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.
Henry W. Brown Martín was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper and defender for Spanish club FC Barcelona at the turn of the century. He was a member of some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence such as Barcelona Football Club and Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona. Together with the Parsons brothers, he was one of the few players who was part of both the Barcelona Society of 1894–96 and FC Barcelona.
John Parsons Alexander, was an Anglo-Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona. His younger brother, William, followed him every step through.
Samuel Alfredo Morris de Olea, was an Anglo-Filipino football pioneer who played as a goalkeeper and midfielder for some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence. His younger brothers, Enrique and Miguel, followed him every step through, and together with them, he was one of the first pioneers of football in Catalonia, participating in some of the first football matches of the city and playing for several experimental teams in the 1890s such as Barcelona Football Club and Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona.
Enrique Ramón Morris de Olea, also known as Henry Morris or Morris II, was an Anglo-Filipino football pioneer and a prominent forward for FC Barcelona. His brothers, Samuel and Miguel, also played football, and together with them, he was one of the first pioneers of football in Catalonia, participating in some of the first football matches of the city and playing for several experimental teams in the 1890s such as the Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona.
The Velódromo de la Bonanova was a sports venue in the city of Barcelona, Spain. It was the first velodrome in the city, although it was located in the neighboring municipality of San Gervasio, which in 1897 was annexed to the Catalan capital. Later it hosted other sports competitions, especially football, being the very first playing field of FC Barcelona.
The Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona was a football scratch team that existed between 1892 and 1896, mainly consisting of players from the British colony of Barcelona, but also with Catalans and even Frenchmen. This entity was initially known as the Barcelona Football Club (1892–94), before being renamed as Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona following a restructuring in 1894. It was one of the first Catalan football clubs and is considered a predecessor of FC Barcelona founded in 1899. Some historians ascribe this entity as "a group of thirty friends, English workers, who played alternately and without a regular squad".
Herbert James Reeves, also known as James Reeves or Captain Reeves, was an English football pioneer who is regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of football in Catalonia, being noted for his prominent role in promoting football in the city and as the undisputed leader and fundamental head behind the foundations of some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence such as British Club de Barcelona and Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona, serving both teams as its captain. In addition to his leadership skills, he also stood out as a great striker, netting some of the first goals in the history of Catalan football.
Català Futbol Club, and later Català Sport Club, was a football team based in Barcelona, Spain, which existed from 1899 until its dissolution in the late 1920s. It was one of the most important entities in the amateur beginnings of football in Catalonia, being noted for its prominent role in promoting local football in the city. Català is best known for being the first unofficial football team to be formed in the city of Barcelona, although officially it comes second behind FC Barcelona, with whom they had a very strong rivalry at the turn of the century.
Miguel Samuel Morris Yrisarry, also known as Junior Morris or Morris III, was an Anglo-Filipino of British descent who played football as a defender for Spanish club FC Barcelona between 1902 and 1909, being a member of the Barça side that reached the final of the 1902 Copa de la Coronación.
William Parsons Alexander was an Anglo-Spanish footballer who is best known for being, along with his brother John, one of the founders of FC Barcelona in 1899, and then serving as the club's vice-captain in 1899 and 1900. Oddly enough, despite having been a captain of the Barça first team, he never actually played a single match for the club. William was also one of the founders of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
Alberto Serra Guixà was a Spanish football pioneer and sports journalist, who is best known for writing and signing the first chronicle of a FC Barcelona match, which appeared on page 7 of La Vanguardia on 9 December 1899. He also wrote and was director of the Los Deportes magazine, but it was in La Vanguardia where Serra exerted his greatest informative display, for almost twenty years, and where he managed to create an outstanding weekly section under the heading "Sports Sheet" in which he became a fervent disseminator of the regulations of football. He is considered "the dean" of sports reporters in Barcelona.
On 12 March 1893, one of the first football matches in Catalonia took place at the Hippodrome of Can Tunis, Barcelona. The match was contested by the members of the Barcelona Football Club, who were divided into two teams: one dressed in red led by James Reeves and the other one in blue captained by George Cockram.
The Limiako Hippodrome, or the Hippodrome of Lamiako, was a sports venue based in the Lamiako neighborhood of Leioa, Biscay, Basque Country. Originally an equestrian venue, it's now best remembered as a historic football venue. The Campo de Lamiako played a pivotal role in the early steps of football in the Basque Country as one of the first football fields in the city, serving as a practice ground for the city’s first known football matches between the members of the Club Atleta of the Nervión Shipyards. In 1894, the Limiako field hosted a match between young Bilbao enthusiasts and British workers, which is now regarded as one of the first ‘international’ matches in the history of the sport.
Henry Elwes Wood was an English football pioneer who played as a defender for some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence such as Barcelona Cricket Club and Barcelona Football Club.
John Trent Beaty-Pownall was an English football pioneer who played as a forward for some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence such as Barcelona Football Club and Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona, where he also stood out as a great striker, netting some of the first goals in the history of Catalan football.
William McAndrews, sometimes misspelled as William MacAndrews, was a Scottish football pioneer who played as a midfielder for some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence such as Barcelona Cricket Club and Barcelona Football Club.
Jorge de Satrústegui Barrié was a Franco-Spanish industrial engineer, sports leader, and politician. A very active personality in everything related to the prosperity of San Sebastián, he was the founder and first president of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation.
Samuel James Morris Campbell, commonly known as Jaime Morris, was an English businessman and engineer. He is best known for being one of the first pioneers of football in Catalonia, playing as a goalkeeper for some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence, such as Barcelona Football Club, in the early 1890s, at the age of 50.
Ubaldo Noble Malvido was a Spanish football pioneer who played as a forward for some of the earliest Catalan clubs in existence such as Barcelona Football Club. His younger sister was Clara Noble, the wife of the poet Joan Maragall. His cousins George and Royston Saint Noble, also played football with a Barcelona club, but with the official one.
