 2013 and 2015.
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 the last match day of the 2018–19 La Liga season, Girona were relegated to Segunda Division, after losing 2–1 against Deportivo Alavés, ending their two-year spell in the Spanish top tier. In the 2021–22 season Girona finished sixth in the Segunda Division and were promoted to La Liga in the play-offs, beating Tenerife 3–1 on aggregate in the final.[17] In the 2022–23 season they finished 10th with 49 points, four points away from a UEFA Europa Conference League play-off spot.
In the 2023–24 season, Girona reached the top four of La Liga for the first time after two matches, soon reaching the top of the La Liga table after seven matches with 19 points, the club's best-ever start in top flight football. On 10 December 2023, they defeated FC Barcelona in the league for the first time, a 2–4 away victory taking them to the top of the table with 41 points and just one defeat, their best ever record in La Liga after just 16 rounds.[18] On 5 February 2024, they sat second in the La Liga table, with 56 points from 23 games, and with only a single loss, placing them two points behind Real Madrid.[19] On 4 May 2024, Girona achieved a 4–2 victory over Barcelona, securing their first qualification to the UEFA Champions League and its first European qualification and finished the season in third place with 81 points.[20]
In the 2024–25 season, Girona played their first competitive international match against French side Paris Saint-Germain in a 1–0 loss at the Parc des Princes on 18 September.[21]David López converted Girona's first international goal when he scored the opening goal of a 2–3 loss against Dutch-side Feyenoord on 2 October.[22]
Training centre
The club's new training facilities have been under construction since December 2017,[23] located at the PGA Catalunya Golf Course complex to the south of Girona. Occupying an area of 20,000m2 (220,000sqft), 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 110m ×72m (361ft ×236ft) training pitch of hybrid grass as well as a 160m ×72m (525ft ×236ft) pitch of natural grass, in addition to indoor training facilities.[24]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
↑"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.
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