The football scene in Murcia
Learn about the footy culture in the Region of Murcia
Football is by far the biggest and most watched sport in Spain. Fans in this country are super passionate about this sport. According to the statistics, around 61% of the residents are interested in football. Most fans come from the bigger cities where there is a top club competing in LaLiga.
One of the biggest Spanish cities with a superb football scene is Murcia. This is the 7th largest city in the country, with a population of 672,773 residents. In this article, we’ll cover everything regarding football in Murcia.
Football clubs from Murcia
The region of Murcia is home to numerous football clubs, which shows the massive popularity of this sport. However, most of them are amateur clubs or clubs that play in the third, fourth, or fifth division.
Several clubs from this region even closed their doors and dissolved after failing to pay off their debts. Among them are CD Algar, Estudiantes de Murcia CF, FC Jumilla, Lorca CF, Pinatar CF, and several more.
The two biggest and most famous clubs in this region are Real Murcia CF and FC Cartagena. Both clubs have a long history in Murcia and it is the entire Spanish football scene. One of the youngest clubs in the region that attracts a good number of spectators is UCAM. Below we'll describe these three clubs.
Real Murcia CF
This is the oldest club in the Murcia region, playing in Spanish football competitions since 1919. It plays its matches on the Estadio Nueva Condomina, which has a capacity of 31,179.
In its long history, Real Murcia CF managed to win a record of 8 Segunda Division titles and one Spanish Royal Federation Cup. The club spent a total of 18 seasons in the first tier. Their last time in the first league was back in season 2007/08.
Real Murcia failed to remain in the league and went to the second division at the end of the season. Two seasons later, the club dropped to the third division while in 2021/22 it even went to the fourth division.
It seems like Real Murcia is far away from its glorious years. But, many fans still have faith in the club. Punters at the Matchbook bookmaker are backing the club to make a return to the second division this season.
FC Cartagena
FC Cartagena is another top club from the Murcia region that has a large fan base. The club's foundation dates back to 1995, but many consider it to be a continuation of Cartagena FC. The latter was a club founded in late 1919, but it sadly disappeared in 1959.
At the moment, FC Cartagena plays in the LaLiga2. This is the only club from the Murcia region to compete in this division. The club holds its home matches at the Estadio Cartagonova, which features a capacity of 15,105.
FC Cartagena's best season occurred in 2009/10 when the club finished 5th in the second division. The club was 6 points short of a promotion to the LaLiga.
UCAM
Finally, we have Universidad Católica de Murcia or UCAM. This is a Spanish club based in Murcia that started out in 1999. Murcia’s Catholic University is the owner of UCAM and the club holds its home games at the Estadio de la Condomina. This stadium has a capacity of 6,500.
UCAM Murcia currently plays in the Segunda Federacion Group 4, which is the fourth tier of Spanish football leagues. Despite being a fairly young club, UCAM did manage to fight its way into LaLiga2.
They book a place in for the 2016/17 season of the second division after finishing first in the Segunda Federacion Group 4. Since then, the club has been going on and off in the third and fourth divisions.
Women’s football in Murcia
Women’s football is also popular in Murcia, as the region currently features two professional clubs. One of them is Alhama FC, which started playing in 2004. This club currently competes in Liga F.
The second women's club from Murcia is Ciudad de Murcia. This is actually a men's team that announced its women's team in 2016. During its second official season, the club managed to get a promotion to the Segunda Division, which is the fourth tier.
Women's football is still on the rise in the Murcia region. Hopefully, we’ll get to see the female players in the first division sooner rather than later.
