UC Ceares

Early years

The club was founded in 1946 as a merger of two clubs: Blancoval and Fortuna. 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, UC 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 Sporting de Gijón footballer José Antonio Redondo replaced him until 2009, when he resigned. 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: "Popular 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 popular sport and criticism the actual business in football. For this philosophy, UC Ceares board inspired on English football and clubs like FC St. Pauli or F.C. United of Manchester.

The 2013–14 season was the 14th of the club in this league (the 11th consecutive one) 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 FC 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 Real Oviedo visited the field for the first time.

Ceares faced CF 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, UC 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 actual Campo de La Cruz was built.

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.

At the main entrance, there is a sign stating in Asturian language "ESTO YE LA CRUZ" (This is La Cruz), inspired in the one existing at the stairs of Anfield, in Liverpool.

The stadium is used also by Gijón FF, who firstly played its games at La Cruz in the 2005–06 Superliga Femenina, the only season the club played in the top women's league in Spain.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

In Tercera División

Updated as of the end of the 2015–16 season.

Famous players

Head coaches

League and playoff games are counted.

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.

UC Ceares B

UC Ceares B was the reserve team of the club. It was created in 2012 and folded three years later. It always played in Segunda Regional, the lowest division in Asturias.

Ceares B played its games in La Cruz and in the pitches of the Royal Asturias Football Federation, in Roces, Gijón.