Bilbao Athletic
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| Full name | Athletic Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Los Leones / Lehoiak (The Lions) Los Cachorros / Katxorroak (The Puppies) |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Ground | San Mamés |
| Capacity | 54,500 |
| Chairman | Josu Urrutia |
| Manager | José Ángel Ziganda |
| League | 2ª B – Group 2 |
| 2015–16 | Segunda División, 22nd (relegated) |
Bilbao Athletic, officially named Athletic Club "B" is the reserve team of Athletic Bilbao, club based in Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. The team will play in the Segunda División B in the 2016-17 season, following relegation from the second tier in the previous campaign. Founded in 1964, the team holds home matches at the San Mamés, with a 53,500-seat capacity, or at the small stadium attached to the club's training facility at Lezama.
Reserve teams in Spain play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However, reserves cannot play in the same division as their senior team. Therefore, Bilbao Athletic are ineligible for promotion to La Liga. Reserve teams are also no longer permitted to enter the Copa del Rey. In addition, only under-23 players, or under-25 with a professional contract, can switch between senior and reserve teams. In recent years most of Bilbao Athletic's players have been graduates from the club's youth setup ('cantera') via the farm team, Basconia.
The Bilbao Athletic name was first used in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War, when both La Liga and the Copa del Rey were suspended; several of top Athletic players subsequently joined the Euskadi XI. This team was put together at the suggestion of José Antonio Aguirre, the president of the Basque Country, himself a former Athletic Bilbao footballer.
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