Athletic Club Femenino B is a Spanish women's association football team based in Bilbao, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, Spain.
Founded in 2002, it is the reserve team of Athletic Club Femenino, and currently plays in the Primera Federación, playing their home matches at the Lezama Facilities.
Reserve teams in Spain play in the same league system as the senior team, rather than in a reserve team league. They must play at least one level below their main side, and thus Athletic B are ineligible for promotion to the Primera División and cannot play in the Copa de la Reina.
History In 2002, Athletic Bilbao introduced a women's section to their football activities, absorbing a local club Leioa EFT. At the same time they introduced a women's reserve team (which had been established by Leioa the previous year) with the aim of developing players for the senior side.
After a single season in the Basque provincial league, the B-team was promoted to the second tier – then known as the Primera Nacional – where they remained for two decades, winning their regional group in the competition four times (most recently in 2017) but being ineligible for promotion.
Athletic B, whose players are usually between 16 and 21 years of age, are also regular participants in the Copa Vasca, a regional tournament for lower-league teams, and have won the trophy six times.
Below the reserve level Athletic have a C-team, introduced in 2019 and quickly promoted to the Basque provincial league,The pedigree of a great lioness: Tzibi Juaristi, Athletic Bilbao, 28 May 2020 and a girls' cadet (under-15) team, introduced in 2017 and competing at local youth level. In common with all other teams fielded by the club, only players who meet their recruitment policy of having a connection to the 'greater Basque Country' are eligible to join.A new Cathedral: Athletic Club’s move to a new San Mamés, Simon Lloyd, Joe.co.uk
With the second tier re-organised in the early 2020s into two groups, then into just one, with a resultant uplift in the average standards (combined with general progress in the women's game in that period due to increasing investment and professionalisation), the teenagers of Athletic B began to find it difficult to remain competitive and it was no great surprise when they were finally relegated from the Primera Federación in 2023–24;El filial femenino desciende de categoría [The women's reserve team is relegated], Athletic Club, 30 March 2024 (in Spanish) this would have caused Athletic C to have been demoted, but they were also among the bottom places in their Segunda Federación group and would have dropped down in any event.
Players Current squad
Reserve team
Season to season As Leioa EFT B SeasonDivisionPlaceCopa Vasca2001–02Provincial5th2002–03Provincial3rd
As Athletic Club B SeasonDivisionPlaceCopa Vasca2003–04Primera Nac.7thWinners2004–05Primera Nac.7thWinners2005–06Primera Nac.3rdGroup stage2006–07Primera Nac.3rd2nd round2007-08Primera Nac.2ndGroup stage2008-09Primera Nac.2ndRunners-up2009–10Primera Nac.1stGroup stage2010–11 Primera Nac.2ndWinners2011–122ª1stRunners-up2012–13 2ª5thQuarter-final2013–142ª1stSemi-final2014–152ª2ndWinners2015–162ª3rdQuarter-final2016–172ª1stRunners-up2017–182ª2ndWinners2018–192ª4thWinners2019–202ª Pro1st2020–212ª Pro7th/3rd2021–222ª Pro10th2022–231ª Fed11th2023–241ª Fed13th2024–25 (es)2ª Fed3rd2025–26 (es)2ª Fed1st
Notable graduates
Note: this list contains players who have appeared in at least 50 games for the first team or another top-level club. Current players in bold.
NameSenior DebutRefDaniela Agote2024Arene Altonaga2009Ainhoa Álvarez2014Jone Amezaga2022Paula Arana2021Joana Arranz2011Ane Azkona2016Naiara Beristain2009Damaris Egurrola2015Ane Elexpuru2022Sheila Elorza2015Joana Flaviano2007Alazne Gómez2012Oihane Hernández2019 Jone Ibáñez2015Naia Landaluze2021
NameSenior DebutRefEztizen Merino2012Garazi Murua2010Irune Murua2003Nerea Nevado2018Irene Oguiza2020Maite Oroz2015Sara Ortega2022Arrate Orueta2003Marta Perea2015Clara Pinedo2021Amaiur Sarriegi2019Andrea Sierra2016Maddi Torre2015Oihane Valdezate 2019Leia Zarate2016Maite Zubieta2022
References
External links
Athletic Club B at Txapeldunak