Albacete Balompié
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| Full name | Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Queso Mecánico (A clockwork cheese) | ||
| Founded | 1940 | ||
| Ground | Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain | ||
| Capacity | 17,300 | ||
| Chairman |  Rafael Candel | ||
| Manager | Antonio Gómez | ||
| League | Segunda División B | ||
| 2010–11 | Segunda División, 22nd (relegated) | ||
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Albacete Balompié, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Albacete, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded on 2 August 1940, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, with a 17,300-seat capacity.
History
The club was founded in 1940, under the name Albacete Fútbol Asociación, being later changed in an attempt to make it sound "more Spanish". After years playing in the lower leagues, Albacete first played in the second division in 1985–86, repeating the feat five seasons later.
In 1989, Benito Floro consecutively promoted it from the third to La Liga, overachieving for a seventh place in the first season in the top level. Floro would later coach Real Madrid, returning to Alba two seasons later, as the club were relegated in 1995–96.
After years in the second division facing serious economic and sporting difficulties, Albacete returned to the top flight in the 2002–03 campaign, led by César Ferrando (later of Atlético de Madrid). However, it dropped in 2004–05, after just six wins from 38 matches, going on to stabilize in the subsequent seasons in the second level.
The 2010–11 season brought two coaching changes, with both Antonio Calderón and David Vidal (who returned to the club only a few months after leaving) being fired, as Albacete returned to the third division after 21 years.
On 6 December 2011, Andrés Iniesta - who played for the club as an infant before joining FC Barcelona - became the club's major shareholder, injecting €420,000 into the cash-trapped institution.[1] The team managed to reach the last-16 in Copa del Rey nonetheless, notably beating Atlético Madrid 3–1 on aggregate.[2]
Seasons
Season to season
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- 7 seasons in La Liga
- 18 seasons in Segunda División
- 8 seasons in Segunda División B
- 29 seasons in Tercera División
- 7 seasons in Categorías Regionales
Recent seasons
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Notes 2002–03 2D 3 42 17 20 5 51 30 71 Promoted 2003–04 1D 14 38 13 8 17 40 48 47 2004–05 1D 20 38 6 10 22 33 56 28 3rd round Relegated 2005–06 2D 13 42 14 12 16 44 57 54 2006–07 2D 6 42 16 12 14 49 48 60 2007–08 2D 12 42 13 13 16 37 40 52 2008–09 2D 15 42 13 12 17 42 54 51 2009–10 2D 15 42 12 16 14 60 62 52 2010–11 2D 22 42 7 11 24 35 64 32 Relegated
Current squad
The numbers are established according to the official website: www.albacete-bp.es and www.lfp.es Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours / Achievements
- Second Division promotion: 1984–85, 1989–90
- First Division promotion: 1990–91, 2002–03
Stadium
The club plays its home matches at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte, which has an all-seated capacity of 17,300. Originally built in 1960, the stadium underwent two major redevelopments, the last being in 1998.
International players
see also Category:Albacete Balompié footballers
Famous coaches
- César Ferrando
- Benito Floro
- Mariano García Remón
- José Murcia
- Julián Rubio
- Iñaki Sáez
- David Vidal
Víctor Espárrago
See also
- Albacete Balompié B
- Albacete FS, a futsal club from the same city.
References
- ^ Iniesta throws 420,000-euro lifeline to indebted Albacete; El País, 6 December 2011
- ^ Manzano sacked by Atletico; ESPN Star Sports, 23 December 2011