Club Deportivo Basconia is a Spanish football club based in Basauri, Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded on 14 March 1913, it currently plays in , holding home games at the Artunduaga Sports Centre, in the town of Basauri. Years ago, Basconia used to play in the Estadio López Cortázar, which was demolished in order to build new buildings.
In 1997, they entered into a partnership with Athletic Bilbao to serve as a feeder club for Bilbao and essentially operate as the club's C team.
History Founded in 1913 and named after a (later owned by the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya company), Basconia reached the national third level (Tercera División) thirty years later. The club played in the second tier for six seasons (1957–1963), but this was before the creation of the regionalised new third division in the 1970s.
In 1997, Basconia became Basque neighbours Athletic Bilbao's feeder club, not being eligible for promotion if the reserves, Bilbao Athletic, playing at the level above, do not attain the same goal. The primary function of the agreement is to aid the development of young players in a challenging environment while keeping them in the same group setting and tactical system under the close guidance of the parent club; a number of teenagers who spent one or two seasons at Basconia have become professionals at Athletic Bilbao, eventually playing in La Liga and UEFA competitions. In January 2020 it was confirmed that the partnership, due to expire that summer, had been renewed for another three years to 2023.Basconia, subsidiary team of Athletic Club until 2023, Athletic Bilbao, 17 January 2020
Basconia's place in Athletic's club structure means that the squad changes greatly each season. About half of the players move up to play for Bilbao Athletic, or go out on loan to other local clubs playing at Segunda Federación level. They are replaced by graduates, usually 17 or 18 years old, from the previous year's Juvenil A team. Typically the squad is expanded further with new signings from the region's youth clubs, the most notable of which are Danok Bat and Antiguoko.
Although Athletic Bilbao control the main squad's players and coaching personnel, Basconia retains its own club committee and staff and operates several youth teams as well as amateur side Basconia B who compete in the Preferente de Vizcaya league, two levels below the first team. These other teams play in a separate small stadium in the town, Soloarte. Occasionally the main squad has been supplemented by some of Basconia's 'own' players in emergencies – Mikel Rico was with Basconia B when he appeared in one Tercera División fixture in 2001;Basconia 3–0 UPV ; Athletic Bilbao, 11 April 2001 he left Biscay for a long career across Spain which eventually brought him back to sign for Athletic in 2013.
In January 2018, with the team struggling to remain in the league, Basconia took the unusual step of recruiting some older, more experienced players including Thaylor Lubanzadio to help them maintain their 23-year divisional status, which was eventually accomplished – they finished 15th, 5 points above the relegation zone.
Season to season As a separate club SeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey1928–2951st1929–3052nd1930–3152nd1931–3253rd1932–3352nd1933–3453rd1934–3546th1935–3647th1939–4052nd1940–4146th1941–4237th1942–4336th1943–4444th1944–4543rd1945–4645th1946–47414th1947–4857th1948–4951st1949–5041st1950–5133ª13thSeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey1951–5233ª9th1952–5333ª7th1953–5433ª13th1954–5533ª3rd1955–5633ª6th1956–5733ª1st1957–5822ª8th1958–5922ª5thRound of 321959–6022ª11thPreliminary1960–6122ª8thFirst round1961–6222ª15thRound of 161962–6322ª15thPreliminary1963–6433ª7th1964–6533ª10th1965–6633ª5th1966–6733ª7th1967–6833ª6th1968–6933ª12th1969–7033ª8thSecond round1970–7133ª6th SeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey1971–7233ª4thFirst round1972–7333ª15thFirst round1973–7433ª12thFirst round1974–7533ª14thThird round1975–7633ª16thSecond round1976–7733ª10thFirst round1977–7832ª B20thFirst round1978–7943ª20thSecond round1979–8054th1980–8151st1981–8243ª3rd1982–8343ª4thFirst round1983–8443ª8thFirst roundSeasonTierDivisionPlaceCopa del Rey1984–8543ª1st1985–8643ª4thSecond round1986–8743ª2ndSecond round1987–8832ª B6thThird round1988–8932ª B14thFirst round1989–9032ª B15th1990–9132ª B9thThird round1991–9232ª B13thThird round1992–9332ª B7thThird round1993–9432ª B17thFirst round1994–9543ª7th1995–9643ª14th1996–9743ª10th
As a farm team SeasonTierDivisionPlace1997–9843ª1st1998–9943ª7th1999–200043ª5th2000–0143ª6th2001–0243ª7th2002–0343ª1st2003–0443ª3rd2004–0543ª8th2005–0643ª4th2006–0743ª5th2007–0843ª5th2008–0943ª7th2009–1043ª10th2010–1143ª8th2011–1243ª10th2012–1343ª12th2013–1443ª4th2014–1543ª16th2015–1643ª14th2016–1743ª10thSeasonTierDivisionPlace2017–1843ª15th2018–1943ª6th2019–2043ª4th2020–2143ª2021–2253ª RFEF5th2022–2353ª Fed.4th2023–2453ª Fed.2nd2024–2553ª Fed.1st2025–2642ª Fed.10th2026–2742ª Fed.
6 seasons in Segunda División 8 seasons in Segunda División B 2 seasons in Segunda Federación 55 seasons in Tercera División 4 seasons in Tercera Federación/Tercera División RFEF
Current squad Basconia squad at Athletic Club official website
Out on loan
Honours Tercera División Winners: 1956–57 Winners (3): 1984–85, 1997–98, 2002–03
Selected coaches
Javier Clemente Joseba Etxeberria José Luis Mendilibar
Notable players
Note: this list contains players who have appeared in at least 50 league games for the first team or have reached international status.
Julen Agirrezabala Yeray Álvarez Fernando Amorebieta Daniel Aranzubia José Argoitia Joseba Arriaga Kepa Arrizabalaga Beñat Etxebarria Eneko Bóveda Javier Casas Iñigo Córdoba Koldo Etxeberria Borja Ekiza Unai Expósito Cristian Ganea Unai Gómez Carlos Gurpegi Iago Herrerín Gorka Iraizoz Andoni Iraola José Ángel Iribar Ander Iturraspe Mikel Jauregizar Aymeric Laporte Enrique Larrinaga Iñigo Lekue Fernando Llorente Unai López Sabin Merino Unai Núñez Aitor Paredes Beñat Prados Luis Prieto Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta Mikel Rico Unai Simón Markel Susaeta Ustaritz Óscar Vales Asier Villalibre Dani Vivian Iñaki Williams Nico Williams Francisco Yeste
See also Athletic Bilbao (first team) Bilbao Athletic (B team)
Notes
References
External links . . Team history at Athletic Bilbao's official website La Cantera De Lezama Unofficial website focusing on Athletic's cantera teams