Full name | Villarreal Club de Fútbol S.A.D. |
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Nickname(s) |
El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine) |
Founded | 10 March 1923 |
Ground | Estadio de la Cerámica |
Capacity | 24,890 |
Owner | Fernando Roig |
Chairman | Fernando Roig |
Head Coach | Fran Escribá |
League | La Liga |
2016–17 | La Liga, 5th |
Website | Club website |
Founded | 2000 |
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Ground |
Ciudad Deportiva Villarreal CF Vila-real, Spain |
Chairman | José Ramón Gumbau |
Manager | Yuriko Saeki |
League | Segunda División |
2012–13 | Segunda División – Group 7, 4th |
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. (Valencian: Vila-real Club de Futbol, S.A.D.), usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community. Founded in 1923, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio de la Cerámica, with a capacity of 24,890.
The club is nicknamed El Submarí Groguet or El Submarino Amarillo (Yellow Submarine) due to its yellow home kit, and due to being a low-profile team compared to Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, who they have challenged for trophies over the last decade. Villarreal has often been touted as an example of a small but successful club.
Villarreal CF was founded as Villarreal CD on 10 March 1923 "to promote all sports especially Soccer." The stadium was rented for 60 pesetas a month and ticket prices were set at half a peseta for men and a quarter of a peseta for children. Women were granted free admission. On 17 June 1923, Castellón, a modern rival of the club, played the first match against a club named after Cervantes. On 21 October of that year, Villarreal played their first game ever, playing against Castellón. Villarreal started off with a kit of white shirts and black shorts, reflected in their first badge.
Villarreal entered regional competitions within the Spanish football pyramid from 1929–30 onwards. The 1934–35 season saw the team lose to Cartagena when a win would have seen them promoted to the nationwide Second Division. The following season saw Villarreal win the First Division of the region before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.