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| Full name | Centre d'Esports Sabadell Futbol Club, S.A.D. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Arlequinats Sabadellencs Vallesans | ||
| Founded | 11 December 1903; 121 years ago (1903-12-11) | ||
| Ground | Nova Creu Alta,Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain | ||
| Capacity | 11,908[1] | ||
| President | Pau Morilla-Giner | ||
| Head coach | Ferran Costa | ||
| League | Primera Federación – Group 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Segunda Federación – Group 3, 4th of 20 (promoted via play-offs) | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Centre d'Esports Sabadell Futbol Club, S.A.D. (Catalan pronunciation:[ˈsentɾəðəsˈpɔɾ(ts)səβəˈðeʎfubˈbɔlˈklup]) is one of Spain's most historical football Clubs. Based inSabadell (close toBarcelona) and founded in 1903, its first men's team plays in thePrimera Federación – Group 2 (Spain's 3rd tier). Its firstwomen's team is active in the Preferent catalana, the fifth level, and its first U19 men's team participates in Division de Honor, Spain's top tier. The club has over 50 teams in its prestigious youth academy.[2] The club holds home games at theEstadi de la Nova Creu Alta, which hosted football games atBarcelona Olympics.
The side has competed in national leagues since 1928, gaining its first promotion to theSegunda División in 1933 and then toLa Liga in 1944. Sabadell's longest spell in the top flight was from 1965 to 1972, and their most recent one from 1986 to 1988. In total, Sabadell has played 14 seasons in the Primera División, which makes it the third Catalan club with the most seasons and points in the competition afterFC Barcelona andRCD Espanyol. Moreover, the club has reached oneCopa del Rey final, which they lost 3–0 toSevilla FC in 1935. It has also played in a European competition, entering the1969-70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup after finishing fourth in1968-69 La Liga.
Sabadell has always known an intense rivalry withTerrassa FC, as both clubs are the strongest sides in thecomarcaVallès Occidental. TheVallès derby is fueled by the rivalry between the cities ofSabadell andTerrassa and is known as one of the hottest derbies inCatalonia.
The crest of Sabadell is formed by two elements. The first one is the coat of arms in the middle, based on the coat of arms of the city ofSabadell, which consists of two parts. The upper part contains blue and white squares, referring to the club's colours, and an onion, one of the symbols of the city. The lower part is formed by theSenyera, the flag of Catalonia. The coat of arms is surrounded at the top and the sides by a white ribbon containing the name of the club in black:Centre d'Esports Sabadell F.C.[3] The crest has not undergone major changes since the club's foundation in 1903.[4]
Thehymn of Sabadell is calledHonor al Sabadell ("Honour to Sabadell") and replaced the hymnSempre endavant Sabadell ("Always forward Sabadell") after the 1990–91 season.[5] The current hymn was composed by Adolf Cabané (music) and Lluís Papell (lyrics).
The lyrics of the hymn are the following:
Cantem, cantem la joia indefinida
de veure el Sabadell entre els millors
després d'uns anys de lluita decidida
han assolit ressò nostres colors.
Alcem la copa així, ben alta
en honor del futbol de Sabadell.
Ciutat aimada que somriu i canta
donant goig i prestigi al joc més bell.
Honor al Sabadell! Honor a la Ciutat!
i visca el nostre club sempre estimat!
Cantem, cantem al Club de tanta història
forjada amb tants neguits i tants afanys.
Lluitant per assolir aquesta glòria
que ens ha portat l'esforç tants i tants anys.
Alcem la copa així, ben alta
en honor del futbol de Sabadell.
Ciutat aimada treballadora
ben units el més jove i el més vell.
Honor al Sabadell! Honor a la Ciutat!
i visca el nostre Club sempre estimat!
English translation:
Let's sing, let's sing the indefinite joy
of seeing Sabadell among the best
after some years of decided battle
our colours achieved repercussion.
Let's lift the cup like this, high enough
in honour of football from Sabadell.
Ciutat aimada, which laughs and sings,
giving excitement and prestige to the most beautiful game.
Honour to Sabadell! Honour to the City!
And long live our always-beloved club!
Let's sing, let's sing for the club with so much history
formed by so many worries and so much eagerness.
Battling to reach this glory
that our effort has brought us for so many years.
Let's lift the cup like this, high enough
in honour of football from Sabadell.
The working ciutat aimada,
uniting the youngest and oldest well.
Honour to Sabadell! Honour to the City!
And long live our always-beloved club!
Before playing with the typical checkered shirt, Sabadell used vertical stripes. The club changed its shirt to blue and white squares in a match against Terrassa FC in 1913.[6][7]
In 1901, Joan Saus and a group of youngsters from the Sabadell Catalan Centre foundedCentre d'Esports Sabadell, which became fully legalized on 5 June 1906. The club's first games were held in a grass field at Prat de Sant Oleguer but, on 3 June of that year, a stadium in the Creu Alta District was inaugurated, in a game against "Team X" fromBarcelona, later known asRCD Espanyol.[9] On 6 August 1912, the first game under floodlights in Spain was played in the same venue against Universitari, a club also from Barcelona.[10]
In 1933–34, the club won its first major trophy, theCatalan Football Championship, which allowed the winner to participate in theCopa del Presidente de la República. During the former tournament, it won 15 games and drew once, reaching the latter's final in the following season, losing 0–3 toSevilla FC at theChamartín Stadium.
Sabadell first competed inLa Liga in the1943–44 season, finishing ninth. It improved to fifth in1946–47, ranking in front ofReal Madrid and only four points behind championsValencia CF, just oneseason after returning fromSegunda División.
In1968–69, Sabadell, guided by managerPasieguito, finished a best-ever fourth as the top flight already consisted of 16 clubs.José Luis Garzón was the top scorer of the team with 9 goals. Subsequently, itcompeted in theInter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing toClub Brugge K.V. ofBelgium in the first round (3–5 on aggregate). Sabadell won 2–0 at home in the first leg, withPedro Zaballa scoring the first-ever goal of the club in a European competition andCristo adding the second in the last minutes of the game. A 5–1 defeat inBrugge, withJosep Palau [es] scoring the away goal, ended the dream. In 1972, a seven-year ran in the top division came to an end, as theArlequinats wererelegated after finishing dead last.
On 18 May 1986, Sabadell returned to Primera División after defeatingAtlético Madrileño 2–0 at home with goals fromJoaquín Villa [es] and Nacho.[11] The team, which finished runner-up in1985-86 Segunda División, was guided by manager Pedro Mari Uribarri and was captained by homegrown midfielderLino Gutiérrez [es]. The following season, the team survived in the first tier after succeeding in a dramatic relegation group in the1986-87 La Liga managed by former goalkeeper and legendPepe Martínez [es], the player with most games in Primera División in the club's history. Martínez was sacked on 2 November 1987 and was replaced byAntonio de la Cruz, who could not keep the team in the top division. Relegation to Segunda División was confirmed on 22 May 1988 after losing 2–0 inSan Mamés againstAthletic Club and finishing second from bottom. Four months before, in theCopa del Rey quarter-finals first-leg, Sabadell had produced one of its most famous games ever after a dramatic comeback againstReal Madrid in the second half. The Spanish giants were two goals ahead at half time, butJordi Vinyals,Josep Maria Sala andJosep Villarroya [es] scored in the second half to seal a memorable win.[12] In the return leg at theEstadio Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid won 2–0 in theextra-time.
CE Sabadell became apublic limited sports company in 1991,being relegated toSegunda División B two years later, and immediately toTercera División following severe economic problems. Afterachieving promotion in 1994 with a very young team guided by manager Antonio Jaurrieta,[13][14] the club spent the following seventeen years in the third level (with the exception of2006–07 in the fourth). In that dark period, there were only three highlights, two of them with managerPere Valentí Mora in charge: the1999-2000 Copa Federación de España title againstthe reserve team of Elche CF[15] and a third-place finishthe following season which allowed the team to play inthe play-offs, with hopes of promotion to the second tier ended after a home defeat againstBurgos CF.[16] The third one wasanother unsuccessful promotion play-off after the team finished fourth in the2008–09 Segunda División B. This time, the dream was over after a controversial game againstReal Unión de Irún.[17]Ramón Moya, who had also been the manager inthe return to Segunda B two seasons before,[18] narrowly missed a second promotion with the club.
In the2010–11 season, Sabadell, managed byLluís Carreras, won its group in theregular season. Inthe playoffs, the team drew both games againstSD Eibar, but was eventually promoted on theaway goals rule following the 1–1 score at theIpurua Municipal Stadium withMarc Fernández scoring the historic goal, returning to the professional divisions after 18 years. Three young players who were loaned by other Catalan clubs, wingerIsaac Cuenca, midfielderJuanjo Ciércoles and strikerHiroshi Ibusuki, had a big impact in the successful campaign.[19] It was the second promotion for goalkeeperDavid de Navas, who signed for the club when it was in the fourth tier in 2007.[20]
Sabadell struggled intheir return to the second level finishing in 19th place, being the first side in the relegation zone. However, they were spared whenVillarreal CF dropped down a division in the top flight, which led to the automatic relegation of itsreserve teamVillarreal CF B. Sabadell finished second level as 16th in 2012–13 season, with Carreras departing at the end of the campaign.[21]Manu Lanzarote, who finished the league with 14 goals and 11 assists in 37 games, also left the club and was signed byRCD Espanyol. The announcement was made four months before the end of the season.[22]
In the summer of 2013, the Japanese owners signedSotan Tanabe and made an agreement withFC Tokyo.[23] A pre-season tour was made in Japan, even playing a friendly against FC Tokyo in theAjinomoto Field Nishigaoka which ended in a 2–2 draw.[24] Businessman Keisuke Sakamoto, who had bought the club one year before, was named president on 30 July 2013[25] replacingJoan Soteras [ca], who had achieved two promotions in his seven years in front of the club.[26] The season started badly, with new managerJavi Salamero sacked in November.[27] He was replaced by his assistant,Miquel Olmo, and the team finished the season in 10th place, the best final position in the second tier since 1992.Aníbal Zurdo scored 18 league goals and was signed by Mexican sideCruz Azul.[28]
The following season was much more difficult, with Olmo sacked in November and his successorÁlex García winning only one of his nine league games in charge.[29] Although the team improved with the appointment ofJuan Carlos Mandiá[30] and the return of Aníbal Zurdo on loan,[31] Sabadell finished in the 21st place and was relegated to the third level after 4 years.[32]
Sabadell had a lot of financial problems after the relegation to Segunda B. Sakamoto sold the club to Aragón-based company Viacron in 2015, with Antoni Reguant becoming president. The best sporting achievement of these years was winning the2015-16 Copa Catalunya, defeatingFC Barcelona B in the final in theNova Creu Alta with goals from Sandro Toscano andErnest Forgas.
Esteve Calzada, a former member of FC Barcelona board and a marketing expert, bought the club in 2017. Financial difficulties meant that from 2017 to 2019 the club was more concerned with relegation avoidance than real hopes of promotion. In August 2019, the club announced an historical agreement with a group of international investors (led by Pau Morilla-Giner), whereby this Group would both bail out the club and achieve majority ownership through periodic capital infusions over the following three years to guarantee institutional stability and financial resources to achieve sustainable success.[33] On the back of this, and guided by managerAntonio Hidalgo, the Club secured promotion to the La Liga SmartbankSegunda División in July 2020 by beatingBarcelona B 2–1 in theSegunda División B play-offs final after five-years in third division with goals fromAleix Coch andNéstor Querol.[34]
The team was immediately relegated in the following2020–21 season by the narrow margin of one single point, and joined the newly created1a RFEF Division. Hidalgo was sacked after a poor start of the new season[35], and the team missed the play-offs in the last matchday after the improvement made by new managerPedro Munitis.[36] In June, Calzada announced that investment would be much lower in the 2022–23 season[37] and Munitis departed the club,[38] with formerFC Barcelona playerGabri named as his replacement.[39] He was sacked on 19 December 2022 with the team in 18th place.[40] Assistant coachMiki Lladó, who previously had been in charge of the youth teams of the club, was named manager.[41] He led the team to a 10th-place finish in2022–23 Primera Federación earning 32 points in his 21 games in charge[42] and was offered a new one-year contract in the summer.[43] Talented young players such asPau Víctor,[44]Sergi Altimira andÁlex Sala contributed to survival.
Before the beginning of the2023-24 season, Chairman Esteve Calzada resigned[45] and was replaced on 12 June 2023 by board member Pau Morilla-Giner.[46] The new season started badly and Lladó was sacked on 10 October 2023 after collecting only seven points in the first seven league games of the2023–24 season.[47] He was replaced by his assistantGerard Bofill, who could not achieve a single point in six games and was fired with the team in the bottom of the table.[48] The team improved with the signing of managerÓscar Cano and sporting director Carlos Rosende, but was relegated toSegunda Federacion after failing to win the last game away againstCD Lugo on 25 May 2024.[49] Some weeks before the end of the season, Chairman Morilla-Giner found a new ownership group led by venture capitalist Adam Rothstein.[50] Despite the relegation, Rothstein stayed loyal to his word and the club was able to form a competitive team to try to go back to Primera Federación.
At the end of the 2024–25 season, the team, guided by managerDavid Movilla, achieved promotion toPrimera RFEF via a successful playoff run defeatingSD Eibar B in the semifinal[51] andUCAM Murcia CF in the final[52] afterfinishing fourth in the league. Movilla had replaced the sackedDavid Català on 20 January 2025.[53]
Despite achieving promotion, Movilla's contract was not extended[54] and on 23 June 2025Ferran Costa was appointed manager of the team signing a two-year contract.[55]
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| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Score |
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| 1969–70 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 1st |  | Club Brugge | 2–0, 1–5 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Pepe Martinez: 151Isidro Sánchez: 142Ramón Montesinos: 142Ramón Marañón: 140
Mario Pini: 138Josep Palau: 115Joaquín Navarro: 103Lluís Múñoz: 100Antonio Vázquez: 92Alberto Arnal: 86Manuel Pallas: 85Ricard Pujol: 81Antonio Vázquez: 35Manuel Pallas: 27Josep Palau: 26Antonio Sangrador: 23Juan del Pino: 24José Luis Garzón Sr.: 21Josep Antoni Noya: 15Josep María Vall: 15Ramón Marañon: 15Juli Gonzalvo : 14Benjamín Telechea: 12Periko Alonso: 12
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Sabadell plays home games atEstadi de la Nova Creu Alta. Inaugurated on 20 August 1967 with a 1–0 win againstFC Barcelona, it has a capacity of 11,908 spectators.[57]
The club has multiple supporter groups. Most groups have activities related to the social life of the members. For example,THE WALKING ARLEKIN CLUB has walking excursions during the season, usually before matches.[58] There are also groups likeHonor 1903, La Força Arlequinada andSupporters Gol Nord, that focus more on the encouragement of the team, before, during and after the matches. Most of those groups usually concentrate in the northern stand at the Nova Creu Alta.[citation needed]
The club used to have a fan club calledHooligans Vallès. They used to be afar right-wing group which was established in 1993.[59] In 2011, the group was disbanded as an official supporter group. In 2016, an unofficialHebrew supporter group was created, under the nameCE Sabadell Hebreu - סבאדל בעברית. The group provides news about the club in its Facebook and Twitter pages, forIsraeli and otherHebrew-speaking fans.[citation needed]
The fans have good relations withBristol Rovers, which initially began due to several Rovers fans noticing that the local club had the same colours.[60] They also have a friendship withGerunda Sud ofGirona FC, and rivalries withDesperdicis ofUE Sant Andreu,Penya Sport ofPalamos CF andRudes Lleida ofLleida Esportiu.[61]
