Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa explained

Clubname:Cultural Leonesa
Upright:0.7
Fullname:Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa
Nickname:La Cultu
La Leonesa
Ground:Estadio Reino de León
Capacity:13,346
Owner:Aspire Academy (more than 99.74%)
4 minority stockholders (less than 0.26%)
Chairman:Mohd Khalifa Al Suwadi
Chrtitle:President
Manager:Raúl Llona
Mgrtitle:Head coach
Website:https://www.cydleonesa.com/
Pattern La1:_goldborder
Pattern B1:_thinwhitehoops
Pattern Ra1:_goldborder
Pattern So1:_qat20a
Leftarm1:FFFFFF
Body1:DCDCDC
Rightarm1:FFFFFF
Shorts1:FFFFFF
Socks1:FFFFFF
Pattern La2:_whiteborder
Pattern Ra2:_whiteborder
Pattern So2:_socks
Leftarm2:3EB489
Body2:98FB98
Rightarm2:3EB489
Shorts2:98FB98
Socks2:98FB98

Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa (pronounced as /es/), better known as Cultural Leonesa or La Cultural, is a Spanish football team based in León, in the autonomous community of Castile and Leon. Founded on 5 August 1923, it currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 1, holding home games at Estadio Reino de León, with a capacity of 13,346 seats.[1]

Ahead of the 2014–15 season, the club released a kit designed to look like a tuxedo. The kit, which attracted huge attention in the media and social networking sites, was worn in a pre-season charity match in support of local charities for mining families.

History

Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa was founded on 5 August 1923.[2]

In 1926, Cultural Leonesa won the Regional championship and in 1929 Cultural played the Segunda División B and promoted to the second division.

In 1931, the club ceased activity and several teams were created in the city with the aim to replace them, but after the Spanish Civil War, Cultural Leonesa came back to the competition.

In 1955, Cultural was promoted for the first time to La Liga, but they could only play one season in the Spanish top tier.

In 2011, the club was relegated to Tercera División due to unpaid debts to the players[3] and took two years to recover the place in the third tier. In 2015, the Qatari Aspire Academy bought a controlling 99% of the shares of the club, thus avoiding its dissolution.[4]

On 28 May 2017, Cultural was promoted to Segunda División after 42 years by defeating Barcelona B in the promotion play-offs. On 3 January 2018, Leeds United announced an official partnership with Cultural Leonesa's owners Aspire Academy in Qatar.[5] The link up saw Leeds players Yosuke Ideguchi and Ouasim Bouy both join Cultural Leonesa on loan as part of the unique partnership.[6]

On 2 June 2018, Cultural was relegated to the third level, after being defeated by Numancia on the last matchday. In the 2018–19 season the club played in Segunda División B, Group 1 and fought to be promoted back to the second tier. But it finished only in the 5th position.[7] The club had a good start on the 2019–20 season, being in the 2nd position after first 16 games.[8] In the 2019–2020 season, they upset Atletico de Madrid in the Copa del Rey Round of 32.[9]

On 2 December 2020, Cultural hired Iñigo Idiakez as Head Coach who came from Luton Town in EFL Championship and previously Leicester City and Derby County.

Club structure

align=center colspan=5Positionalign=center colspan=5Name
align=center colspan=5Presidentalign=center colspan=5Mohd Khalifa Al Suwadi
align=center colspan=5Vice-Presidentalign=center colspan=5
align=center colspan=5Managing Director align=center colspan=5Felipe Llamazares Díez
align=center colspan=5Sports managementalign=center colspan=5Ricardo Pozo Álvarez
align=center colspan=5Director Delegatealign=center colspan=5Ignacio Álvarez Martínez
align=center colspan=5Advisory Boardalign=center colspan=5Antonio Martín Espina
José Lasa
Jassim Mohammed AA Al-Ansari
align=center colspan=5Fundation culturalistaalign=center colspan=5Manuel Carnero
Diego Calzado
align=center colspan=5Technical secretaryalign=center colspan=5Santi Santos
Juan Carlos Valiño (adjunto)
César Villafañe (adjunto)
align=center colspan=5Social areaalign=center colspan=5Juan Luis Diez Mata

Season to season

SeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey
192931stRound of 32
1929–30210thRound of 32
1930–3136thRound of 32
1931–323
DNP
1939–4031ª Reg.2nd
1940–4141ª Reg.2nd
1941–4231st
1942–4323rd
1943–4429thRound of 32
1944–45213thFirst round
1945–4633rd
1946–4732nd
1947–4838thFifth round
1948–4937thSecond round
1949–5035th
1950–5135th
1951–5233rd
1952–5332nd
1953–5424th
SeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey
1954–5521stRound of 16
1955–56115thRound of 16
1956–5726th
1957–58216th
1958–59216th
1959–6031stRound of 16
1960–61212thFirst round
1961–62216thFirst round
1962–6334th
1963–6433rd
1964–6537th
1965–6632nd
1966–6733rd
1967–6831st
1968–6934th
1969–7032ndSecond round
1970–7131stFourth round
1971–7225thFifth round
1972–73219thFourth round
1973–7431stThird round
SeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey
1974–75220thFifth round
1975–7636thSecond round
1976–7732ndFirst round
1977–7832ª B6thSecond round
1978–7932ª B5thSecond round
1979–8032ª B4thSecond round
1980–8132ª B4thFirst round
1981–8232ª B19thSecond round
1982–8332ª B19th
1983–8442nd
1984–8542ndFirst round
1985–8641stFirst round
1986–8742ndThird round
1987–8832ª B14thFirst round
1988–8932ª B8thFirst round
1989–9032ª B7th
1990–9132ª B9thSecond round
1991–9232ª B6thSecond round
1992–9332ª B10thSecond round
1993–9432ª B17thThird round
SeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey
1994–9541stThird round
1995–9632ª B4thSecond round
1996–9732ª B8thFirst round
1997–9832ª B4th
1998–9932ª B1stFirst round
1999–200032ª B9thPreliminary
2000–0132ª B2nd
2001–0232ª B2ndRound of 32
2002–0332ª B5thRound of 32
2003–0432ª B4thRound of 32
2004–0532ª B10thRound of 32
2005–0632ª B14th
2006–0732ª B11th
2007–0832ª B11th
2008–0932ª B2nd
2009–1032ª B12thRound of 32
2010–1132ª B14th
2011–1243rd
2012–1342nd
2013–1432ª B14th
SeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey
2014–1532ª B7th
2015–1632ª B7thSecond round
2016–1732ª B1stRound of 32
2017–18219thThird round
2018–1932ª B5thRound of 32
2019–2032ª B2ndRound of 16
2020–2132ª B / Second round
2021–2231ª RFEF12thSecond round
2022–2331ª Fed.10th
2023–2431ª Fed.6th
2024–2531ª Fed.
----

Players

Current squad

.[10]

Reserve team

See main article: Júpiter Leonés.

Out on loan

Coaching staff

align=center colspan=5Positionalign=center colspan=5Name
align=center colspan=5Head coachalign=center colspan=5Raúl Llona
align=center colspan=5Assistant Coachalign=center colspan=5Odei Calzón
align=center colspan=5Fitness coachalign=center colspan=5David Madurga
align=center colspan=5Goalkeeper coachalign=center colspan=5Javier Pérez
align=center colspan=5Material Manageralign=center colspan=5Carlos Gómez Carballo
align=center colspan=5Material Manageralign=center colspan=5Manuel Martínez Sela
align=center colspan=5Doctoralign=center colspan=5Salustiano López-Contreras
align=center colspan=5Analystalign=center colspan=5Pedro Gómez
align=center colspan=5Re-traineralign=center colspan=5Álex Bienzobas
align=center colspan=5Physiotherapistalign=center colspan=5Pedro Vicente
align=center colspan=5Team Delegatealign=center colspan=5Eduardo Álvarez
align=center colspan=5Material Manageralign=center colspan=5Rubén Álvarez

Notable former players

Note: this list includes players that have appeared in at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status.

Famous coaches

Stadium

See main article: Estadio Reino de León.

Reserve team

Júpiter Leonés is the reserve team of the club.

Founded in 1929, later known as Cultural de León and finally changed to its current name Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa "B" Jupiter Leonés. After the 2009–10, the team was dissolved after Cultural was relegated to Tercera División due to its debts. In 2014, it was re-founded as the reserve team and after three promotions it currently plays in Tercera División, the fourth tier, after gaining promotion in the Primera División Regional de Aficionados 2017–18 season.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Estadio Reino de León. 2017-10-05. Football Tripper. en-GB. 2020-01-22. January 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200103222817/https://footballtripper.com/spain/cultural-leonesa-stadium/. live.
  2. Web site: Historia de la Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa. Nos Gusta León. es. 23 May 2017. October 18, 2016 . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042359/http://nosgustaleon.com/historia-la-cultural-deportiva-leonesa/. August 2, 2017. mdy-all.
  3. Web site: Doce equipos descienden por impagos a futbolistas. ABC.es. es. 30 June 2011. 24 May 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20110903115831/http://www.abc.es/20110630/deportes-futbol/abci-descenso-impagos-tercera-201106301757.html. September 3, 2011. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: Aspire compra la Cultural Leonesa y evita su desaparición. As.com. es. 16 September 2015. 24 May 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170604042302/http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2015/09/16/mas_futbol/1442368996_543541.html. June 4, 2017. mdy-all.
  5. Web site: LEEDS UNITED LAUNCH ASPIRE ACADEMY PARTNERSHIP. www.leedsunited.com. May 7, 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013923/https://www.leedsunited.com/news/club-news/22815/leeds-united-launch-aspire-academy-partnership. January 4, 2018. mdy-all.
  6. Web site: Aspire-owned Cultural Leonesa hope to shock Real. October 25, 2016. gulf-times.com. May 7, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171207200157/http://www.gulf-times.com/story/518773/Aspire-owned-Cultural-Leonesa-hope-to-shock-Real. December 7, 2017. mdy-all.
  7. Web site: Histórico Cultural Leonesa - Segunda División B G 1 2018/2019. www.resultados-futbol.com. 2019-11-06. November 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191106175320/https://www.resultados-futbol.com/historico/Cultural-Deportiva-Leonesa/2019. live.
  8. Web site: Resultados de Fútbol: Segunda División B Grupo 2. Mundo Deportivo. en. 2019-12-17. September 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200920183244/https://www.mundodeportivo.com/resultados/futbol/regional/categoria/segundab/grupo2. live.
  9. Web site: Cultural Leonesa 2 Atlético Madrid 1. ESPN FC. en. 2020-01-23. January 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200123204034/https://www.espn.com/soccer/commentary?gameId=565518. live.
  10. Web site: PLANTILLA Cultural Leonesa - Web Oficial. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180130091534/https://www.cydleonesa.com/primer-equipo/plantilla/cultural-leonesa . January 30, 2018 .