Futbol Club Andorra is a professional football club based in Andorra la Vella, Andorra, that currently competes in Primera Federación – Group 1, in the Spanish league system. The club was founded in 1942[1] and currently plays its home fixtures at Estadi Nacional. In spite of being based in the microstate of Andorra, the club, voluntarily affiliated to the Catalan Football Federation,[1] has been allowed to compete in Spanish leagues since 1948.[2]
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| Full name | Futbol Club Andorra | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Els Tricolors (The Tricolours) | |||
| Short name | FCA | |||
| Founded | 15 October 1942 | |||
| Ground | Estadi Nacional d'Andorra, Andorra la Vella | |||
| Capacity | 3,306 | |||
| Owner | Gerard Piqué | |||
| President | Ferran Vilaseca | |||
| Head coach | Ferran Costa | |||
| League | Primera Federación – Group 1 | |||
| 2023–24 | Segunda División, 21st of 22 (relegated) | |||
| Website | https://www.fcandorra.com/ | |||
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History
editFutbol Club Andorra has historically been the biggest football club in the country. The club was founded on 15 October 1942 in the College of Our Lady of Meritxell and was the first football club to be founded in Andorra.[3] The club joined the categories of the Catalan Football Federation, contesting the Spanish League and Spanish Cup. In the 1963–64 season FC Andorra debuted in the Segunda Regional, finishing in the 11th position.[4]
After several years in regional categories, the Andorran club climbed in 1981 to Segunda División B (third level of the Spanish league system), where they remained for 17 years, with a break in the 1986–87 season when the team played in Tercera División. In the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons FC Andorra was close to promotion to Segunda División.
The club's greatest success came in 1994 when FC Andorra won the Copa Catalunya. The Andorran team eliminated FC Barcelona in the semi-finals (aggregate 2–1) and defeated RCD Espanyol in the final played in the Municipal Stadium of Vilassar de Mar, winning 4–2 on penalties after no goals were scored during ordinary and extra time.[5]
At the end of the 1997–98 season the team was relegated to Tercera División (fourth tier).
Their best performance to date in the Copa del Rey was in the 1995–96 edition, beating Palamós CF and Getafe CF before being eliminated by Celta Vigo in Round 16.
From 1986 to 2013 the club also had a futsal section (FC Andorra Futsal) that played in División de Honor and División de Plata.
The Andorran club was bought in December 2018 by Gerard Piqué's Kosmos Holding Group,[6][7] and in April 2019 presented its main sponsor MoraBanc;[8] a major bank in Andorra. Weeks later they achieved promotion to Tercera División, after a streak of 22 matches unbeaten.[9] In July 2019, the club paid a €452,022 fee to replace CF Reus Deportiu in the Segunda División B after Reus were relegated to the Tercera División for failing to pay its players.[10][11]
On 20 February 2020, head coach Gabri Garcia was fired from the club.[12] The reason was poor results with 3 consecutive losses and 7 matches without a single victory.[13] On the same day Nacho Castro was appointed as the club's new head coach.[14] On 27 February 2020, one of the biggest business groups in Andorra Pyrénées signed an agreement with the club, becoming its "premium partner".[15]
In 2021 the team qualified for the promotion play-offs to Segunda División for the first time; however, the club was eliminated in the first round by Real Sociedad B.[16] Although, despite this result the team achieved a place in the Primera División RFEF, new league of the third level of Spanish football.[17]
On 21 May 2022, the team was promoted to the Segunda División after beating already relegated UCAM Murcia 1–0 at home, thus getting promoted to the second tier for the first time in their history.[18]
On 26 May 2024, the team was relegated to third division after two years stay in second division following a 0-3 defeat against Real Oviedo.
Stadium
editFC Andorra historically hosted their matches at the Camp d’Esports de les Valls in the capital city of Andorra la Vella before relocating in 1983, to the Estadi Comunal d'Aixovall which, after a renovation in 1999, had a capacity of 1,000 spectators.[19] Following the closure of Aixovall, the club relocated again in 2015 to the new, smaller Centre d'Entrenament de la FAF facility in Andorra la Vella.
More recently the team have been based at the 500-seat Camp de Fútbol de Prada de Moles in Encamp[20] however, since 2021, the club has utilised the 3,306-capacity Estadi Nacional for all home games following an agreement made with the Government of Andorra.[21] The stadium had previously hosted FC Andorra games on a temporary basis in 2015 prior to the opening of the Centre d'Entrenament de la FAF.
On 8 May 2022, a record 3,631 fans attended the team's home match against visiting Albacete Balompié at Estadi Nacional.[22]
In August 2022, following their promotion to the Segunda División, the club announced future plans for a new 6,000-capacity stadium on the site of the existing Camp de Fútbol de Prada de Moles, with an estimated cost of €26 million.[23]
Crest and shirt
editFC Andorra's traditional crest, first used in 1948,[24] used the colours and icons of the country of Andorra. It represented the coat of arms of Andorra with some minor variations, featuring the arms of both the Bishop of Urgell and Count of Foix - the two historical Co-Princes of Andorra[25] - along with the arms of the Viscounts of Béarn and Catalonia, two neighbouring territories that Andorra has historically been reliant upon.[26] The traditional crest was updated and amended on several occasions though keeping a very similar and familiar appearance.[24] On 7 July 2021, the club announced a change in its brand image, replacing the traditional crest with the current logo featuring a new round crest in blue with a white pattern representing the name of the club, the country and the mountains characterising the nation. In addition, these elements are encircled by the colours of the Andorran flag.[27]
The club first used red shirts and white shorts as its kit, however this was soon changed in 1948 when they adopted the blue, yellow and red colours of the national flag of Andorra. Historically, the club's kit has often featured the three distinctive colours in the design on the national flag, thus earning FC Andorra the nickname of Els tricolors ('The Tricolours'). From 2019, the club has partnered with the American sports brand Nike to supply the playing kits for the team.[28]
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1942
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1948
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2013
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2019
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2020
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Honours
edit- Primera Catalana
- Champions (1): 2018–19
- Copa Catalunya
- Winners (3): 1993–94, 2022–23, 2023–24
Seasons
edit
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- 2 seasons in Segunda División
- 2 seasons in Primera Federación/Primera División RFEF
- 19 seasons in Segunda División B
- 6 seasons in Tercera División
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- As of 2 September 2024[29]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Youth team
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current technical staff
edit| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | |
| Assistant coach | |
| Analyst | |
| Goalkeeping coach | |
| Fitness coach | |
| Rehab fitness coach | |
| Physiotherapist | |
| Doctor | |
| Psychologist | |
| Nutritionist | |
| Kit man | |
| Delegate | |
| Team manager | |
| Facilities manager | |
| Director of football |
Last updated: 26 September 2022
Source: FC Andorra Cuerpo técnico
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Gómez de la Vega Jiménez, Álvaro (27 December 2019). "Andorra y fiscalidad". Iusport. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "Andorra, el país de los Pirineos... ¡y el fútbol!". fifa.com. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ RTVA, Andorra Difusió. "Lluís España vol recuperar la memòria històrica de l'FC Andorra - Andorra Difusió". www.andorradifusio.ad. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Futbol Club Andorrà :: La Futbolteca. Enciclopedia del Fútbol Español" (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ "La ilusiófl del Andorra le lleva' hásta el título" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Sport (29 December 2018). "Gerard Pique is now the owner of FC Andorra". sport. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ RTVA, Andorra Difusió. "L'acord de l'FC Andorra amb el grup Kosmos preveu construir dos camps de futbol - Andorra Difusió". www.andorradifusio.ad. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Gerard Pique presents new FC Andorra sponsor MoraBanc Photos". epa.eu. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Schouten, Gina (25 April 2019), "A Neutral Case for Autonomy Promotion", Liberalism, Neutrality, and the Gendered Division of Labor, Oxford University Press, pp. 170–197, doi:10.1093/oso/9780198813071.003.0006, ISBN 9780198813071
- ^ "Gerard Pique's FC Andorra take final Segunda B place". Football Espana. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ "FC Andorra: Gerard Pique's team pay £411,000 for promotion to Spanish third tier". BBC Sport. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ colin (25 February 2020). "Former Barcelona player Gabri sacked by Gerard Pique's FC Andorra". Football Espana. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "El Andorra de Piqué destituye a Gabri como entrenador". Marca.com (in Spanish). 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ Sport (27 February 2020). "Piqué viaja a Andorra para dar la bienvenida a Nacho Castro". sport (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Pyrénées se convierte en socio prémium del proyecto de Piqué para el FC Andorra". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "La Real Sociedad B hace valer su puesto y luchará por el ascenso (2-1)". rfef.es (in Spanish). 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ Abizanda, Jorge (15 September 2020). "La Federación desvela el misterio: La nueva Segunda B se denominará Primera División RFEF" [The Federation reveals the mystery: The new Second B will be called First Division RFEF]. ABC (Spain) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ "El Andorra de Piqué y Eder Sarabia asciende a Segunda división". marca.com (in Spanish). 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ DiariAndorra (12 December 2014). "Comencen les obres per fer el camp a la Borda Mateu". DiariAndorra.ad. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "El Periòdic d'Andorra - Actualitat Andorra, Notícies Andorra". El Periòdic d'Andorra. 9 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ "L' Andorra jugarà al Nacional" (in Catalan). Diari d'Andorra. 8 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Avui som 3.631 espectadors al Estadi Nacional" Archived 20 September 2022 at the Wayback Machine; FC Andorra at Twitter
- ^ "Pique-owned FC Andorra set to develop new stadium". The Stadium Business. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Historial del Futbol Club Andorra". La Futbolteca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ Shaw, Carol P. (2004). Flags. HarperCollins UK. p. 29. ISBN 9780007165261. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ Kindersley, Dorling (6 January 2009). Complete Flags of the World. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. p. 134. ISBN 9780756654863. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- ^ "Nuevo escudo para el FC Andorra de Piqué". sport.es (in Spanish). 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ "Owned By Gerard Piqué: FC Andorra 19-20 Home & Away Kits Revealed". Footy Headlines. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "FC Andorra Jugadors". FC Andorra. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- FCF team profile (in Catalan) (archived 15 March 2014)
- BDFútbol profile
- Club & stadium history (in English)