Ferro Carril Oeste facts for kids
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| Full name | Club Ferro Carril Oeste | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Ferro Verdolaga Oeste |
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| Founded | 28 July 1904 | ||
| Ground | Ricardo Etcheverry, Caballito, Buenos Aires |
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| Capacity | 24,442 | ||
| Chairman | Daniel Pandolfi | ||
| Manager | Juan Sara | ||
| League | Primera Nacional | ||
| 2023 | Primera Nacional Zone B, 8th | ||
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Club Ferro Carril Oeste, often called Ferro, is a famous sports club from Caballito, Buenos Aires, Argentina. While it offers many activities, Ferro is best known for its football (soccer) team. This team plays in the Primera Nacional, which is the second-highest football league in Argentina.
Ferro Carril Oeste is home to a wide range of sports. You can practice athletics, basketball, baseball, futsal, handball, field hockey, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, and volleyball here. Since 2001, the club has also hosted professional boxing events, including world championship fights.
The club's name, "Ferro Carril Oeste," means "Western Railway." This is because it was started in 1904 by employees of the Buenos Aires Western Railway. The 1980s were a "golden age" for Ferro. During this time, the club won many titles in different sports. Unesco even recognized Ferro as a great example of a sports institution. Back then, Ferro Carril Oeste had an amazing 50,000 members!
Contents
History of Ferro Carril Oeste
How it All Began
The club has always been located in the Caballito neighborhood. It was founded on July 28, 1904, by about one hundred employees of the Buenos Aires Western Railway. The railway managers supported the club. This helped Ferro get land quickly to build its headquarters and sports fields.
In 1905, the club built its own stadium, Estadio Arquitecto Ricardo Etcheverry. David Simpson, a main founder, helped pay for it. Ferro then joined the Argentine Football Association. They registered a team to play in the third division.
Ferro's first official football match was on April 21, 1907, against River Plate. In 1912, Ferro won the División Intermedia title. This was the second division at the time. This win meant they moved up to the Primera División, the top league. That same year, the club also won the Copa Bullrich title. Ferro won another Copa Bullrich the next year, but with their reserve team.
Ferro played its first game in the top division in 1913. They tied 1–1 against Riachuelo. Around this time, the club also opened running tracks, bocce courts, tennis courts, and basque pelota courts. However, they closed their cricket section in 1914.
The Five Musketeers
In the late 1930s, the club became independent from the railway company. They changed their name to "Club Ferro Carril Oeste." In 1937, five very talented players came from the youth teams. They formed an attacking line that people called The Five Musketeers. These players were Bernardo Gandulla, Juan José Maril, Luis Borgnia, Jaime Sarlanga, and Raúl Emeal.
These skilled players only played together for a short time, between 1937 and 1938. Other clubs bought them, like Sarlanga, who became famous with Boca Juniors. Gandulla and Sarlanga together scored more than half of Ferro's goals in the 1937 season.
Another important player for the club was Delfín Benítez Cáceres. He played from 1941 until he retired in 1944, scoring 20 goals. Gandulla and Emeal returned to Ferro in 1944 after playing for Boca Juniors. Even with these great players, Ferro finished last in 1946. This meant they were moved down to Primera B for the first time.
Besides football, the club added many other sports. These included swimming, water polo, and chess. In 1933, Ferro C.O. created its first basketball team. In the 1940s, Ferro also added fencing and roller skating. Because of all these new sports, the number of club members grew. By 1941, there were more than 6,000 members.
The Mid-Century Years: 1950s–1970s
Ferro quickly returned to the first division in 1949. They won the Primera B title that year. During this time, the club added volleyball to its list of sports. The football team stayed in Primera until 1957. Their poor performance that year caused Ferro C.O. to be moved down for the second time.
Ferro only stayed in Primera B for one year. They returned to the top league in 1958 after winning the championship. Ferro earned 50 points in 34 matches. In the 1959 Primera División, Ferro finished 4th. This was their best finish in the top division up to that point.
After being moved down again, Ferro won the Primera B championship in 1963. They returned to Primera División. In the top league, Ferro reached another 4th place in the 1965 tournament. Ferro was moved down again in 1968.
Following their good performance in 1969, Ferro C.O. won its second Primera B title in a row in 1970. This meant they directly moved up to Primera División for the 1971 season. By 1972, the club had 17,299 members. They also opened the Gimnasio Héctor Etchart, which is the home for the basketball team.
In 1974, Ferro wore an orange jersey. This was a tribute to the World Cup runner-up Netherlands national football team, known as The Clockwork Orange. Ferro finished 6th in the Torneo Nacional that year. Gerónimo Saccardi was one of the most important players for the club during these years. After some up-and-down seasons, Ferro finished last in 1977. They were moved down along with Lanús and Temperley.
Ferro C. Oeste quickly returned to Primera. The team won the Primera B championship in 1978.
The Golden Age: The 1980s
The 1980s were a very important time for Ferro in Argentine sports. This was especially true in football and basketball. The football team won two titles in the Argentine Primera División. They also played in the Copa Libertadores, a major international tournament. The basketball team won the Liga Nacional de Básquet (Argentina's top basketball league) three times.
In 1979, Carlos Griguol became the club's manager. He became the most successful coach in Ferro's history. He won two Primera División titles, the only ones the club has won at the top level. He also helped develop great players like Alberto Márcico, Héctor Cúper, and Oscar Garré.
In the 1981 Metropolitano championship, Ferro finished 2nd. They had 49 points, just one less than champion Boca Juniors. In that season, goalkeeper Carlos Barisio set a national record. He kept his goal safe for 1,075 minutes without letting in a goal. This included 10 full games without giving up any goals. That same year, Ferro reached the Torneo Nacional final. However, they lost to River Plate in both matches (1–0 each).
Ferro finally won its first top-division title in 1982. They won the Nacional tournament by beating defending champions Quilmes in the finals (0–0, 2–0). The team played 22 matches in total. They won 16 and had 6 draws, meaning they won the championship without losing a single game! Ferro scored 50 goals and only let in 13. Left winger Miguel Angel Juárez was the top scorer with 22 goals. Other important players for the champion team were Adolfino Cañete, Alberto Márcico, Juan Domingo Rocchia, and Héctor Cúper.
Even though some key players from the 1982 tournament had left, Ferro won another Torneo Nacional in 1984. They defeated River Plate, which had famous players like Norberto Alonso and Enzo Francescoli. Ferro won both final matches (3–0 and 1–0). The team played 14 matches, winning 8, losing only 1, and drawing 5. Ferro scored 32 goals and only let in 9. Márcico was the top scorer with 5 goals. As one of Argentina's champions, Ferro played in the 1983 Copa Libertadores. They were eliminated after finishing last in their group.
Ferro's good performance in local football continued in the 1984 Metropolitano. Ferro C.O. finished 2nd with 50 points, just one point behind Argentinos Juniors. Ferro returned to international competitions in the 1985 Copa Libertadores. They were eliminated in the first stage.
During the 1980s, Ferro became famous not just for football, but also for basketball. They were the first winners of the new Liga Nacional in 1985. They beat Atenas 2–1 in the finals. Santiago Leyden was the club president from 1964 to 1993. He is seen as the person who led the club to a decade of greatness. During his time, the club won over 100 titles in many different sports. Leyden was also vice president of CONMEBOL from 1976 to 1980. In the 1980s, Ferro Carril Oeste reached its peak as a sports and social club. It had over 50,000 members and was called a "model institution" by Unesco.
In 1987, Carlos Griguol left the club to coach River Plate. He had won two top-division titles for Ferro. These are still the only two championships Ferro has won at the highest level of Argentine football. He also led them to two second-place finishes. Griguol returned in 1988 and coached Ferro until 1993.
Decline and Comeback
In the 1990s, Ferro's performance slowly got worse. The team went 875 minutes without scoring a goal between 1998 and 1999. In 2001, Ferro was moved down to the third division after two straight relegations. However, Ferro finally returned to the second division in 2003.
Ferro has a strong rivalry with Vélez Sársfield. Their matches are known as the Clásico del Oeste (Western Derby).
Kit Uniform Evolution
Main Uniform
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Special Editions
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Players
Current Squad
Here are the players currently on Ferro Carril Oeste's football team:
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Players on Loan
These players are currently playing for other teams on a temporary basis:
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Notable Former Players
Many talented players have played for Ferro Carril Oeste over the years. Here are some of the most famous ones:
Bernardo Gandulla (1934–39)- Jaime Sarlanga (1937–39)
Delfín Benítez Cáceres (1941–44)- Vicente Gambardella (1960)
- Gerónimo Saccardi (1969–75, 1979–83)
- Juan Domingo Rocchia (1973–83)
- Oscar Garré (1974–88)
- Héctor Cúper (1976–77, 1978–88)
- Carlos Barisio (1978–83)
- Alberto Márcico (1980–85)
- Adolfino Cañete (1980–84)
- Carlos Moya
Managers
These are some of the coaches who have led Ferro Carril Oeste's football team:
- Mario Fortunato (1937), (1953)
- Pedro Dellacha (1965)
- Victorio Spinetto (1973–76)
- Carlos Griguol (1979–87), (1988–93)
- Gerónimo Saccardi (1997–99)
- Rubén Darío Insúa (1999)
- Héctor Rivoira (2004–05)
- José Luis Brown (2007–08)
- Carlos Trullet (2008–09)
- Jorge Luis Ghiso (2009)
- Dalcio Giovagnoli (2010)
- Mario Gómez (2011–12)
- José Luis Brown (2013)
- José Romero (2014)
- Marcelo Broggi (2015)
- Walter Perazzo (2016)
- Marcelo Broggi (2017–18)
Alejandro Orfila (2018)- Jorge Cordon (2018–20)
- Diego Osella (2020-)
Honours
Ferro Carril Oeste has won many championships and cups throughout its history:
League Titles
- Primera División (2): 1982 Nacional, 1984 Nacional
- Primera División B (5): 1958, 1963, 1969, 1970, 1978
- División Intermedia (1): 1912
- Primera B Metropolitana (1): 2002–03
Cup Wins
- Copa Bullrich (2): 1912, 1913
Friendly Cup
- Copa El Diario (1): 1908
Other Sports
Basketball
Ferro Carril Oeste was one of Argentina's most successful basketball clubs in the 1980s. They were the very first champions of the Liga Nacional de Básquet in 1985. The club has won a total of three LNB titles and one Campeonato Argentino title.
On the international stage, Ferro won three South American Championship titles. They were also the first Argentine team to win this competition. Ferro remains one of the most winning Argentine basketball teams, along with Boca Juniors.
2019–20 Ferro Carril Oeste season
Volleyball
Ferro Carril Oeste also has a very successful volleyball program.
Volleyball Honours
- Men's Team
- Primera División (6): 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985
- Copa Morgan (7): 1966, 1977, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
- Campeonato Sudamericano (2): 1987, 1998
- Women's Team
- Primera División (8): 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990
- Copa Morgan (11): 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1998, 2004
Images for kids
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Ferro Carril Oeste in 1907, wearing the maroon and light blue jersey based on English club Aston Villa.
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The 1958 team that won the Primera B championship.
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The Ferro C. Oeste squad in 1978 that won the Primera B title.
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Carlos Griguol (here in 1978) lead Ferro C.O. to win their first titles in Primera División during his two tenures on the club.
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In 1982, Ferro C. Oeste won its first title in Primera División.
See also
In Spanish: Club Ferro Carril Oeste para niños
