Basque Country

Athletic Bilbao: more than just a club

Athletic Bilbao: more than just a club San Mames Bilbao stadium. Photo: Athletic Club

UEFA Champions League side Athletic Club only signs players native to or trained in football in the greater Basque Country and has become a potent symbol of Basque identity both on and off the pitch.

n a world where football has become big business, one team stands out for its different approach. Established well over a century ago, Bilbao’s Athletic Club is owned by its members rather than venture capitalists, and until a link-up with local oil firm Petronor in 2008 had refused to carry shirt sponsorship, in stark difference to the majority of Europe’s top teams. By making a conscious decision to only hire Basque footballers, the club has made a brave commitment to nurture local talent. While other clubs sign star strikers from overseas, Athletic Bilbao seeks out the best and brightest from its environs and trains them in its youth academy system – tipped as the world’s finest. This innovative approach, and the club’s pride in its regional identity, has paid off: along with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Athletic is the only club never to have been relegated from the Spanish premier league since its inception in 1929.

Athletic has a cohesive effect. It brings together people with different political beliefs and from different walks of life.

Josu Urrutia Chairman of Athletic Club

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  • Athletic Club fans. Photo: Dreamstime
    Athletic Club fans. Photo: Dreamstime
  • San Mames Bilbao stadium. Photo: Athletic Club
    San Mames Bilbao stadium. Photo: Athletic Club
  • San Mames Bilbao stadium. Photo: Athletic Club
    San Mames Bilbao stadium. Photo: Athletic Club
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This article was published 9 October 2014
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