How To Join Real Sociedad Fc Academy

We shall study “How To Join Real Sociedad Fc Academy”. Also, study the Real Sociedad Cantera (youth academy), Real Sociedad Fc, requirement to register for Real Sociedad Fc Academy, Real Socidad Stadium, etc.

Introduction To Real Sociedad Cantera

Real Sociedad, a Spanish professional football club’s youth academy is the Cantera(quarry). They nurture youngsters into outstanding players worthy of the top tiers.

The Juvenil A (Basque: Gazteak A) under-18/19 team represents the club in national competitions and is the final category within the youth structure. The club’s reserve teams are Real Sociedad C or Real Sociedad B. Yong shoots progress to these reserve teams after their graduation. Although, these teams are considered part of the cantera because it’s still a phase in development into the senior team.

Real Sociedad training complex is located in Zubieta, and this is where the Academy is based at. This name is often used to refer to the academy informally.

History and Mode of operation

The Cantera is prioritize in Real Sociedad and other top club’s in Spanish football. Young players are nurtured within the club or sold to other clubs to generate income. The club operated a Basque-only player recruitment policy until late 1980s when it was dropped to retain competitiveness.

Although, their home region of Gipuzkoa is still where their youth recruitment system is focused. The regional government assists them financially and they partner with smaller clubs in the area. All but one of the members of the Juvenil A team was recorded to be from Gipuzkoa in 2013.

Presently, Academy graduates make up most of the senior team players. In 2014, 15 of the squad members (as per analysis from the CIES Football Observatory). Real Sociedad was second-highest across Europe’s top five leagues with total of 16 ‘homegrown players’ (as per UEFA guidelines: three years of training between 15 and 21 years old) In 2016.

They were only behind neighbors Athletic Bilbao. In the 2016–17 La Liga where they finished 6th, it was observed further that these graduates were regular starters in the team and involved in 50% of the minutes.

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The club’s total 25 homegrown talents were fifth-highest across the continent, including  nine former trainees at other eligible clubs. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona who retained just  few of many high-level talents they developed, were the only Spanish teams topping Sociedad.

Many home-grown players were used to secure qualification for the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League. Also, since the club’s return in 2010, it’s good standing in La Liga was achieved using a majority of homegrown players, with the vast majority of those hailing from the local region (which has a population of just 715,000, a small catchment area for an elite football club, and with that potential pool of talent drained further by frequent swoops for the best youngsters by Athletic Bilbao). This showed the quality of coaching and experience the Academy possess.

Discovery Of Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann from France is a unique example. He was discovered by Real scouts during an event and enrolled in the system. He left the club for a transfer fee of €30 million in 2014.

The Zubieta Alevín teams is where all youngsters  around 10 years of age from the Gipuzkoa area are first enrolled. Then through Infantil, Cadete and Juvenil levels, they advance by an age group every season.  Real Sociedad C – a 2016 addition to the club structure- is where talents who are retained after their Juvenile A period (aged about 17) are enrolled.

Signings from local youth clubs are also made to expand the C team. Example is Antiguoko, a small San Sebastián team who regularly challenge the professional youth teams for the title in their División de Honor group. The best talents are promoted to the reserve team Sanse after spending two or more seasons at Real C. Eventually, when deemed fit they advance to the senior team.

The club’s  youth system also produced three other players in addition to Griezmann who were sold for huge transfer fees. In July 2013, Asier Illarramendi joined Real Madrid for €32.2 million, returning for about half the amount two years later. Iñigo Martínez signed for rivals Athletic Bilbao who paid his release clause fee €32 million in January 2018. Álvaro Odriozola also joined Real Madrid for €30 million plus €5 million of conditional add-ons in July of same year.

National Tournaments

The common annual competition of the Juvenil A team is the Group II of the División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol.  Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna are their biggest rivals in the league group. The Liga Nacional Juvenil de Fútbol is played by the under-17 team, Juvenil B or Easo (named after a nickname for San Sebastián which itself derives from the nearby Roman town of Oiasso).

The Copa de Campeones and the Copa del Rey Juvenil is also played by the squad. The final league group position is required to secure qualification for these competitions. The academy teams of Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Sevilla and Real Madrid are the opponents in these nationwide competitions.

International Leagues

Real Sociedad’s first team qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stages in the 2012-13 season. As a result, the Juvenil squad could compete in the UEFA Youth League of 2013-14. The team were eliminated by Schalke 04 in the knockout stage after finishing top of their group.

Meanwhile, due to the senior team’s failure to qualify, they have not been graced to compete again. However, winning the previous season’s Copa de Campeones is another route to the Youth League. But the Juvenile team have not been able to do this so far so far.

Real Sociedad B Or Sanse

Real Sociedad de Fútbol “B” (also known as Sanse) is a Spanish football team based in San Sebastián, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. It is the reserve team of Real Sociedad and plays in Segunda División and was founded in 1955. The Campo José Luis Orbegozo with 2,500 spectators of the Zubieta Facilities hosts their home matches.

Reserve teams in Spain play in similar football pyramid as their senior team rather than in a separate league like in nations such as England. However, reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their senior team. Promotion to La Liga, the division the senior team competes is unattainable by the squad. The Copa del Rey entry is also restricted from the reserve team.

Background

The Real Sociedad youth team were runners-up in the Copa del Rey Juvenil in 1952. As a result, the club’s executives introduced the concept of Real Sociedad de Fútbol Junior to bridge the gap between the talented teenagers and the senior team. The youth squad won the Copa Juvenil immediately, although the first match was delayed until 1955 due to economic issues.

A name change was required to differentiate them from the senior team after they secured promotion to the third tier. They were renamed  San Sebastián Club de Fútbol. In 1959–60, they reached the second division for the first time and finished fifth two year later achieving a best ever classification in the category. Unfortunately, Sanse were ineligible for promotion following the main squad’s relegation from La Liga.

 Sanse was promoted to the newly created Segunda División B in 1980 and stayed in that division for 17 consecutive seasons. They later switched between the third and fourth division. In 1991 and 2006, they reached the promotion playoffs of the third teir but failed. The team was renamed Real Sociedad de Fútbol B after a rule change in 1992. Liga de Fútbol Profesional’s rules prohibit B clubs from having different names from their parent club.

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Real Madrid Castilla and Sevilla Atlético were exceptions. In 2007, the team celebrated it’s 50-year anniversary, by this time it has utilized  over 486 players. Consecutively, the 1980-81 and 1981-82 Spanish Championship was won with majority of the squad representing the senior team.

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Most Sanse players were to be promoted from a new Real Sociedad C (previously known as Berio) after a change in the club structure in 2016. They would compete in Tercera División with under-20 graduates of the club’s youth system. The Real Sociedad C team must play at least one division below Real Sociedad B.

The team finished third in Group 2 in the 2017-18 campaign.   Sanse won their group after beating Algeciras in the promotion play-off finals in 2020-21. Therefore, securing promotion to the second division 59 years since their last appearance. However, after only a season in second tier, Sanse was relegated back to the third tier on 22 May 2022.

About The Real Sociedad C

Real Sociedad de Fútbol “C” is a Spanish football team based in San Sebastián, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. They compete in Segunda División RFEF – Group 2 and  is the second reserve team of Real Sociedad.

Background

In 1998 it was founded under the name Club Deportivo Berio Futbol Taldea. The team was integrated fully into Real Sociedad’s structure becoming its second reserve squad in 2016. Berio operated as a farm team for Real Sociedad in the previous two seasons after gaining promotion to the Tercera División. However, they still wore their traditional green strip and competed at their own stadium. They wore Real Sociedad custom blue-and-white and played at Zubieta from then.

The Real C squad consists generally of graduates from the club’s youth system aged between 17 and 20. Successful players progress to Real Sociedad B (Sanse) after one or two seasons. Sanse must play at least a division below Real senior team and Real C must play at least one division below Sanse.

The team finished second in their Tercera group to move to the Segunda División RFEF in 2021. They were the first Basque  group to do so. However, they would remain in the fourth level, though now with a regional rather than a local profile. This was part of a nationwide restructuring. Real B-team secured promotion to the second tier in the same season.

Joining Real Sociedad Football Academy

Everyone is allowed an equal opportunity at the club. Joining any Football Academy in Europe requires the same process listed. Football Academy Scholarships in Europe can also help acquire most of the requirements.

Real Sociedad Junior Camp is open for talents as young as 8. To check the different programs available, visit the Academy website.

The Necessary Details To Be Part Of Real Sociedad Football Academy

Real Sociedad Academy Scouts and Open Football trials are ways players are accepted into the club. Although, other applicants especially International students can also apply through the club’s website or special drafting.

  • Provide good details of your self, previous clubs [if any], and contact.
  • Parent’s approval especially for those below 18 years.
  • Endeavor to submit a video of your self, this method applies mainly to international applicants.

Visit the official Academy website realsociedad.com/en/academy/realsociedad-academy/ to commence registration and also find out more.

The Training Ground Of Real Sociedad

The Zubieta Facilities (Basque: Zubietako Kirol-instalakuntzak, Spanish: Instalaciones de Zubieta), is the training ground of the Primera Division club Real Sociedad. It is located in Zubieta, an enclave of San Sebastian (adjacent to the San Sebastián Hippodrome). Also, it was originally inaugurated in 1981 but was opened in its modernised form in 2004. It was designed by architect Izaskun Larzábal and occupies an area of 70,000 m².

Facilities

  • Campo José Luis Orbegozo  is the main stadium of the Zubieta Facilities and has a capacity of 2,500 seats. It is home to Real Sociedad B.
  • 2 grass pitches used by the club’s youth teams.
  • 2 artificial pitches.
  • 2 mini grass pitches.
  • Service centre with gymnasium.

Overview Of The Anoeta Stadium

Anoeta Stadium (Spanish: Estadio de Anoeta), currently known as the Reale Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain. It was inaugurated in 1993.

It hosts La Liga side, Real Sociedad home matches and it lies at the Anoeta Sports Complex. The total seating capacity of the stadium was reduced to 26,800 after renovations. It was originally 32,000. It became the 11th-largest stadium in Spain and the 2nd-largest in the Basque Country after it’s completion to 39,313 seats in September 2019 (with the possibility of expanding to 42,300 if it were necessary).

Background and Use

Behind Ondarreta (1909–1913), and Atocha (1913–1993), it is Real Sociedad third home stadium. A bust of the late Alberto Ormaetxea, the club’s manager during their successful early 1980s era is featured in its external concourse area.

In 2013–14 La Liga season, Athletic Bilbao were also permitted to use Anoeta for their first home game. Because their own new ground (San Mamés) was still under construction. The stadium hosted the 1993, 1998, 2004 &  2013 unofficial Basque Country team’s friendly matches.have been held at the stadium.

Occasionally, it has been used for  Heineken Cup rugby union fixtures by nearby Top 14 club Biarritz Olympique (based in France but very near to San Sebastian). It has also been used for concerts in recent years. Biarritz and fellow Pays Basque club Aviron Bayonnais took home matches to the Anoeta, since the 2009–10 Top 14 season. This is because it’s the closest large stadium to their towns.

Anoeta hosted the 2019–20 UEFA Women’s Champions League final which took place n the Basque Country.

The Commissioning Of The Stadium

The stadium’s construction cost was revealed to be 3 billion pesetas (equivalent to around €21 million at the time). A friendly between Real Sociedad and Real Madrid was used to officially open the stadium on 13 August 1993.  Txuriurdin forward Loren, scored the first goal and the match finished in a  2–2 draw.

Expansion in the 21st century

Proposals

José Luis Astiazarán, then the president of Real Sociedad, launched a project called Gipuzkoarena in 2004. The project was intended to increase the stadium’s capacity to 42,000 and it’s completion was targeted to be in 2007. Over the course of the expansion, the athletics track was removed. The track created a gap between the field and stands so fans were delighted on removal of the track. A hotel and shops were also intended to be built. Unfortunately, this proposal was dropped when the city council rejected it.

 Iñaki Badiola, candidate for the presidency of Real Sociedad, proposed that the club buy the stadium towards 2007 ending. The city council also rejected this proposal. Badiola, now the president, made another two proposals for the stadium in 2008, of which one was similar to Gipuzkoarena. The city council were to analyze the proposal but Badiola was no longer president after 20 December. A fresh attempt to redevelop the stadium was launched by his successor, Jokin Aperribay.

The 2015 Plan

In 2015, plans to renovate the stadium was announced and it was set to begin the next year. The track was to be removed and the stadium was to be enlarged. In May 2017, construction eventually began and was completed in October 2019. The arena was remodeled to a capacity of around 42,300.

Real Sociedad (€33m), the Basque Government (€10m) and the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council (€4m) handled the €47 million cost of the project. Izaskun Larzabal, who designed many of the facilities at the club’s Zubieta training complex was the architect. €78,6 million was the total cost announced after it’s completion including some new improvements that would go on till 2020.It was reported that Real Sociedad could play  some matches in Bilbao or elsewhere at some point during the construction period.

Just after the start of the 2018-19 La Liga season, they concluded the first phase of reconstruction (involving the removal of the track and insertion of lower rows of seats on the side stands, and a completely new south end stand). As a result, they played their first three fixtures away, until 15 September 2013.  Meanwhile, because of the capacity Of the remodeled stadium, they admitted over 3,000 additional staffs to the club. Over the course of the season, the club expected the completion of the second phase of work on the new north end stand.

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To aid the completion of the renovation work, they played each of the first three rounds of the 2019–20 La Liga season away. They announced that the first match at Anoeta – or the Reale Arena to use its new sponsored title – with all seats in place, a capacity quoted as 39,500 (though with work still ongoing in other areas of the construction) would be between the home side and Atlético Madrid on Saturday 14 September 2019.

This was almost exactly a year after they opened the first new stand. The official attendance was 33,374, greater than the old maximum for Anoeta (and that of Atoxta), therefore a club record. Real won the match 2-0. Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao, set a new record of 36,730. This came five months later. The home side won 2–1.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was transformed by the remodel with the main focus being the  Aitor Zabaleta singing section.

They awarded the stadium with the 2020 World Prix Versailles award in the Sports category following the reconstruction.

The Aspect Of Transportation

Train: Anoeta station, line E2, Euskotren Trena (San Sebastián Metro).

Bus: Line 17, Line 24 Line 28, Line 26, Line 37, and night line B4.

The Atotxa Football Ground

Atotxa (Spanish: Atocha) was a football stadium in San Sebastián, Spain. It remained the home ground of Real Sociedad until 1993. Anoeta Stadium replaced it. 80 years ago, it had superseded Ondarreta Stadium. The arena could contain about 17,000 spectators.

Background

Preceded by Ondarreta, the Municipal Stadium of Atocha was the second stadium that Real Sociedad had in their history. The neighborhood of the old town of San Sebastián is where it is located. Later the team moved to the Eguia neighborhood. They constructed the Atocha stadium in an old velodrome. On 5 October 1913, they inaugurated it with a match between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club Bilbao. The match ended in a 3-3 tie.

Coincidentally, the scorer of the first goal in Atocha was the same as that of the first match in San Mamés. He is the mythical player of Athletic Bilbao. The nicknamed Rafael Moreno Aranzadi as “Pichichi”. Also, they awarded him the top scorer award for the Spanish Primera División. The stadium reached an approximate capacity of 27,000 spectators. In 1923, It hosted one Spain National team match.

On 13 June 1993, Real Sociedad striker Oceano da Cruz netted the last goal in an official match at the stadium. The match was a League game against Tenerife which ended in a 3–1 for the locals. They held a game between Real Sociedad and the Basque Country as part of a farewell on 22 June.

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On that date, they scored the final goal on the stadium: with the crowd still in place, they turned off the floodlights. Also, the young son of former Real defender Javier Sagarzazu, who had died suddenly aged 28 six years earlier, ran towards the goal under a spotlight and scored into the empty net.

Real Sociedad played in the new stadium, Anoeta from the 1993–94 season. The old Atotxa stadium served as a training ground for a rugby team. They also preserved it for a few years. However, they later demolished it to build public housing.

An ex-player of Real Sociedad, Amadeo Labarta of Pasaia was the caretaker for 40 years. He even had his home inside the stadium.

People know Real Sociedad for setting off a firework after an opponent scored a goal, and two fireworks after a home goal at Atotxa. This tradition started so that seamen in the Bay of Biscay could know the results of the match without being at the ground. They revived the tradition against Vasconia following the move to Anoeta after a brief absence.

About The Real Sociedad Football Club

Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (pronounced [reˈal soθjeˈðað]; Royal Society) or La Real, is a Spanish professional sports club. Its discovery year is 7 September 1909. The Anoeta Stadium hosts it’s home games.

The club won the Liga title in 1980–81 and 1981–82, and finished runner-up in 1979–80,

1987–88, and 2002–03. In 1909, 1987 and 2020, they won the Copa del Rey. It contests rivals Athletic Bilbao for the Basque derby . Real Sociedad was a founding member of La Liga in 1929. From 1967 to 2007, the club spent it’s  longest spell in the top flight with 40 seasons.

Before signing Republic of Ireland forward John Aldridge in 1989, the club followed a policy (similar to that of its rival Athletic) of signing only Basque players. Nowadays, the club represents both non-Basque Spaniards and foreign players. Although, they retained a strong Basque contingent among its players. The youth system after the all-Basque era, developed World Cup winners Xabi Alonso and Antoine Griezmann .

The club has competed in the UEFA Champions League twice. Also, the club progressed to the round of 16 before losing to Lyon in the 2003-04 season.

Real Sociedad also has several sections in athletics, including track and field, field hockey and basque pelota. They also have a women’s team in football.

Background Of Real Sociedad Fc

Initial Historic Events

In the early 1900s, students and workers returning from Britain introduced football to San Sebastián. They formed the San Sebastian Recreation Club in 1904 and the club competed in the Copa del Rey the next year. Also, they formed the San Sebastian Football Club as a separate branch of the club in May 1905.

It applied to enter the Copa del Rey in 1909. But complications over registration permits saw them compete as Club Ciclista de San Sebastián. This team defeated Club Español de Madrid 3–1 in the final.

On 7 September 1909, they formed Sociedad de Futbol out of confusion. Spanish clubs played in two rival cup competitions in 1910. As Vasconia de San Sebastián, Sociedad de Futbol entered the Copa UECF. King Alfonso XIII – who used San Sebastián as his summer capital – gave the club his patronage, where it subsequently became known as Real Sociedad de Fútbol in the same year.

Changing the team’s name to ‘Donostia Club de Futbol’

In 1929, Real Sociedad was a founder member of La Liga. The team came fourth with Francisco “Paco” Bienzobas finishing as top scorer as the team finished fourth. In 1931,  the team’s name was changed to Donostia Club de Futbol  with the advent of the Second Spanish Republic. However after the Spanish Civil War in 1939, they changed back to Real Sociedad after the Spanish Civil War.

The team has generally fluctuated between the Primera and Segunda divisions. During the 1940s they managed to face relegation and promotion seven times. The sculptor Eduardo Chillida was the team’s goalkeeper around that time. Unfortunately, injury ended his career.

The Achievements Of The 1980s

In the 1979-80 season, the team finished as runners-up in La Liga for the first time. They finished 13 points clear of third-placed Sporting de Gijón with 52 points, just a point below Real Madrid. At the end of the 1980–81 season, Real Sociedad won its first ever Primera División. Although, they finished 45 points with Real Madrid, they denied them a fourth-consecutive title by head-to-heads wins.

As a result, they secured a spot at the 1981–82 European Cup. However, they eliminated them in the first round by CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria.

Managed by Alberto Ormaetxea, the club beat Barcelona by 47 points to 45 to retain the La Liga title.  Forward Jesús María Satrústegui netted 16 goals to become  the club’s top scorer for 1980–81.  Although Pedro Uralde was the top scorer the following season with 14, he scored 13. 

The club defeated Víkingur of Iceland, Celtic and Sporting Clube de Portugal to reach the  semi-finals of the 1982–83 European Cup. They later lost 3–2 on aggregate to eventual champions Hamburger SV. At the starting of the 1982-83 season, Real Sociedad won the Supercopa de España . They defeated Real Madrid 4-1 on aggregate after overturning a 1–0 defeat in the first leg.

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Real Sociedad set a record for most goals in a quarter-final of the Copa del Rey on 11 March 1987. They crushed Mallorca 10–1. It beat its Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao 1–0 over two legs in the semi-finals of the same tournament. Real Sociedad defeated Atlético Madrid 4–2 on penalties to win its only Copa del Rey title on 27 June 1987. The match held at La Romareda in Zaragoza, Aragon.

Real Sociedad defeated Atlético Madrid again after defeating them in the quarter-finals in the following season’s Cop del Rey.  

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They beat Real Madrid 5–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals. On 30 March 1988, they lost 1–0 in the final to Barcelona at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium .  In the 1987–88 La Liga, Real Sociedad were runners-up for the first time since its lost its title. With 51 points to Real Madrid’s 62 – and three points clear of third-placed Atlético Madrid.

Real Sociedad followed the practice of its Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao of signing only Basque players for many years. In 1989, it  abandoned the policy and  signed Irish international John Aldridge from Liverpool. Aldridge became the club’s top scorer, and fourth-highest scorer of the league after netting 16 in his first season. La Real finished fifth that season.  

La Real signed an English striker, Dalian Atkinson of Sheffield Wednesday in 1990.  He became the club’s first black player. He scored 12 goals in his first season, second at the club only to Aldridge’s 17. That was Aldridge’s final season at La Real, and he left to play in the lower English leagues at Tranmere Rovers. Atkinson left to join top-flight Aston Villa.

Real Sociedad finished third, its best finish since being runners-up for the first time since 1988 In 1997-98. Its total of 63 points was 11 less than champions Barcelona but just two less than runners-up Athletic Bilbao. Due to a higher goal difference, they finished higher in the table than Real Madrid.

Foot Note :

Yugoslav striker Darko Kovačević became the fourth-highest scorer in the league having scored 17 times that season. They secured qualification for the 1998-99 UEFA Cup with the third-place finish. They defeated Sparta Prague and Dynamo Moscow before Atlético Madrid knocked them out in the third round by.

The Events Of The 21st century

Real Sociedad were runners-up in the 2002–03 La Liga after finishing 13th in three consecutive seasons. its best finish since 1988. Only Real Madrid’s  tally of 78 beat theirs of 76 points. They had four more points than third-placed Deportivo de La Coruña. Frenchman Raynald Denoueix was manager. The Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci and Yugoslav international Darko Kovačević were the club’s attacking duo.

Also, the two netted 23 and 20 goals and  were third and fourth top scorer in the league respectively. The club included the Dutch International goalkeeper Sander Westerveld and Xabi Alonso n the team. Alonso, won he 2003 Don Balón award for the best Spanish player in the league. They voted Kahveci as the best foreign player and Denoueix the best manager.

Real Sociedad defeating Real Madrid in April 4–2 at the Anoeta Stadium was an important moment that season. Until the penultimate game of 38, when it lost 3–2 away to Celta de Vigo, it retained first position. While Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid 4–0 securing first place two points clear of Real Sociedad.

In the last game, La Real defeated Atlético Madrid 3–0 and Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao to win the La Liga.  As a result of finishing second, the team qualified directly for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. They scored a total of 71 goals and lost just sic times. They were undefeated at home.

Trailing Through The Champions League

They placed the club along with Juventus, Galatasaray and Olympiacos, in Group D of the 2003–04 Champions League. The team finished second and advanced after winning two matches, drawing three and losing away to Juventus. The lost home and away games 1-0 to Lyon. This caused their disqualification. The club dropped to 15th out of 20 and declined drastically in the 2003–04 La Liga. Their tally of 46 points was only five more than relegated Real Valladolid.

Real Sociedad played its 2,000th La Liga match on 9 September 2006. They relegated them from La Liga for finishing 19th. Also, they ended a 40-year streak there that same season. The club appointed former Welsh international and Fulham manager Chris Coleman as the new club coach on 9 July 2007. This was under recommendation of an important executive and former Real Sociedad manager John Toshack.  On 16 January 2008, Coleman resigned.

Real Sociedad finished in fourth place and qualified for the 2013–14 Champions League  in the 2012-13 season. It was  the first time since the 2003–04 season. But in the play-offs, this time. The club defeated Lyon 2–0 in both legs to qualify for the group stage In the play-offs. However, they only gained a point in the group stage. This caused their elimination.

Era Of David Moyes

On 10 November 2014, Real Sociedad announced David Moyes as the chosen manager to replace Jagoba Arrasate on 10 November 2014. They sacked the latter following a series of poor results.  Moyes became the sixth British manager in the club’s history. However, on 9 November 2015, the club sacked him, after falling to 16th La Liga. They replaced him with Eusebio Sacristán later that same day.

Sacristán signed an initial contract until 30 June 2017 which he renewed. The club dismissed him due to poor performance. Aiser Garitano  arrived from Leganés to became the next head coach. The club dismissed him with only five wins in seventeen league games and on 15th in the table.

On 26 December 2018, reserve team manager and local boy Imanol Alguacil reached him. He oversaw an attacking style of play combining pace, precision, power, and exuberance during his reign.

The Accusation Of the Presidency

 Iñaki Badiola, at the time the club’s president, accused the preceding club management of buying doping substances at the clubs annual meeting in 2008. In 2013, Badiola gave an extended interview. He accused José Luis Astiazarán’s presidency of paying up to €300,000 to Eufemiano Fuentes to dope players on the team between 2001 and 2007. The claims were denied by José Luis Astiazarán, who was Real Sociedad’s president between 2001 and 2005.

On 3 April 2021, Real Sociedad won its third Copa del Rey. They defeated rivals Athletic Bilbao in the nearly year-long delayed 2020 Copa del Rey Final due to COVID-19.

The Club’s Nickname And Kit Colors

The club’s name means “Royal Society of Football” in Spanish. The club’s nicknames are Erreala or the txuri-urdin (“white-blue” due to the colours of their kit). The colors evolved from the flag of San Sebastián: a blue canton on a white field.

About The Supporters

The Spanish Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Centre of Sociological Investigations) carried out some investigations in 2007. They discovered that of 2,473 adults interviewed in 49 provinces, 1.3% of the Spanish population have more feelings for Real Sociedad than any other club. Also, apart from their favorite club’s, 1.5% have more feelings for La Real than any other club.

The club president Jokin Aperribay appreciated fans of the club stating “The fans are the soul, the nourishment and the reason for Real Sociedad” – the players each wore the name of a randomly selected club member on their shirt for the match against Sevilla in December 2012.  

Apply here; https://www.realsociedad.eus/en

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