 Futbol Club Internacional | ||
| Full name | Irish Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Short name | Irish FC | |
| Founded | 27 October 1901 | |
| Dissolved | Autumn of 1903 | |
| Ground | Nuevo Velódromo de Barcelona | |
| League | Catalan championship | |
The Irish Football Club, commonly referred to as Irish FC, was a football team based in Barcelona, Spain, which existed from 1901 until its dissolution in the autumn of 1903.
Great figures emerged from Irish FC, such as Carles Comamala, Juli Marial, Romà Forns, and Joaquim Escardó.
Irish Football Club was founded on 27 October 1901, from the merger of Espanyol Infantil (Español FC) and Club Catalunya (Catalonia FC). [1] [2] [3] The club's board of directors was subsequently elected, with Carles Renter as the first president, Rogelio Serra as vice-president, Joaquin García as Secretary, Andrés Camps as treasurer, Juan Gost as Account Auditor ("Revisor de Cuentas"), and Joaquín Escardó as Head of Materials. [1] Renter was later replaced by Juli Marial, who played as a goalkeeper from the club's foundation in 1901 until its dissolution in 1903. Carles Comamala was also a founding member, while Forns only joined later in 1902, at the age of 17.
In the chronicle of a match between Irish FC and Club Español on 20 March 1902, the sports journalist Alberto Serra stated in La Vanguardia that "the "Iris" wore its new and attractive white and scarlet uniform". [4] The club wore a shirt half white and half red with white trousers. [5] [6] The club played its matches at the Nuevo Velódromo de Barcelona on Carrer Aragó, which they had to share with Hispania AC for the first few months until January 1902, when Hispania moved to Camp del Carrer Muntaner.
In the first two years of his life, the club only competed in friendly matches and minor tournaments organized by the Spanish Gymnastics Federation, such as the Medal of the Spanish Gymnastics Federation between February and June 1902, [4] where it finished in third place only behind the dean clubs of the city, Català FC and the second team of FC Barcelona; and the Concurso Pergamino between September and November 1902 (during the festivities of La Mercè), which had been created for the clubs founded in the 1901–02 season, [5] and where it was runner-up only behind once again of the second team of FC Barcelona. On 20 March 1902, Irish FC faced Club Español in the FGE Medal tournament, but even though they were playing at home, they still lost 2–5, with the consolation goals coming from Sanz and Renter, with the latter scoring from a penalty kick given by the referee of the match, Joaquim Carril. [4]
On 12 November 1902, along with other clubs such as FC Barcelona, Hispania AC, Català FC, and Universitari SC, he was one of the founding members of the Football Clubs Association, which four years later became the Catalan Football Federation.
In 1903, Irish FC participated in its most important tournament, the Copa Barcelona, where it finished in fifth place. [7]
Irish FC played its last known match against FC Barcelona on 18 October 1903, which ended in a 2–3 loss. The club then disappeared after its dissolution in the autumn of 1903, and its field was occupied by X Sporting Club.
With the disappearance of Irish FC, most of its players joined FC Barcelona at the beginning of the 1903–04 season, such as Comamala, Forns, and Marial, with the latter going on to become the 6th President of FC Barcelona, while the former two became key players in Barça's first golden team of the early 1910s. [8]
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.
Carles Comamala López-Del Pan was an orthopedic surgeon by profession and a football player for Barcelona between 1903 and 1911. He was a director of Barcelona in 1909–1911.
Juli Marial Mundet was a Spanish businessman and footballer who played as a goalkeeper and later as a midfielder for FC Barcelona. Most notably, he was the sixth president of both FC Barcelona and the Catalan Football Federation.
Alfredo Massana Urgellés, was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for Espanyol and FC Barcelona. He had a great placement and vision of the game. Known as a great dribbler, he was one of the best Catalan midfielders of his time. His brother, Santiago Massana, also played for Espanyol and Barcelona. He is also the grandfather of the pianist Tete Montoliu.
José Berdié Places, sometimes written as Verdié, was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for Espanyol and FC Barcelona. With the latter side, he won one Catalan championship (1913), and two titles in both the Copa del Rey and the Pyrenees Cup.
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.
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.
Gustavo Gren Córdoba, better known as Gustavo Green, was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol.
Arsenio Comamala López-Del Pan was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for FC Barcelona and Madrid FC. He is best known for being one of the first players to have featured for both FC Barcelona to Madrid FC.
John Hamilton was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper and defender for Spanish club FC Barcelona.
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.
Luis de Ossó Serra was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona. He was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of FC Barcelona, being among the 12 founders of the club in 1899, and then serving the club as a forward for six years, netting 68 goals in 72 appearances, thus contributing decisively in the conquest of Barça's first official titles, 1901–02 Copa Macaya, which was the club's first-ever official title, 1902–03 Copa Barcelona and the 1904–05 Catalan championship.
The Nuevo Velódromo de Barcelona, also known as the Velódromo de la calle Aragón, was a sports venue located in Carrer Aragó, Barcelona, Spain that operated between June 1901 and 1903. It was the second velodrome in the city. In addition to cycling events, it also hosted football matches, being the playing field of Hispania AC and X Sporting Club, two of the most notorious rivals of FC Barcelona in the early 20th century.
The Camp del Carrer Muntaner, popularly known as Camp de les Faves, was a football field in the Eixample district of the city of Barcelona, located between the current streets of Paris, London, Casanova and Muntaner, hence its name. It was the fourth playing field of FC Barcelona.
The Casual Sport Club, commonly referred to as Casual SC, was a football team based in Barcelona, Spain, which existed from December 1911 until its dissolution in June 1913.
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.
John Henry Ball was an engineer and a footballer who played as a midfielder for Team Anglès in 1899 and who joined the ranks of FC Barcelona in 1900, although he did not play a single match for the Blugrana. He briefly worked as a referee in the first edition of the Copa Macaya, overseeing the first competitive match in the history of football in Catalonia.
The 1902 Medal of the Spanish Gymnastics Federation also referred to simply as Medalla de la Federació and Medalla del Ayuntamiento was a football competition that was held in Barcelona between February and June 1902. The first edition used the league system and the second edition of the qualifiers.
The 1902 Copa Pergamino, also mentioned as Concurs Pergamí, was a football competition held in Barcelona between September and November 1902. Its promoter was the cartoonist and calligrapher Eugeni Bargés i Prat, who gave a polychrome parchment of his creation as a gift to be contested in the events of the Festes de la Mercè.
