Marbella FC (Spain)

Marbella Fútbol Club is a semi-professional football club from the coastal city of the same name in the Spanish region of Andalusia that was formed in 1997, originally as Unión Deportiva (UD) Marbella.

However, UD Marbella were not the first senior club to represent the city. Club Atlético Marbella, who for a time were the reserved side for CD Málaga, had been formed in 1947 before becoming defunct fifty years later.

Club Atlético started out life in regional football where they remained until the end of the 1963-64 season before winning promotion to the then third tier Tercera División while playing at Estadio Municipal de Marbella.

Locally born businessman and future mayor of Marbella Jesús Gil took over the club around the time that Atlético went back down to the fourth level Preferente Andaluza. The team returned to the Tercera División following promotion in 1972-73.

Atlético were relegated again in 1975-76 but returned twelve months later. This time their Tercera División lasted two seasons before a further demotion. The Tercera División became the fourth tier following league reorganisation in 1977-78 with the club being placed in it.

Another relegation hit Atlético after just a season before they returned to the fourth level at the end of the 1979-80 campaign. This time the club consolidated and then improved to finish second of Grupo IX in 1983-84 before winning promotion to Segunda División B through the play-offs.

However, their third tier spell lasted just a season before they dropped back down. It didn’t stop Marbella for long, who regained their position after another triumphant play-off campaign in 1986-87.

Three seasons of Segunda División B football were played in Grupo IV with Juan Tapia in fine form in goal before his successor Francisco Leal also performed admirably but couldn’t save his side from relegation in 1989-90.

Marbella bounced straight back to win their Tercera División title at the first attempt to return to the third tier where the goals of Manuel Sousa and keeping of Francisco Leal saw Atlético win the Grupo IV title before finishing top of Grupo D in the play-offs to win promotion to the second tier of Spanish football.

A seventh place and then two mid-table finishes were achieved before Gil sold the club to concentrate on matters at Atlético Madrid to Slobodan "Boban" Petrović, an entrepreneur from Serbia.

Atlético Marbella finished bottom of the Segunda División in 1995-96 and then bottom of Segunda División in 1996-97 before they were dissolved.

Unión Deportiva Marbella took up a position in the fifth tier Primera Andaluza, which they won at the first attempt in 1997-98 to win promotion to Tercera División. UD lifted the Grupo IX title in 2000-01 but missed out on promotion in the play-offs.

However, a runners-up berth in 2002-03 led to a successful play-off campaign and promotion to Segunda División B. After just avoiding relegation, Marbella finished fifth in Grupo IV in 2004-05 before just doing enough to stay up in 2007-08 with Alejandro Ávila in goal.

Fourth place in 2008-09 with striker Tommy Mooney in the ranks was followed by relegation in 2009-10. Marbella reached the Tercera División play-offs in 2011-12 after a third place in Grupo IX. CD Mairena were overcome before Real Madrid C ended any hopes of promotion.

A mid-table ending was followed by a title winning campaign in 2013-14 with Javier Añón banging in the goals. CD Eldense were defeated after extra time in the play-off with 5,200 fans attending the home leg with the goals coming from Airam, Pibe and Añón to regain their Segunda División B status.

Marbella ended in tenth place in 2014-15, fourteenth in 2015-16 and then seventh in 2016-17. The goalkeeping of Wilfred Muñoz played its part in his side finishing as Grupo IV runners-up in 2017-18. Celta de Vigo B were to beat Marbella on penalties in the play-offs.

Marbella FC will play in Segunda División B in the 2018-19 season.

My visit

Marbella FC 0 FC Jumilla 3 (Monday 7^th January 2019) Segunda División B Grupo IV (att: c800)

It was the second day of my trip to Andalusia and it was the Epiphany Bank Holiday, this meaning an excellent chance of seeing some football when there wasn’t much on elsewhere. My weeks holiday from work fitted in perfectly!

I’d been to see the capitulation of Málaga CF against CF Reus the previous evening and awoke in good fettle; cheered further by the beautiful blue skies as I took the number 1 bus from Plaza de la Merced to Estación de Málaga María Zambrano after nearly catching it in the wrong direction; an error I also nearly made from the airport on my arrival.

This was an impressive modern railway station, but the shops were still to wake up. I made my way through the mall and across the road to Estación de Autobuses de Málaga to try and find a bus to take me down the coast, as trains did not go the whole way.

My Spanish is basic, but with smiles and a few please and thank you and an attempt to say Marbella with the correct pronunciation, I was directed to the correct ticket counter, where a jolly vendor sold me a single ticket for €8.50 and told me which bay to head for.

The journey departed at 9.15am on a spacious modern coach. The free Sur local newspapers on the dashboard proclaimed the headline; “Lamentable” with a picture of a couple of Málaga players. The marks out of ten for each player left no doubt as to the reaction to the display.

Our route went via the airport, where it filled up. English voices were prominent for the rest of the ride, which took around eighty minutes to our destination. I was off and away, keen to have a good walk and see what Marbella had to offer.

The old town was very pretty. More undulating than Málaga but not as commercial, or it didn’t seem to be at that time of the morning. I reached the sea front and had a good walk to take a look at the marina and stretch along the promenade. The sun was warming everyone up on a stunning morning.

Although I was unable to access the internet on my IPhone I had a good idea of where I was heading. I cut up from the sea front to the main N-340 before walking up the slope of Calle Serenata in the direction of Estadio Municipal.

My ticket cost €12 from a booth built into the back of the stand. A poster was on display for a friendly at 4pm between Borussia Dortmund and Fortuna Düsseldorf, which I presumed was at the same venue? Later research showed that I would have been in the wrong location! The friendly was played at a training centre on the edge of town.

Both clubs, along with some other German and Dutch sides were taking advantage of their winter breaks to enjoy some warm weather training and practice. It turned out the game was at Marbellla Football Center; several miles away. It’s as well I didn’t hang around for it!

Estadio Municipal de Marbella was a tidy enough venue. Both sides had raised pitch length sections of raised steps, which doubled up as seating. The side where I was had a covered middle section and some proper seating. The players tunnel was opposite.

The ends were curved as the pitch was surrounded by a running track. Both had open steps, with the north end slightly larger. Some stunning mountain scenery was in the background, while the ocean could be seen beyond the other end. It was a lovely place to be on a January Monday morning as temperatures were touching 20°.

I’d taken up a spot on the back row next to the posh seating when a fella started speaking to me in Spanish. He realised that I was a visitor and then explained he was filming the game for the club and needed to be sat in my place.

This was no problem. He was a friendly chap who gave me a bottle of water and chatted about my trip. He explained that the away side Jumilla had a connection with Wolverhampton Wanderers, who had loaned the team six of their players to progress before hopefully making the first team at Molineux.

The game kicked off at 11.30am and within seven minutes, Ryan Leak, the Welsh born full back on loan from Wolves had received a yellow card. Wilfred in the Marbella goal saved a shot from outside the box with comfort four minutes later from Oscar Rico.

Alvaro Montero had a header off target for the hosts as the game saw few chances. Montero spurned a half chance as half time approached, but there was still time for Jumilla to take the lead just before the interval.

Mustafa made a poor error for Marbella with a misplaced pass that was pounced on by the man of the match Ming-yang Yang who crossed hard and low for Oscar Rico, who did well to finish through a congested area. The referee blew his whistle soon after.

Facilities for refreshments were basic so I gave it a miss, figuring that I’d grab something before heading back to Málaga. A posse of ‘Blanquillos’ sat near me had a beer but I wasn’t really in the mood. I was happy just to sit back and relax.

The goalscorer turned provider on fifty-three minutes when Rico picked up the ball from Yang to put over a delicious cross from the left flank. Peque rose above Wilfred to head home at the near post unchallenged.

Montero was giving it everything for the hosts, who improved following a couple of substitutions made by head coach David Cubillo. Mustafa came close to making atone for his earlier header but was crowded out following a good run.

Montero had a headed goal ruled out with just less than twenty minutes remaining on the clock as the ball had gone out of play before the cross came in. The excellent Yang took a well deserved break with fifteen minutes remaining.

His replacement Boubacar Hanne was soon to make his mark when he scored with a superb twenty five yard powerful dipping effort that left Wilfred flapping at fresh air. At the other end Simón made a fine stop to keep out Manu Molina. Substitute Sillero was foiled by Simón shortly after.

I said goodbye to my friend and made my way back out at the top end of the stadium before taking the twenty minute walk with some good hill work in the shadow of some beautiful scenery. That said, I wasn’t upset when I got near the bus station.

I’d got a bit of a run on as I thought I may make a bus that seemed to have Málaga on the destination board. The queue at the ticket office window was moving agonisingly slowly. There was no need to worry as an express service was leaving at 2.15.

There was time to grab some refreshments from the machines before relaxing to the superb Music Complete New Order album on my IPod and drift off. Before I knew it we were back in Málaga and I went round the corner to catch the bus back to by room.

I’d enjoyed Marbella, the football and the city. Now it was time for a quick siesta before heading to my evening match three miles along the coast at El Palo.