Getafe Club de Futbol, also known as Getafe CF, is a Spanish club based in Getafe, in the suburbs of Madrid, Spain. Getafe was initially founded in 1923 but was re-established in 1983 after the civil war. Since then, the club has gone on to have a strong hold in the Spanish top flight, with occasional relegations. It doesn’t have the global recognition like the two clubs of Madrid - Real & Atletico - but has proved its worth every now and then by giving tough competitions to the top clubs of the league.
The team is known for their humble approach, along with strict defensive organization and undying fighting spirit. Getafe stadium is Coliseum Alfonso Perez, where a lot of important Getafe matches have been played over the years. Under their current manager, Jose Bordalas, the club secured 13th position in the league last season and currently sits 4th in the table after their clinical 2-0 win over Celta Vigo in their opening matchday.
Getafe history is filled with hardships, and this is the story of a club that didn’t give up and made its way all the way to the top. The club was initially named Sociedad Getafe Deportivo when it was founded. However, after the Spanish Civil War, five locals from Getafe, named Enrique Condes Garcia, Aurelio Miranda Olavarria, Antonio Corredor Lozano, Manuel Serrano Vergara, and Miguel Cubero Frances, refounded the club in 1946, and it was named Club Deportivo Getafe. Getafe didn’t have a home stadium at first, so they played their matches in Artilleria. Getafe home ground after Artilleria was San Isidro, where they achieved their promotion to the second division in the 1956/57 season. In 1970, Getafe finally unveiled its very own stadium named Las Margaritas.
In July 1983, Getafe Club de Futbol was officially founded, cutting previous ties with Club Deportivo Pena Getafe. This was the year when a lot of Getafe fans started to visit Madrid to watch their team play, and their club didn’t disappoint them. In 1998, Getafe stadium became Coliseum Alfonso Perez, which was a newly made stadium with a 14,000 seating capacity. After plying their trade in the lower leagues for most of the years, Getafe finally gained promotion to the Spanish top flight in 2004, under manager Quique Sanchez Flores. They stayed up in the first division till the 2014/15 season but faced relegation in the following season. However, under manager Jose Bordalas, they achieved promotion again to the first division by winning against Tenerife in the play-offs. Coincidentally, the last time they gained promotion in 2004 also saw a showdown between these two teams. Getafe history is testament to a team’s resilience, which once again proves that there is nothing as ‘impossible’ in the dictionary of football.