UC Ceares


Unión Club Ceares is a Spanish football team based in the neighbourhood of Ceares, Gijón, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded in 1946, it plays in Tercera División – Group 2, holding home games at Campo de La Cruz, which has a capacity of 1,500 spectators.

History

Early years

The club was founded in 1946 as a merger of two clubs: Fortuna and Reconquista. In 1965 and being Mr. José Ramón Elvira Sastre the president, UC Ceares promotes for the first time to Tercera División, but finished in the last position, being subsequently relegated. Ceares continued playing in regional divisions until 1986, year that the team returned to Tercera División and played in it two years.

2000s: Comeback to Tercera División

In the seasons 2001–02 and 2002–03, Ceares achieved two consecutive promotions from Primera Regional to Tercera División with Rogelio García as head coach. He would coach UC Ceares during six consecutive seasons, with a break in 2007, remaining in Tercera starting the longest streak of the club in this division.
In 2007, former Real Sporting footballer José Antonio Redondo replaced him until 2009, when he resigned. With Redondo at the helm, on 5 April 2008, Ceares earned a 1–1 away draw in the last minute against Asturian powerhouse Oviedo and qualified for the semi-finals of the Asturian tournament of the RFEF Cup, where they were eliminated by Langreo.
Rogelio would take the team again until the end of the 2008–09 season. After that season, Florentino Angulo was hired as new manager. Angulo managed Ceares until 2012.

2010s: "People's football" project and promotion playoffs

Before the 2011–12 season, a new board takes the control of the club and gives it a new philosophy based on a claim of social and people's sport and criticism the actual business in football. For this philosophy, Ceares board inspired on English football and clubs like St. Pauli or United of Manchester.
The 2013–14 season was the 14th of the club in this league and the second of Nacho Cabo as manager. Ceares started the season with only one defeat in the first fifteen games, earning 34 points, which allowed the club to lead the table during two weeks, after a win at L'Entregu CF by 1–3 in its 500th game in Tercera.
Finally, Ceares qualified for the promotion playoffs to Segunda División B in the last week, after winning by 0–3 to Luarca CF. The team finished in the third position with 74 points, 21 wins, 54 goals scored and only 31 allowed. All these numbers were records in the history of the club.
In the first round, Ceares dropped Águilas by 2–1 in the aggregate. In the first leg, the brickers earned a draw by 1–1 thanks to a goal of Pablo Martínez in the 87th minute. Martínez also scored the only goal in the second game. This was the second time La Cruz registered an attendance of 1,500 fans. The first one was in 2003, when Oviedo visited the field for the first time.
Ceares faced Trival Valderas, the champion of the group of Madrid, in the second round, but was widely defeated in the first leg, played in Gijón, by 0–3. The team earned a 2–2 draw at Alcorcón, in a game where Borja Noval missed a penalty when the game was 2–1 for the brickers.
On 30 August 2014, Bryan Jiménez became the first Ceares player who played an international game. He made his debut with the Dominican Republic national team in a loss friendly against El Salvador.
In 2015, Ceares signed a collaboration agreement with women's football club Gijón FF for sharing La Cruz stadium and to create a youth academy for boys and girls.

Stadium

During the 1960s, UC Ceares played its matches in the old pitch of Los Fresno, in Viesques, neighbourhood of Gijón. This location is today occupied by a school. During some years, due to not having an own stadium, played its matches in several fields until the current Campo de La Cruz was built in the 1970s.
The pitch is made of natural grass and has dimensions of 99 by 65 meters. The stadium has got a lateral tribune, improved in 2004, with 250 seats. It's located in Parque de Los Pericones in Gijón.
The stadium was used also by Gijón FF, for playing the 2005–06 Superliga Femenina, the only season the club played in the top women's league in Spain. It came back to La Cruz in 2018.
In April 2017, Ceares agreed with the Gijón Town Hall the renovation of the facilities and the construction of a second pitch made of artificial turf for Gijón FF and the youth teams of the club. However, due to some controversies in the city, the Town Hall preferred to build the second pitch in other area of the neighbourhood.
One year later, Ceares authorised Gijón FF to play its games in the women's second division at La Cruz.
In July 2019, the Town Hall of Gijón refused to continue with the project of the new pitch mainly for the women's team and only offered Ceares to renovate La Cruz by building a new tribune and changing the pitch of natural grass for one made of artificial turf. This proposal was widely rejected by the club members.
In 2020, the building of the lockers and club office and the kop, both located behind the goal, were reformed.

Gallery

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsors
2003–2004No providerNistal
2004–2008No providerFarho
2008–2010No providerSEAT Asturias Motor
2010–2011LuanviCubiastur
Gijón
2011–2012HuercoXixón
2012–2013HuercoFachadas El Llano
Xixón
2013–2016MazcatuFachadas El Llano
Xixón
2016–2017GorbeatTierras Gallegas
Xixón
2017–2018GivovaTierras Gallegas
Xixón
2018–presentAdidasTierras Gallegas
Xixón

Current squad

Out on loan

Season to season

Source
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In Tercera División

Updated as of the end of the 2019–20 season.
Below is a list of the ten players with the most caps for Ceares in Tercera División, as of the 2019–20 season, just before the interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic. Players in bold are currently playing at Ceares.
#PlayerPeriodCapsGoals
1Juan Carlos2011–27628
2Jimmy2009–201622147
3Pablo Martínez2013–202021720
4Fonso Bellón2012–20192167
5Chery2014–20201973
5Pablo Prendes2003–2006
2007–2009
2014–2015		18810
7Bermejo2003–20091651
8Chelís2003–20091603
9Mario de la Roca2003–2007
2011–2012		1545
10Marcos2003–20091420

Top goalscorers

Below is a list of the top ten goalscorers for Ceares in Tercera División, as of the 2019–20 season, just before the interruption due to the coronavirus pandemic. Players in bold are currently playing at Ceares.
#PlayerPeriodGoalsCapsAverage
1Jimmy2009–2016472210.22
2Marcos Iglesias2015–201732630.51
3Francisco Castaño2006–2009301020.29
4Juan Carlos2011–282490.10
5José María Luengo2005–2007
2011–2012		221010.22
5Álvaro Ponte2013–201622890.25
6Pablo Martínez2013–2020202170.09
7Juan Menéndez2017–201919690.28
9Jorge Vázquez2010–2011
2012–2013		18580.31
10Dani Peláez2005–2007
2016–2017		17980.17
10Sergio Melón2003–2004
2009–2010		17610.28

Famous players

League and playoff games are counted.
NameFromToPldWDLGFGA
200120023825947224'
20022007190765163253222'
200720082082102627'
20082009561618227285'
20092012114342159118177'
201220148035222310185'
2014201543191595648'
201520163186173353'
2016201738147174763'
20172019762529228181'
201920202869132837'
2020'

Memorial Pepe Ortiz

Since 2011, UC Ceares starts the pre-season playing a friendly trophy called Memorial Pepe Ortiz in hommage of the former player of Sporting de Gijón from 1949 to 1963, considered as the best player of the history of the neighbourhood.
YearWinnerRunner-upScore
2011RocesCeares1–0
2012Sporting BCeares2–0
2013AvilésCeares2–1
2014Sporting BCeares2–0
2015CearesLa Bañeza2–1
2016Atlético PintoCeares2–1
2017CearesGijón Industrial2–1
2018CearesCandás3–2
2019LangreoCeares2–0

Agreed and affiliated teams

Aboño

Since July 2019, Cultural Deportiva de Aboño acts as the reserve team of Ceares.
The club, founded in 1929 in Aboño, Carrió, Carreño, currently plays in Segunda Regional, seventh and last tier, and in its best years reached the Regional Preferente, fifth division.

Season to season (as reserve team)

Gijón FF

Gijón Fútbol Femenino is the only women's football team of Gijón that played in the Superliga.
In 2015, Gijón FF started to act as de facto's women's section of Ceares and both created the Mixed Football Academy.

Veriña

Veriña Club de Fútbol, located in the namesake parish, is one of the most important youth football teams in the city. The collaboration agreement started in 2020, during the months Ceares had to play at Estadio Lloreda due to the improvement works at La Cruz.