Hércules CF facts for kids
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| Full name | Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Los Herculanos / Els Herculans (The Herculeans) Los Griegos / Els Grecs (The Greeks) Los Blanquiazules / Els Blanc-i-blaus (The White and Blues) |
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| Founded | 25 October 1922 as Hércules Foot-ball Club |
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| Ground | José Rico Pérez, Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain |
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| Capacity | 29,500 | |||
| Owner | Enrique Ortiz | |||
| President | Carlos Parodi García-Pertusa | |||
| Head coach | Rubén Torrecilla | |||
| League | Segunda Federación – Group 3 | |||
| 2022–23 | Segunda Federación – Group 5, 7th of 18 | |||
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Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team. It is based in the city of Alicante, in the Valencian Community of Spain. The club was started on October 25, 1922. Today, Hércules plays its home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez. This stadium can hold 29,500 fans. The team is currently part of the Segunda Federación – Group 3 league.
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History of Hércules Football Club
Hércules CF has a long history. Records show the club existed as early as 1914. However, it was officially registered on September 26, 1922. The club's founder was Vicente Pastor Alfosea, also known as "El Chepa." In its early days, the team played in different places around Alicante.
Hércules joined a youth league and won the championship in 1918. Their first official match was in 1919 against Athletic Club Benaluense. Hércules won that game 2–1. At first, the team wore white and red striped shirts with black shorts.
Hércules first played in La Liga, Spain's top football league, in the 1935–36 season. For the next 40 years, the club moved between La Liga and the second division. Sometimes, they even played in the third division. From 1961 to 1969, a nearby club, Alicante CF, helped train players for Hércules.
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Hércules spent ten years in the top league during the 1970s and 1980s. They returned to La Liga in the 1996–97 season. Even though they were later moved down to a lower league, they had two amazing comeback wins against Barcelona. These wins actually helped Real Madrid win the Liga title that year.
In the 2004–05 season, after five years in the third level, Hércules finished second. This earned them a promotion back to the second division. After playing well for three seasons, they almost returned to the top division in 2009. They finished fourth, just missing out on promotion.
The 2009–10 season was very exciting. Hércules earned promotion back to La Liga after 14 years. In a key match against Rayo Vallecano, they were losing 0–1 at half-time. But they fought back to win 2–1. This win moved them into third place. In the final game, a 2–0 away win against Real Unión secured their promotion.
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Hércules made headlines. They had a surprising 2–0 win at Camp Nou, Barcelona's home stadium. Nelson Valdez scored both goals. This was a big shock because Barcelona had won many home games in a row. It was Hércules' third straight win against Barcelona over the years.
In the 2013–14 season, Hércules was moved down to the Segunda División B after finishing last in the Segunda División. In the 2016–17 Copa del Rey, Hércules tied 1–1 with Barcelona in one match. However, in the second match at Camp Nou, Barcelona won 7–0.
League Performance Over the Years
Hércules CF has played in Spain's football leagues for many years.
- 20 seasons in La Liga (the top league)
- 43 seasons in Segunda División (the second league)
- 1 season in Primera Federación (the third league)
- 18 seasons in Segunda División B (a former third league)
- 3 seasons in Segunda Federación/Segunda División RFEF (current fourth league)
- 7 seasons in Tercera División (a former third/fourth league)
Current Team Players
Here are the players currently on the Hércules team:
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Players on Loan
Sometimes players go to other teams for a while to get more playing time.
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Team Rivalries and Friendships
Who are Hércules' Rivals?
Hércules has several rival teams:
- Elche CF: This is a big rivalry because both teams are from the Alicante province. Their cities are only 21 kilometers apart. People call their matches the Alicante Province Derby or Costa Blanca Derby.
- Valencia CF: This is another important regional rivalry. Games between Hércules and Valencia are often very intense.
- Alicante CF: For many years, Alicante CF was a main rival. They even shared the same stadium and played in the same league. This led to some heated moments between fans and players. After Alicante CF went bankrupt in 2012, a new club called CFI Alicante continues their traditions.
- Castellón: This is another rivalry within the Valencian Community, as Castellón is another provincial capital.
- Real Murcia CF: These two teams are rivals because their cities are close to each other.
Who are Hércules' Friends?
Hércules also has some friendly connections with other clubs:
- Iraklis F.C. (from Thessaloniki, Greece): Since 2003, fans of Hércules and Iraklis have become friends online. This is because "Iraklis" is the Greek name for "Hercules", who was a strong Greek god. There's even a Hércules fan club named Iraklis to honor this friendship.
- St Johnstone F.C. (from Scotland): Hércules has also recently formed a friendship with this Scottish team.
Images for kids
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Rayo Vallecano vs. Hércules
See also
In Spanish: Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol para niños
- Hércules CF B
- Ciudad de Alicante Trophy
