10 Things you didn't know about Real Betis Football Club

1. Real Betis Balompié FC has been ranked as the 32nd best followed team from Europe. This ranking was based on average attendance during the 2006-07 season.

2. The club is the first Andalusian football team to play in La Liga and ultimately reach the UEFA Champions League. Sevilla played the European Cup, which follows a different format, for the same competition.

3. Real Betis is reputed to be the only Spanish club to win in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd division leagues.

4. The club's name was inspired by Baetis, which is the Roman name for Guadalquivir River. Initially, the club received support from the working classes as well as numerous aristocrats, such as the King of Spain Don Alfonso XIII. The King's patronage, as with all other clubs, entitled Real Betis Balompié to use the title “Real” in their name. However, their name changed twice due to political upheavals to deflect any unwanted attention from the reigning officials. The current name was adopted after the Spanish Civil War had ended.

5. Balompié is the proper translation of football in Spanish, as opposed to the anglicized futbol. Real Betis Balompié is part of a small circle of clubs that use the proper translation in their names.

6. The club's greatest win took place on their home soil when they played Real Zaragoza during the 1958-59 season, scoring 7-0.

7. The club's greatest loss was in 1932-33 during an “away game” with Athletic Bilbao, scoring a 9-1 loss.

8. The team's home stadium, Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, was built on top of an old stadium, which was called Estadio Benito Villamarín. Part of it remains standing, but the club's manager has announced plans to have this removed as well in order to increase the stadium's capacity.

9. There is a twenty eight year gap between Real Betis Balompié FC's first and second wins at the Copa del Rey.

10. A set of green and black striped uniforms were donated to the team by Celtic FC in 1912 and were adopted as the team uniform as proposed by one of Real Betis' founding members Manuel Ramos Asensio. These were quickly discarded for bringing bad luck to the team due to a long losing streak and were replaced by the current green and white stripe version.

Paul writes about Barcelona Group Travel and for Real Betis football tickets.

About the Author: