Real Jaén facts for kids
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| Full name | Real Jaén Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Los Blancos (The Whites) Los Lagartos (The Lizards) |
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| Founded | 12 June 1929 as Jaén Football Club |
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| Ground | Nuevo La Victoria | ||
| Capacity | 12,569 | ||
| President | Ildefonso Ruiz | ||
| Head coach | Manolo Herrero | ||
| League | Tercera Federación – Group 9 | ||
| 2022–23 | Tercera Federación – Group 9, 2nd of 16 | ||
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Real Jaén Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team from the city of Jaén, located in the region of Andalusia. The club was started in 1929 and plays its home games at the Nuevo Estadio de La Victoria, which can hold 12,569 fans. Real Jaén's greatest achievement was playing for three seasons in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league, during the 1950s.
Contents
Club History: Real Jaén's Journey
The club began in 1929 as Sociedad Olímpica Jiennense. They later changed their name to Real Jaén Club de Fútbol in 1947. The team first joined a national league in 1943 when they moved up to the Tercera Division. They quickly became a strong team in this third division, often finishing among the top four.
Rising to the Top: La Liga Dreams
After nine seasons in the Tercera Division, Real Jaén, also known as "The Lizards," were promoted to the Segunda Division in 1952. They continued their excellent performance in the second division. In the 1952–53 season, Real Jaén won the southern group of the Segunda Division. This amazing win meant they were promoted to La Liga for the very first time! That season, they won all their home games, including a huge 9–0 victory against fellow Andalusian team Granada CF.
During their first season in Spain's top league (1953–54), the team finished 14th. They had 11 wins, 6 draws, and 13 losses, earning 28 points. This placed them in a special relegation group with CA Osasuna and four teams from the Segunda Division. Unfortunately, Jaén finished last in this group with only one win. This meant they were relegated after just one season in the top flight.
Back to La Liga and Beyond
After being relegated from La Liga in 1954, some key players left the team. The following season, Jaén finished in 7th place. However, the 1955–56 season was much better for Jaén. They won the southern group of the Segunda Division again, which meant Real Jaén was heading back to La Liga!
In their second season in the top league, Jaén just managed to avoid relegation. They finished 14th, one point above Deportivo de La Coruña, who were relegated. So, Jaén stayed in Spain's elite league. Their third top-flight season was not as successful. The team finished last with only 20 points and was relegated after two years in La Liga. A big highlight of that season was a 1–0 home win against the powerful team FC Barcelona.
Ups and Downs: Life in Lower Divisions
After their second relegation from the top league, Real Jaén found it hard to get back to La Liga. Their best season after that was in 1959–60, when they finished 3rd in the Segunda Division. They were only two points behind Cordoba CF, which would have qualified them for promotion playoffs. After the 1962–63 season, "The Lizards" were relegated to the Tercera Division. This was their first time playing in that league since 1952.
For the next 12 seasons, Jaén only returned to the Segunda Division once, in 1967, but they were immediately relegated again. They returned to the second tier in 1976 and stayed there for three seasons until 1979. Then, they were relegated to the newly created Segunda Division B, which became the new third tier in Spanish football. Jaén remained in the third level until 1986, when they were relegated to the Tercera Division, which was now the fourth tier. For many years after that, they moved back and forth between the Segunda B and the Tercera.
In 1997, the team returned to the Segunda Division for the first time since 1979. However, the 1997–98 season was tough, and they finished last, going back to the Segunda B. Real Jaén returned to the Segunda in 2000. They achieved a 10th-place finish in the 2000–01 season, but the next season they finished last and were relegated again. The following 11 seasons were spent in the Segunda B, until 2013, when Jaén once again returned to the Segunda. Unfortunately, "The Lizards" finished second to last, in 21st place, leading to another relegation.
In 2017, Jaén finished 19th in the Segunda B and were relegated to the Tercera Division for the first time since 1991. Since then, they have been playing in the 4th or 5th level of Spanish football. For example, in the 2017–18 season, the club finished 3rd. On July 5, 2019, Alberto González became the new coach for the 2019–20 season. As of July 2025, the team has been promoted to the Segunda Federación, which is the fourth tier of Spanish football.
Club Achievements: Real Jaén's Trophies
Real Jaén has won several important titles throughout its history:
- Segunda División
- Winners (2): 1952–53, 1955–56
- Segunda División B
- Winners (2): 1995–96, 2012–13
- Tercera División
- Winners (6): 1951–52, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1975–76, 1987–88, 2018–19
- Copa Federación
- Winners (2): 1951–52, 2008–09
League History: Seasons Played
Real Jaén has spent many seasons in different Spanish football leagues:
- 3 seasons in La Liga (the top league)
- 16 seasons in Segunda División (the second league)
- 31 seasons in Segunda División B (the third league)
- 1 season in Segunda Federación (the current fourth league)
- 28 seasons in Tercera División (the old third/fourth league)
- 4 seasons in Tercera Federación/Tercera División RFEF (the current fifth league)
Famous Players
This list includes players who have played in at least 100 league games for Real Jaén or have played for their national teams.
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Women's Football
Real Jaén also had a women's football team. They were represented in the 2009–10 Superliga Femenina by FCF Atlético Jiennense.
See also
In Spanish: Real Jaén Club de Fútbol para niños
