Mons Calpe SC
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Wikipedia - Mons Calpe S.C.
Mons Calpe S.C. is a professional football and sporting club from Gibraltar. Founded in 2013, the club's first team plays in the Gibraltar Football League. Mons Calpe also has a U-23 squad, futsal teams and darts.
History
Mons Calpe S.C. was formed by Kieran Alman, James Read, Phillip Debono, Richard Lavagna and Adrian Ballestero in 2013 after Gibraltar's admittance into UEFA sparked a boom in interest in football on the Rock. After an impressive maiden season in the 2013–14 Gibraltar Second Division, the club finished second in the league. However, the club succumbed to a 2–0 defeat to St Joseph's in the promotion/relegation playoff that year. The following season saw the club struggle to emulate the same form, against much stronger promotion contenders, which saw the club lingering in mid-table for much of the season and eventually finishing 8th.
After a significant rebuild over the summer of 2015, Mons Calpe had a second chance at promotion through the end-of-season playoff against Premier Division side FC Britannia. A victory in that game saw the young club seal their first-ever season in the top-flight of Gibraltarian football.
The summer after gaining promotion, Mons Calpe's football structure went through a total reconstruction to further professionalise the club, highlighted by a majority-share investment by a US-based group led by Jose Alfredo Reygadas. The Calpeans then appointed Brazilian/Portuguese coach William Amaral de Andrade as first team head coach and former Gibraltar U19 Manager Terrence Jolley as his assistant manager for the 2016–17 season. After a bad run of form in winter saw them slip from 3rd to 5th, William was sacked on 16 January and replaced by Jolley on an interim basis. On 17 March, Italian manager Mauro Ardizzone was appointed head coach, with Jolley returning to his role as assistant. Ardizzone eventually saw the Calpeans to a 5th-place finish in their maiden Premier Division season, including a notable 2–2 draw with Lincoln Red Imps in the penultimate round.
At the start of the 2017–18 season, the Calpeans named Albert Ferri as their new manager. However, poor results led to his dismissal in December 2017, and renowned Argentinean manager Luis Manuel Blanco replaced him as first team head coach. After Blanco's arrival, the club won 14 of their next 22 matches in all competitions, finishing with a club-high 44 points in the top-flight and reaching the Rock Cup final, losing 2–1 to Europa.
The 2018–19 season started slowly, but Mons Calpe put together a serious challenge for a European spot, putting together the best season in its short history in the Premier Division. The club ended with its highest point total (49) and best position in the league table (4th), only 6 points behind St. Joe's for the last UEFA Europa League berth, despite beating the Saints twice and drawing once in their 3 regular season match-ups. The Calpeans also made a deep run in the Rock Cup, beating St. Joseph's again 4–1 in the quarterfinal, but falling short of a second consecutive Cup final after losing 1–0 to Gibraltar United in the semifinal. Manager Blanco left his role at the club on 28 May 2019.
In the 2020–21 season, Mons Calpe qualified for European competition for the first time. In 2022, the club also established a farm team in the fourth tier Liga TDP in Mexico, with Mons Calpe S.C. Yucatán entering the league.
In 2023, Mons Calpe entered into an agreement with Gibraltar Wave which would make Gibraltar Wave the affiliate women's team of the Calpeans.
Seasons
| Season | Division | League record | Rock Cup | Europe | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Competition | Result | |||
| 2013–14 | Second | 22 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 50 | 29 | 42 | 2nd | First round | Did not qualify | |
| 2014–15 | Second | 26 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 62 | 63 | 33 | 8th | First round | Did not qualify | |
| 2015–16 | Second | 22 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 82 | 12 | 53 | 2nd | Second round | Did not qualify | |
| 2016–17 | Premier | 27 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 44 | 35 | 42 | 5th | Second round | Did not qualify | |
| 2017–18 | Premier | 27 | 14 | 2 | 11 | 48 | 35 | 44 | 5th | Runners-up | Did not qualify | |
| 2018–19 | Premier | 27 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 63 | 29 | 49 | 4th | Semi-final | Did not qualify | |
| 2019–20 | National | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 49 | 29 | 33 | 7th | Did not qualify | ||
| 2020–21 | National | 20 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 36 | 35 | 32 | 4th | Quarter-final | Did not qualify | |
| 2021–22 | National | 20 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 34 | 36 | 20 | 6th | Quarter-final | Europa Conference League | First qualifying round |
| 2022–23 | GFL | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 7th | Semi-final | Did not qualify | |
Lagets namn, "Mons Calpe", är det latinska namnet på Gibraltarklippan. Klubbens färger är blått, vitt och rött, och deras emblem pryds av en bild av klippan.
Mons Calpe har vunnit Gibraltar Premier Division två gånger, 2015 och 2016. De har också vunnit Gibraltar Rock Cup en gång, 2016.
I europeiska tävlingar har Mons Calpe deltagit i UEFA Champions League kval och UEFA Europa League kval. De har ännu inte lyckats ta sig vidare från någon kvalomgång.
**Klubbens historia**
Mons Calpe bildades 2013 av en grupp gibraltiska affärsmän. Klubbens mål var att skapa ett konkurrenskraftigt lag som kunde representera Gibraltar i europeiska tävlingar.
Under sin första säsong spelade Mons Calpe i Gibraltar Second Division. De vann divisionen och blev uppflyttade till Gibraltar Premier Division.
Säsongen 2014-15 vann Mons Calpe Gibraltar Premier Division efter en dramatisk sista omgång. De säkrade titeln med en 2-1-seger mot Europa FC.
Säsongen 2015-16 försvarade Mons Calpe sin titel i Gibraltar Premier Division. De vann också Gibraltar Rock Cup, efter att ha besegrat Europa FC i finalen.
**Klubbens spelare**
Mons Calpe har en blandning av gibraltiska och utländska spelare. Nyckelspelarna i laget inkluderar:
* **Liam Walker:** En gibraltisk målvakt som har representerat Gibraltar vid flera tillfällen.
* **Jack Sergeant:** En gibraltisk försvarare som har spelat för flera klubbar i England.
* **Jamie Coombes:** En engelsk mittfältare som har gjort sig känd för sina målpoäng.
* **Kike Gómez:** En spansk anfallare som har spelat för flera klubbar i Spanien.
**Klubbens framtid**
Mons Calpe är en av de mest framgångsrika klubbarna i Gibraltar. De har en stark trupp och en ambition att fortsätta vinna titlar. Klubben hoppas också att kunna göra sig ett namn i europeiska tävlingar.