Belgrano Athletic Club

History

The beginning: Football

The club was formed from the merger of Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway A.C. and St. Lawrence Club (a neighbour institution which had been formed shortime ago) on 17 August 1896. The recently created "Belgrano Athletic Club" took over the land (and field) rented by the BA&RR on Virrey del Pino and Superí to set their headquarters.

Belgrano AC participated in the Primera División from 1896 to 1916. The squad won three league titles in 1899, 1904 and 1908, and also won a number of other tournaments including domestic cup Copa de Honor and international competitions Tie Cup (in 1900) and Copa de Honor Cousenier (1907).

Belgrano Athletic played one of the earliest football rivalries against Belgrano neighbours Alumni, the most successful team of Argentine until its dissolution in 1911. Both teams were so strong that they won all of the thirteen league titles contested between 1899 and 1911 (that was the last year of Alumni football team competing in Argentine league, being officially dissolved in 1913).

Belgrano AC would achieve a historic victory over River Plate, defeating the Millonario 10–1 in 1912. That was the worst defeat of River Plate in club's history.

Despite being one of the most notable football teams during the first years of that sport in Argentina, Belgrano was relegated from the Argentine Primera División, along with Quilmes in 1916.

Belgrano never returned to the first division, and the club later disaffiliated from the Argentine Association, focusing on the practise of other sports, mainly rugby union.

Rugby union

Belgrano Athletic rugby union team is one of the most successful teams in the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires, having won a total of 10 provincial titles. In 1899, along with club Buenos Aires, Lomas, Flores and Rosario AC, Belgrano became a founding member of the "River Plate Rugby Championship", the origin of today's Argentine Rugby Union.

The first title obtained in rugby union was in 1907, playing 16 matches with 13 victories, 1 drew and only 2 lost. The team scored 233 points and only received 29 at the end of the tournament. That same year the club built the stadium's grandstands (commonly made of woods by the time) with a capacity of 600. In 1909 the Government of Argentina approved the statute (rules) of the club. Its main rivals are Belgrano district's other big club, Alumni. In 2016, Belgrano won its 11° URBA championship after 48 years without league titles. Belgrano defeated former champion Hindú at the final, played in San Isidro.

Field hockey

Belgrano is founding member of the Argentine Hockey Association, established in 1908. The club has more than 400 registered female players that are part of 25 teams. Club teams play their home matches at the two artificial turf pitches in Sede Pinazo, while the Virrey del Pino Field is used only for training sessions.

Team image

Uniform evolution

It is believed that the first Belgrano A.C. football squad wore black (or dark grey) and gold shirts, as they were depicted in early team photos. In 1907 the club adopted the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway corporate colours (red, green and silver) as most of the club members were employees of that company. In 1919 Belgrano A.C. changed its colours again, adopting the brown (specifying "chocolate" tone according to the statute of that time) and gold of the FC Central Argentino's coaches.

Football

Rugby

;Notes:

Venue

Main article: Estadio Belgrano Athletic

Belgrano's home venue (popularly known as "Virrey del Pino" because of its location on Virrey del Pino and Superí streets in Belgrano) host rugby and cricket match. After some time playing on Pampa and Melián streets, the club acquired that land in 1902 to two of its members, Charles Dickinson (who was also a notable footballer of the club) and Roberts.

The first grandstands were built with wood from surplus railway material. By 1910, the field had an official grandstand, with roof, named "Donald Forester", which has remained up to present days.

Honours

Cricket

• Primera División (45): 1902–03, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1918–19, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23

Football

National

• Primera División (3): 1899, 1904, 1908
• Copa Honor MCBA (1): 1907

International

• Tie Cup (1): 1900
• Copa de Honor Cousenier (1): 1907

Rugby union

• Torneo de la URBA (11): 1907, 1910, 1914, 1921, 1936, 1940, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 2016

Field hockey

;Women's

• Metropolitano Primera División (4): 1942, 1946, 1949, 1974

Notable athletes

• Charles Edgard Dickinson, former football captain that scored the first Argentina national team goal ever in an official match. It was against Uruguay on 20 July 1902. Argentina won 6–0.
• Arturo Forrester, the first Argentine footballer to score against a British team. It was in the match v Southampton FC, when the English side toured on South America in 1904.
• A.C. Addecott, former football captain.
• Arnold Watson Hutton (1911–14), forward, previously in Alumni, also international with Argentina.
• Jeannette Campbell, silver medalist swimmer at the 1936 Olympics.
• Lisandro Arbizu, rugby union footballer for Los Pumas.
• Magdalena Aicega, field hockey captain of Las Leonas.
• Rosario Luchetti, field hockey player of Las Leonas.

Notes

References

References

1. [http://www.belgranoathletic.club/comision-directiva/ Comisión directiva], retrieved 25 May 2019
2. [https://fixture.urba.org.ar/home?id=2025001 URBA Top 12 2025]
3. Belgrano disaffiliated from the [[Argentine Football Association. Argentine Association]] in the late 1910s, focusing on rugby union and other sports. Football is no longer practised at the club.[https://belgranoathletic.club/historia-marron-la-ultima-conquista-de-belgrano-en-futbol/ Historia Marrón: la última conquista de Belgrano en fútbol] on BAC
4. [http://www.belgranoathletic.club/sedes/ Sedes] on BAC website
5. [http://www.belgrano-athletic.com.ar/deportes.php Deportes – Belgrano AC official site] {{webarchive. link. (18 April 2012)
6. [https://belgranonews.com.ar/noticias/clubes-del-barrio-belgrano-athletic-club-o-bac/ Clubes del barrio. Belgrano Athletic Club o BAC] on ''Belgrano News''
7. [https://belgranoathletic.club/el-club/ Historia] on BAC
8. [http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2003/04/24/d-549894.htm "Alumni: en el nombre del fútbol"], ''[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper). Clarín]]'', 2003-04-24
9. ""River Plate en la era amateur 1901–1930"".
10. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/arg16.html "Asociacion Argentina de Football – 1916", RSSSF] {{webarchive. link. (23 December 2011)
11. [https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/%C2%A1habla-memoria!/34865/1946-cincuentenario-del-belgrano-athletic-club 1946. CINCUENTENARIO DEL BELGRANO ATHLETIC CLUB] on ''El Gráfico'' (originally published in 1946)
12. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210120231748/https://www.clarin.com/deportes/futbol/belgrano-campeon_0_rJuLMUpJe.html Trece décadas (1891-2016). El otro Belgrano campeón] by Oscar Barnade on ''Clarín'', 26 Oct 2016
13. [https://estadisticasmdt3.blogspot.com/2004/10/todos-los-campeones-de-la-urba.html Todos Los Campeones de La URBA] {{in lang. es
14. [http://atleticodelrosario.club/fundacion-del-river-plate-rugby-union-championship-1899/ Fundación del River Plate Rugby Union Championship] on Atlético del Rosario website, 10 Apr 2019
15. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130525022641/http://www.uar.org.ar/union/hechos_historicos.asp "Hechos históricos de la Unión" at UAR website]
16. [https://belgrano-rugby.blogspot.com/2010/05/belgrano-y-alumni-en-sus-comienzos.html "Belgrano y Alumni en sus comienzos"]
17. [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1947431-belgrano-hindu-final-top-14-urba "Belgrano rompió el maleficio: tras 48 años es campeón del torneo de la URBA al vencer a Hindú"] {{Webarchive. link. (19 October 2016 , ''La Nación'', 15 Oct 2016)
18. [http://www.minutouno.com/notas/1515468-historico-belgrano-athletic-vencio-hindu-y-vuelve-ser-campeon-48-anos "Histórico: Belgrano Athletic venció a Hindú y vuelve a ser campeón tras 48 años"], Minuto Uno, 15 Oct 2016
19. [https://belgranoathletic.club/portfolio-item/hockey/ Hockey overview] on BAC
20. [http://belgrano-rugby.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/hoy-celebramos-115-anos-de-vida.html "Hoy celebramos 115 años" – Belgrano AC official blog]
21. ''Caras y Caretas'', 31 Aug 1912
22. "Belgrano" on Viejos Estadios
23. [https://www.estadiosdeargentina.com.ar/cancha-de-belgrano-athletic-club/ Estadio de Belgrano Athletic] on Estadios de Argentina
24. [https://cricketargentina.com/primera-division/ Primera División (campeones)] on Cricket Argentina website
25. [http://www.afa.org.ar/institucional/campeones-primera-division.php Campeones del Fútbol Argentino] on AFA website, 13 Jul 2015
26. ''Colección 100 años de fútbol – Historia ilustrada del fútbol uruguayo'', Franklin Morales
27. ''Historia Del Fútbol Amateur En La Argentina'', Jorge Iwanczuk (1992)
28. Sócrates. (2023-09-15). "Carlos Edgard Dickinson".
29. [https://www.clarin.com/deportes/futbol-curioso_0_ryaWUzy83x.html El fútbol curioso], ''Clarín'', 26 Dec 1998
30. [https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/1088/33486/1959-se-fue-arturo-forrester-aqui-queda-un-taponazo Se fue Arturo Forrester], ''El Gráfico'', 1959
31. [http://belgrano-rugby.blogspot.com.ar/2010/05/belgrano-y-alumni-en-sus-comienzos.html "Belgrano y Alumni en sus comienzos"]
32. [https://www.historiadeboca.com.ar/partido/belgrano-ath-1-boca-1-campeonato-1914/3199.html Belgrano Athletic 1 – Boca Juniors 1] (match chronicle) on Historia de Boca
33. [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/arg5pm.html Argentina - Five or More Goals Scored by One Player in a Match ] on the RSSSF
34. [https://www.scotsfootballworldwide.scot/alumni Alumni] on Scots Football Worldwide
35. [https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/natacion/de-la-pileta-del-belgrano-athletic-a-la-alemania-nazi-la-hazana-de-jeanette-campbell-nid1923785/ De la pileta del Belgrano Athletic a la Alemania nazi] on ''La Nación'', 2 Aug 2016
36. [https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/%28sin-categoria%29/5825/las-mejores-jeanette-campbell LAS MEJORES: JEANETTE CAMPBELL] by Martín Estévez on ''El Gráfico'', 18 Nov 2014
37. [https://cordobaxv.com.ar/lisandro-arbizu-fue-muy-fuerte-ser-capitan-de-los-pumas/ Lisandro Arbizu: “Fue muy fuerte ser capitán de Los Pumas”] on Córdoba XV, 4 Aug 2020
38. [https://belgranoathletic.club/magui-aicega-le-di-todo-al-hockey-y-el-hockey-me-dio-todo/ Magui Aicega: “Le di todo al hockey, y el hockey me dio todo”], interview to Aicega on BAC
39. [https://www.lacapital.com.ar/ovacion/la-verdad-charo-luchetti-n473468.html La verdad de Charo Lucchetti] on ''La Capital'' (Rosario)
40. [https://www.espn.com.ar/noticias/nota?s=otr&id=1119329&type=story Perfil de Rosario Lucchetti] on ESPN.ar