| Organising body | North Football Federation(since 1913) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1913 |
| First season | 1913 |
| Folded | 1940 |
| Country | Spain |
| Feeder to | Copa del Rey |
| Last champions | Athletic Club (16th title) |
| Most championships | Athletic Club (16 titles) |
TheBiscay Regional Championship(Campeonato Regional de Vizcaya), also called theNorth Regional Championship(Campeonato Regional Norte) in its early editions, was an officialfootball tournament in Spain organised by the North Football Federation.
It was played annually between 1913 and 1940 and served to elect the representatives of the region in theSpanish Cup, which at that time served as the overall annual national championship.[1]
The tournament was launched in 1913, following the creation of the North Football Federation (Federación Norte), initially consisting of clubs from theBasque provinces (Biscay,Gipuzkoa andÁlava) andCantabria (then the province of Santander). The first edition of the Northern Regional Championship started on 12 October 1913, with six teams: three from Biscay (Athletic Bilbao,Arenas Club de Getxo and Deportivo de Bilbao)[2] and three from Gipuzkoa (Real Sociedad, Sporting de Irun and Racing de Irun – the latter two would soon merge asReal Unión). Athletic was the first champion.
In 1916 theRoyal Spanish Football Federation permitted the clubs from the province of Santander to abandon the North Federation and join the new Cantabrian Regional Federation of Football, along with clubs from theprovince of Oviedo. But the situation was reversed again two years later.
After several disagreements between the clubs of Biscay and Gipuzkoa, culminating in a pivotal championship match between Athletic and Real Sociedad being abandoned,[3] in 1918 the National Committee of the Spanish federation agreed to divide the Northern Federation in these two regions.[4] Thus, in the 1918–19 season the Gipuzkoa clubs launchedtheir own championship[1] while the North Championship teams continued with other Basque teams and the return ofRacing de Santander, representing the Cantabrian clubs.
In 1922 the clubs in the province of Santander finally left the North Federation to create its own umbrella organisation, which launched theCantabrian Regional Championship.[5][1] That same year, the Assembly of the Northern Federation agreed to the change of name to the Biscay Federation(Federación Vizcaína), being composed exclusively of clubs from the province[6] (althoughDeportivo Alavés of Álava also participated in the championship).
In 1934 the Spanish federation undertook a major restructuring of the national tournaments, so that the regional championships were replaced by the superregional, which gathered the best clubs in various regional federations. In the case of theBasque Country, this was called theBasque Cup, launched in season 1934–35. This tournament was held for two years until being interrupted by theSpanish Civil War.[1]
During the last months of the war in 1939, football resumed activity in some areas controlled by theNational side, under the impetus of the Spanish Federation and the regional federations. Five teams participated in the reborn Biscay Championship, including its winnersBilbao Athletic (a team formed by Athletic Bilbao, who decided not to use the club's official title as they only had a makeshift squad and were worried about embarrassing results tarnishing their reputation)[7] and runner-upBarakaldo Oriamendi, who both took part in the1939 Copa del Generalísimo.
The last edition of the Championship of Biscay, which was also a qualifier for access to the1940 Copa del Generalísimo, was played in the 1939–40 season. Another restructuring approved by the Spanish Federation in 1940 marked the demise of the regional championships.
| Club | Winners | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic Club | 16[a] | 4 | 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1919–20, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1939–40 | 1916–17, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1929–30 |
| Arenas Club de Getxo | 6 | 10 | 1916–17, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1924–25, 1926–27, 1935–36 | 1914–15, 1917–18, 1920–21, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33 |
| Deportivo Alavés[b] | 1 | 1 | 1929–30 | 1927–28 |
| Real Unión[c] | 1[3] | 1 | 1917–18[a] | 1935–36 |
| Bilbao Athletic[d] | 1[a] | – | 1939 | – |
| Barakaldo CF | – | 3 | – | 1933–34, 1939, 1939–40 |
| Racing de Santander[e] | – | 3 | – | 1918–19, 1919–20, 1921–22 |
| Real Sociedad[c] | – | 2 | – | 1913–14, 1915–16 |
| CA Osasuna[f] | – | 1 | – | 1934–35 |