Real Unión Club, S.A.D. is a
Spanish football club based in
Irun, in the autonomous community of the
Basque Country, in the province of
Gipuzkoa, near the border with France. Founded on 15 May 1915 it currently plays in
Primera División RFEF – Group 2, holding home matches at the 5,000-seater Stadium Gal.[2] Real Unión was one of the founding members of
La Liga in 1929. The club spent four seasons in the Spanish elite, suffering relegation in 1932. Real is yet to return to the top tier, spending the rest of its history bouncing between the second and fourth tiers of Spanish football.
History
Real Unión were among the early pioneering
Spanish football teams and, along with fellow
Basque clubs
Athletic Bilbao,
Real Sociedad and
Arenas Club de Getxo were founding members of
La Liga, in 1928.
The club was formed in 1915 following the merger of Irún Sporting Club and Racing Club de Irún. The former was founded in 1902 as Irún Foot-Ball Club, changing its name in 1907. The latter, formed in 1908, had already won the
1913 Copa del Rey, beating Athletic Bilbao 1–0 in a replayed final. The club was briefly known as Unión Club Irún before
Alfonso XIII gave the club royal approval, but during the
Second Spanish Republic the club reverted to this name.
Real Unión then won the
Copa del Rey a further three times, beating
Real Madrid in
1918[3] and again in
1924 (with former
Derby County and
England striker
Steve Bloomer acting as their coach). In
1927 they defeated Arenas Getxo in the first all-Basque
final. The latter two finals both ended in 1–0 victories, with
José Echeveste netting the winner on both occasions. In
1922 they were runners-up, losing 5–1 to
FC Barcelona. In 1930 they participated in the
Coupe des Nations in
Geneva, Switzerland, a predecessor of the
UEFA Champions League since the champions of all major European football nations were invited, although it has never been entirely clear why Unión was invited as they had finished sixth in the
1929–30 La Liga. Nonetheless, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by
Slavia Prague.[4] The club was relegated from
La Liga in
1932.
In 1920, when
Spain made their international debut at the
Olympic Games, the club provided the squad with two players—
Eguiazábal and
Patricio, the latter scoring Spain's first-ever goal in international football in a 1–0 victory over
Denmark on 28 August 1920.[5] Another Real Unión player,
René Petit, took part in the same Olympic Games with
France. In the 70s and 80s, Spanish internationals
Javier Irureta and
Roberto López Ufarte began their career with the club.
After a season in the
Spanish second division, the team was relegated to the
third division. In the 2010/11 season, they finished fourth in their group and entered the promotion playoffs. They lost the playoff tiebreaker to
Sevilla Atlético after winning the first match 2-1 but losing the second 3–0. The 2011/12 season was inconsistent for Real Unión, and they finished 14th in the league. They finished eighth in 2012/13, and despite financial struggles in 2013/14, they managed to avoid relegation to the fourth division by finishing 15th.
In the 2014/15 season, the team was back fighting for promotion in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were knocked out in the first round by
UCAM Murcia. Murcia scored the winning goal in extra time of the second match – the first game at
Stadium Gal had been a 0–0 draw. Despite this disappointment, the team bounced back strong and won the
Copa Federación on April 16, 2015, after beating Castellón in a two-game final.[7]
^Real Federación Española de Fútbol (March 2011).
"Historial"(PDF). Revista Oficial de la R.F.E.F. p. 70. Archived from
the original(pdf) on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
Real Unión Club, S.A.D. is a
Spanish football club based in
Irun, in the autonomous community of the
Basque Country, in the province of
Gipuzkoa, near the border with France. Founded on 15 May 1915 it currently plays in
Primera División RFEF – Group 2, holding home matches at the 5,000-seater Stadium Gal.[2] Real Unión was one of the founding members of
La Liga in 1929. The club spent four seasons in the Spanish elite, suffering relegation in 1932. Real is yet to return to the top tier, spending the rest of its history bouncing between the second and fourth tiers of Spanish football.
History
Real Unión were among the early pioneering
Spanish football teams and, along with fellow
Basque clubs
Athletic Bilbao,
Real Sociedad and
Arenas Club de Getxo were founding members of
La Liga, in 1928.
The club was formed in 1915 following the merger of Irún Sporting Club and Racing Club de Irún. The former was founded in 1902 as Irún Foot-Ball Club, changing its name in 1907. The latter, formed in 1908, had already won the
1913 Copa del Rey, beating Athletic Bilbao 1–0 in a replayed final. The club was briefly known as Unión Club Irún before
Alfonso XIII gave the club royal approval, but during the
Second Spanish Republic the club reverted to this name.
Real Unión then won the
Copa del Rey a further three times, beating
Real Madrid in
1918[3] and again in
1924 (with former
Derby County and
England striker
Steve Bloomer acting as their coach). In
1927 they defeated Arenas Getxo in the first all-Basque
final. The latter two finals both ended in 1–0 victories, with
José Echeveste netting the winner on both occasions. In
1922 they were runners-up, losing 5–1 to
FC Barcelona. In 1930 they participated in the
Coupe des Nations in
Geneva, Switzerland, a predecessor of the
UEFA Champions League since the champions of all major European football nations were invited, although it has never been entirely clear why Unión was invited as they had finished sixth in the
1929–30 La Liga. Nonetheless, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by
Slavia Prague.[4] The club was relegated from
La Liga in
1932.
In 1920, when
Spain made their international debut at the
Olympic Games, the club provided the squad with two players—
Eguiazábal and
Patricio, the latter scoring Spain's first-ever goal in international football in a 1–0 victory over
Denmark on 28 August 1920.[5] Another Real Unión player,
René Petit, took part in the same Olympic Games with
France. In the 70s and 80s, Spanish internationals
Javier Irureta and
Roberto López Ufarte began their career with the club.
After a season in the
Spanish second division, the team was relegated to the
third division. In the 2010/11 season, they finished fourth in their group and entered the promotion playoffs. They lost the playoff tiebreaker to
Sevilla Atlético after winning the first match 2-1 but losing the second 3–0. The 2011/12 season was inconsistent for Real Unión, and they finished 14th in the league. They finished eighth in 2012/13, and despite financial struggles in 2013/14, they managed to avoid relegation to the fourth division by finishing 15th.
In the 2014/15 season, the team was back fighting for promotion in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were knocked out in the first round by
UCAM Murcia. Murcia scored the winning goal in extra time of the second match – the first game at
Stadium Gal had been a 0–0 draw. Despite this disappointment, the team bounced back strong and won the
Copa Federación on April 16, 2015, after beating Castellón in a two-game final.[7]
^Real Federación Española de Fútbol (March 2011).
"Historial"(PDF). Revista Oficial de la R.F.E.F. p. 70. Archived from
the original(pdf) on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2023.