Club Portugalete (Spain)

Club Portugalete is a football club from the town of Portugalete that is situated on the south bank of the River Nervión in the metropolitan area of Bilbao in Spain’s Basque Country. The football club was formed in 1944, initially playing in local and regional football and moving up to the División de Honor de Vizcaya.

From there Club progressed to the Tercera División for the 1951-52 season, being placed in Grupo II. The team consolidated its place before dropping back down to División de Honor de Vizcaya at the end of the 1957-58 campaign. Portugalete regathered and won promotion back to the third tier in 1962-63, where they competed in Grupo III. 

A fourth-place finish in 1964-65 promised much, but Club were relegated back to regional step four football the following season. Club came straight back from División de Honor de Vizcaya at the first attempt, but third-tier football proved to be too much, as the team were relegated just one year later. This time, Portugalete would stay down for seventeen years.

By the time Club were ready for another push for promotion, the regional league had become the fifth level of Spanish football. Portugalete lasted three seasons in the fourth-tier Tercera División before being relegated once more in 1987-88.

This time, Portugalete would spend thirteen years playing in the División de Honor de Vizcaya before being promoted once more in 2000-01. In the 2004-05 season Club won the Grupo IV title of the Tercera División, taking the team through to the promotion play-offs.

Wins over SD Noja and then Utebo FC saw Portugalete promoted to the third-tier Segunda División B. However, the step up proved to be one too far for the club as they were demoted after just one season. In 2007-08 Club once again lifted their Tercera División group title, but on this occasion they went out in the promotion play-offs to CD Villanueva. 

Portugalete continued to put in fine performances for the fans at La Florida. However, the successful league season secured qualification to the 2008-09 Copa del Rey, where Portugalete progressed to the Round of 32 before going out 7-1 on aggregate to CF Valencia.

The club reached the same stage of the cup in 2010-11. Victories over SD Noja and CD Castellón saw Portugalete paired against Getafe CF, who went through on away goals after the tie ended 1-1 on aggregate.

The 2014-15 season saw the appointment of manager Ezequiel Loza, as the side once again captured the Grupo IV crown of the Tercera División. In the play-offs Club were defeated by CF Talavera de la Reina, but the club were still placed in Segunda División B for the 2015-16 season.

Portugalete finished bottom of the Grupo II table and were relegated back to the fourth-tier Tercera División, where they finished the 2016-17 campaign in fifth place, just outside the promotion play-offs under manager Carlos Docando. The side returned to playoff action twelve months later, with Loza continuing after a short time away.

Portugalete progressed to the third round before being beaten by CD Castellón. The title was secured in 2018-19, but on this occasion, it would be AE Prat who ended promotion hopes in the third round of the playoffs. The side retained their Tercera División title, and this time a win against local rivals Sestao River clinched promotion.

Segunda División B was secured for the transitional 2020-21 season, where they dropped down to the now fifth-tier Tercera División RFEF. The playoffs were reached in 2021-22 under new manager Germán Beltrán, where SD Beasain proved too strong. This led to the appointment of Patxi Salinas to oversee team affairs.

He was succeeded by Iván Franco a year later, who was replaced by Bingen Arostegi towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign, which saw another playoff slot being secured. Revenge against SD Beasain, before CD Unión Sur Yaiza stopped the celebrations and hopes of promotion. 

Club Portugalete will play in the Tercera División RFEF Grupo IV in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Friday 24th February 2017

My long weekend in Bilbao and its surrounding area was underway as the weather stayed fine during the mid-afternoon. I’d already visited the homes of Barakaldo CF and Sestao River Club. Although I’d gathered some decent snaps, I had not got inside either stadium.

Alighting at the Portugalete Metro stop, I crossed the main Avenida Carlos VII Etorbidea and then followed the narrower Doctor José Zaldua Kalea up the hill. The corner of Los Llanos Hiribidea showed me that I’d reached my destination, as I saw the Club’s offices outside La Florida.

A little bit further along, I came to an open gate, so that I could go inside and have a proper look at the venue. La Florida was very neat with its full length covered, seated stand down one side and open terracing opposite and behind the far goal. The near end had a couple of steps and flat open standing before it gave way in the corner to the offices and changing rooms, and clubhouse.

Behind the seated stand, there was a second pitch with an artificial surface and, further back, a sports hall. I had the choice of revisiting the following day for Club’s match against SD Balmaseda or the local derby between Arena Club and Sestao River Club, which eventually won the day.

Once I’d got my photos, I headed further along Doctor José Zaldua Kalea, through a little stretch of open land before arriving at the venue of two smaller clubs: Gazteak CF and Peña Athletic Santurtzi.