Mons Calpe S.C. is a professional football and sporting club inGibraltar. Founded in 2013, the club's first team competes in theGibraltar Football League.[1] Mons Calpe also has a U-23 squad, futsal teams and darts.
Mons Calpe S.C. was formed by Kieran Alman, James Read, Phillip Debono, Richard Lavagna and Adrian Ballestero in 2013 after Gibraltar's admittance intoUEFA sparked a boom in interest in football on the Rock. After an impressive maiden season in the 2013–14Gibraltar Second Division, the club finished second in the league. However, the club succumbed to a 2–0 defeat toSt Joseph's in the promotion/relegation playoff that year. The following season saw the club struggle to emulate the same form, against much stronger promotion contenders, which saw the club lingering in mid-table for much of the season and eventually finishing 8th.
After a significant rebuild over the summer of 2015, Mons Calpe had a second chance at promotion through the end-of-season playoff against Premier Division sideFC Britannia. A victory in that game saw the young club seal their first-ever season in the top-flight of Gibraltarian football.
The summer after gaining promotion, Mons Calpe's football structure went through a total reconstruction to further professionalise the club, highlighted by a majority-share investment by a US-based group led by Jose Alfredo Reygadas. The Calpeans then appointed Brazilian/Portuguese coachWilliam Amaral de Andrade as first team head coach and former Gibraltar U19 Manager Terrence Jolley as his assistant manager for the 2016–17 season. After a bad run of form in winter saw them slip from 3rd to 5th, William was sacked on 16 January and replaced by Jolley on an interim basis. On 17 March, Italian manager Mauro Ardizzone was appointed head coach, with Jolley returning to his role as assistant. Ardizzone eventually saw the Calpeans to a 5th-place finish in their maiden Premier Division season, including a notable 2–2 draw withLincoln Red Imps in the penultimate round.
At the start of the 2017–18 season, the Calpeans named Albert Ferri as their new manager. However, poor results led to his dismissal in December 2017, and renowned Argentinean managerLuis Manuel Blanco replaced him as first team head coach. After Blanco's arrival, the club won 14 of their next 22 matches in all competitions, finishing with a club-high 44 points in the top-flight and reaching the Rock Cup final, losing 2–1 toEuropa.
The 2018–19 season started slowly, but Mons Calpe put together a serious challenge for a European spot, putting together the best season in its short history in the Premier Division. The club ended with its highest point total (49) and best position in the league table (4th), only 6 points behind St. Joe's for the lastUEFA Europa League berth, despite beating the Saints twice and drawing once in their 3 regular season match-ups. The Calpeans also made a deep run in the Rock Cup, beating St. Joseph's again 4–1 in the quarterfinal, but falling short of a second consecutive Cup final after losing 1–0 toGibraltar United in the semifinal. Manager Blanco left his role at the club on 28 May 2019.[2]
In the2020–21 season, Mons Calpe qualified for European competition for the first time. In 2022, the club also established a farm team in the fourth tierLiga TDP inMexico, withMons Calpe S.C. Yucatán entering the league.
In 2023, Mons Calpe entered into an agreement withGibraltar Wave which would make Gibraltar Wave the affiliate women's team of the Calpeans.
^abThe 2019–20 Gibraltar National League season, and the 2020 Rock Cup, were abandoned with results declared null and void and results expunged due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
FC Santa Coloma
Juan Mari Sánchez
Christian Fraiz
José Reygadas
