Athletic Bilbao

[seahawk10]

So I need to do a write-up on Athletic Bilbao for my Spanish 22 class (I am an old fart continuing my education since i get to take classes for free working at a college).
Anyone have any direct experience with Bilbao? Fun place to visit? Are they unique in the world for limiting the players they will have play for them based on nationality?

What is the feeling you got from their fans? A greater sense of pride than your normal set of supporters?

Talk to me...

[TBM]

Athletic Club, also commonly known as Athletic Bilbao, is a professional football club, based in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1929. They have won the Liga on eight occasions. In the historical classification of La Liga, Athletic are in fourth place and one of only three clubs which have never been relegated from the Liga, the others being Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The club also has a women's team, which has won four championships in the Spanish Superliga.

They are known as los Leones (The Lions) because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés (Saint Mammes). Mammes was an early Christian thrown to the lions by the Romans. The lions refused to eat Mammes and he was later made a saint. The San Mamés Stadium is hence nicknamed "the football cathedral".

The club is known for its cantera policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks, as well as recruiting top Basque players from other clubs (like Joseba Etxeberria or Javi Martínez). Athletic official policy is signing professional players native to or footballistically trained in the greater Basque Country, including Biscay, Guipúzcoa, Álava, Navarre and La Rioja (in Spain); and Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre (in France). Still, in recent times, this policy has been somewhat relaxed and players with direct Basque ancestry have played for the team. This has gained Athletic both admirers and critics. The club has been praised for promoting home grown players and club loyalty. Athletic is one of only four professional clubs in Spain in Primera División (the others being Real Madrid, Barcelona and Osasuna) that is not a sports corporation; the club is owned and operated by its associates (socios).

[soggy biscuit]

Are they unique in the world for limiting the players they will have play for them based on nationality?..

2 other teams do it

[Tails]

Are they unique in the world for limiting the players they will have play for them based on nationality?..

2 other teams do it

EU should have something to say about that.

[barelylubedcock]

Are they unique in the world for limiting the players they will have play for them based on nationality?..

2 other teams do it

Which ones?

It's Basque ancestry, slightly different.

Old ground was lovely, outskirts of Bilbao, just old fashioned enough. Being rebuilt, with one side becoming the end of the new stadium.

[soggy biscuit]

Are they unique in the world for limiting the players they will have play for them based on nationality?..

2 other teams do it

Which ones?.

Chivas are one, they will only have Mexican players. Can't remember the other, I think they are in South America, will try and look it up.

[soggy biscuit]

Here's something for you Seahawk.
http://afootballreport.com/post/11346805378/to-basque-or-not-to-basque

I found the bit on Llorente not considering himself Basque interesting.

[barelylubedcock]

2 other teams do it

Which ones?.

Chivas are one, they will only have Mexican players. Can't remember the other, I think they are in South America, will try and look it up.

Oh ok, I thought you meant Spanish clubs. The other big Basque teams did have the same/a similar policy until quite recently, iirc. I was wondering if some Catalan or Gallego team did it as well.

[PieEater]

I've been to Bilbao a few times but not to see the football. It's a pretty standard/dismal port town a bit like Portsmouth but with sunshine.

[barelylubedcock]

Old town is nice, and there's a bit with grand houses on wide boulevards.

I liked it, but we stayed in Vitoria which is very hit and miss, I think.

[creative_username_1]

Stayed in Bilbao and then headed up to Mundaka and that town the Jerries Stuka'd the shit out.

Hotel was right on the harbor (mundaka), the longest left surf break in Europe

[Fox Talbot]

very like Middlesbrough or Sunderland old grounds and surroundings - not a lot of help if you've never been east of the Rockies , I admit.

I think they are one of three Spanish clubs always been in the top division.

Mondragon - the world's largest successful co-operative movement is, I believe, based in the Basque region so they clearly have a sense of looking after their own and a lot of regional pride.

My favourite 'Spanish' club - though I've only seen the stadium from the outside.

[RoyalChicagoFC]

'hawkzwagen...

Autonomous communities of Spain on wiki (with all the standard caveats) --may be old hat, but a refresher is always worth it, and whilst there defo read up on Basque Country for the basics

C/P: soccernet "Phil Ball" "Athletic Bilbao" Goog and look over whatever shakes out --no finer contemporary resource in the English language for Spanish football and associ8ed culture

As long as you're trawling, give soccer-spain.com a spin, if only for teh lulz

[leon]

Are they unique in the world for limiting the players they will have play for them based on nationality?..

2 other teams do it

Portsmouth. They only have pikeys.

[seahawk10]

This is great stuff! Very interesting reading up on this. The trick is to write 6 pages or so in Spanish now and putting together a powerpoint or summink...

[The Cube]

They played a friendly against Blackpool a few years ago to mark the opening of the new stands at Bloomfield Road. On the Blackpool mailing list, the following exchange took place:

"They are the only team in Spain whose name does not end in "o".

"In that case shouldn't they be called Athletic Bilba?"

"Ho, ho, ho (or h, h, h as they say in Spain....)"

[YateleyRoyal]

They played a friendly against Blackpool a few years ago to mark the opening of the new stands at Bloomfield Road. On the Blackpool mailing list, the following exchange took place:

"They are the only team in Spain whose name does not end in "o".

"In that case shouldn't they be called Athletic Bilba?"

"Ho, ho, ho (or h, h, h as they say in Spain....)"

[Wax Jacket]

Spanish spell it with a J anyway so it's more j, j, j

[handbags_harris]

Getting back to the serious stuff, I think Athletic Bilbao provided me with the most entertaining style of play I have ever seen in last season's UEFA Cup. Utterly relentless all action pressing the like of which I have never seen before or since, and a shame they ended up burning out.

[Zaretsky]

Yeah Phil Ball for stuff on the history of Spanish football - I have a copy of Morbo, which has plenty of good stuff on Athletic. Will dig it out over the weekend - I'm overdue a read.

Little snippets:

San Mames aka the Cathedral is pretty renowned amongst Spanish football people for its atmosphere.

Athletic are very much the Basque team - San Sebastian is a bit more cultured, less industrial and more cosmopolitan. I've been to San Sebastian on an away day and the atmosphere was great in the city. Wouldn't do the same to Bilbao. Athletic were initially one of the more successful Spanish teams and they had a reputation for massive centre forwards, who scored bucket loads (thus the top scorer award in Spain is the Pichichi, who played for Bilbao). They talk about Basque forwards as being cut out of the granite in the mountains.

Apparently they play in red and white stripes because the English sailors who first introduced the game were Southampton or Sunderland supporters. Atletico Madrid (note the importance of the difference in spelling), despite being one of the most right wing, nationalist and generally insane set of supporters (they've had bans from travelling to the Basque country at all in the past), were actually founded by Basque students studying in Madrid - that's why they have the same kit.

Oh and Beitar Jerusalem for not allowing foreigners (i.e. Arabs) to play for the team.