Welcome to…Figueres

A refounded team in the Empordà

The history of Figueres goes back to 1919 when two clubs from the homonymous city merged into the Sports Union of Figueres. One century later, Figueres has played in the Segunda División, disappeared, and reappeared, living one of the most hectic lives in Catalan football. Welcome to…Figueres.

The players of Figueres celebrate a goal in 2023. © UE Figueres.

The city of Dalí

Figueres is located in the province of Girona, has around 50,000 inhabitants, and is mainly known as the birthplace of Salvador Dalí. The Catalan surrealist is famous for many works, among which a theatre/museum in Figueres in which he used to live. This building annually attracts over 1,300,000 million visitors and is crucial for the local economy.

The Theatre and Museum of Salvador Dalí. © Andris.

However, Figueres is more than Salvador Dalí. It is the economic, culture, and social center of the Empordà, a historical region in the utter northeast of Catalonia. The Empordà is one of the zones in Catalonia with the strongest identity, which can mostly be explained historically and culturally. Moreover, Empordan nature is beautiful, combining the mountains of the Pyrenees with the Mediterranean Sea.

The nature around Figueres. © catalunya.com

The Union

As Figueres was an important industrial city in the early 1900s, football was introduced early. The first club in the city was founded in 1905, after which two other clubs followed: SC Català and Joventut Sportiva. These clubs decided to unite their forces in 1919, giving birth to UE Figueres.

It is no surprise to see that Figueres’ kit has been white and blue since the beginning. White was the color of SC Català and blue of Joventut Sportiva, so it was only fair to present a shirt with both colors. © lafutbolteca.com

In the 1940s, Figueres made its debut in the third tier, a prestigious competition at the time. However, it appeared to be too difficult for the unionistes to establish themselves in the Tercera División. For a long time, Figueres was usually present in the amateur leagues of Catalonia, sometimes also competing in the Tercera.

The Estadi Municipal de Vilatenim. An impressive stadium for a team that, in 2023-24, competes in the sixth division. © UE Figueres.

The dynamic would change in the 1970s when Figueres arrived in the Tercera again. The division had already become the fourth tier, making it more challenging to reach professional football. However, the figuerencs would achieve the impossible. After a heroic promotion to the Segunda División B in 1983, the Unió only needed three more years to reach the Segunda División.

A starting XI of Figueres in 1991-92, in which Figueres ended third. It was the best achievement in the club’s history and almost led to promotion to the Primera División. The Catalans failed to do so after losing to Cádiz in the playoffs. © Fútbol Retro.

Figueres played seven memorable seasons in the second division with players like Tito Vilanova, Pere Gratacós, and Tintín Márquez. After the relegation to the Segunda B in 1993, Figueres would be unable to return to professional football. The Catalan team played many consecutive seasons on the third level until Enric Flix appeared. The owner of the gambling company Miapuesta.com bought the club in 2006, changed its name to UE Miapuesta Figueres, and even relocated the club to Castelldefels in 2007. And just like that, the city of Figueres was left without its football club.

Pep Chavarría in action for Figueres. The left-back played for the white-blue club until 2018, after which he was picked up by stronger teams. In 2022, Chavarría was signed by Rayo Vallecano and was seen as one of the most promising talents in the Primera División. © UE Figueres.

The supporters of Figueres were very disappointed and decided to create a new club identical to their beloved UE Figueres. This way, Figueres was officially founded in 2007, even though its sentiment goes back to 1919. By the way, the project of Miapuesta Castelldefels crashed, and the club was dissolved in 2008. The new Figueres reached the Tercera División quickly, which turned out to be its climax. From 2012 to 2022, Figueres was present in the competition and currently plays in the Lliga Elit, the sixth tier of Catalan football.

The first starting XII of Figueres in the sixth tier. The club has maintained the crest, kit, stadium, anthem, and fans of the ‘old’ Figueres. © UE Figueres.

How football changed over time

In all aspects, football has changed over time, and an anecdote about Figueres illustrates this well. While Barcelona, as well as other elite clubs, travel to Asia or America for their summer friendlies, this was very different in the 20th century. Barcelona, for example, used to visit many smaller Catalan clubs, among which Figueres. The Unió invited Barça to open the new Camp del Far, a stadium that was very big and modern for the time. Legendary players like César Rodríguez and László Kubala formed part of the team that beat Figueres 2-4. As Mundo Deportivo wrote in 1950, the stadium was more than full and extra chairs were placed around the field to make everyone fit. Moreover, Barcelona’s visit meant a much-needed economic injection.

A picture of László Kubala, considered one of the best footballers ever. © @Barca_Buzz.

The future

Even though Figueres failed to return to the Tercera División in 2022-23, much optimism has returned to the Empordan club after the arrival of new management. And when looking at Figueres’ history, stadium, and fanbase, the club deserves to compete at least in the Tercera División. This was…Figueres.

Fans of Figueres during a match in 2022. © UE Figueres.

Sources

• Borchers, L. (2021). GOLAZO. Self-published.
• Borchers, L. (2022). CARA O CRUZ. Self-published.
• http://lafutbolteca.com/unio-esportiva-figueres-s-a-d/
• https://www.uefigueres.net/historia-del-club/
• http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1950/05/05/pagina-2/664410/pdf.html