On 23 February 1913 a new team from Santander played its first match, and that is the day it celebrates as its birthday. On 23 February 2027 Racing de Santander turns 114. And it does so back in La Liga, after 14 years away.

A start with a defeat

The first match was lost 2-1 to Strong, another local team. Legal registration followed on 14 June 1913 under the name Santander Racing Club, and the club later merged with Santander FC.

Its first ground opened the same year where Parque de Mesones stands today. In 1922 King Alfonso XIII granted it the title "Real", royal. The current stadium, the Campos de Sport de El Sardinero, opened on 20 August 1988 and holds about 22,000, all seated.

From red to green and white

Few remember it, but in 1913 and 1914 Racing played in red and white. Later the colours that define it took hold: white and green, with black shorts, which is why the players are called "verdiblancos". The sources we found do not explain why the change was made.

The crest has two concentric ochre circles with the words "Real Racing Club". In the centre there is a green flag with a white square and the initials RC, with a ball below. The crown was added in 1922, removed during the Second Republic and later returned.

Spain's first sponsored shirt

Racing holds a first that few people know about. On 27 December 1981, away at Real Madrid, it became the first Spanish team with a sponsor's name on its shirt.

The sponsor was the German electrical appliance company Teka. Today every La Liga shirt has a sponsor, but it all started in Santander.

Great moments and great names

Racing played in the very first season of Spain's Primera División, 1928-29. In 1930-31 it finished second, level on points with champions Athletic, with Englishman Robert Firth on the bench, its best finish ever.

In 1994-95 it thrashed Barcelona 5-0 at the Sardinero, with Quique Setién among the scorers. In 2008 it reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals and, by finishing sixth in the league, earned its first ticket to the UEFA Cup.

Its shirt has been worn by Paco Gento, born in nearby Guarnizo, before he left for Real Madrid in 1953, Santillana, Pedro Munitis, Salva Ballesta, La Liga's top scorer in 1999-00 with 27 goals, and Nikola Žigić.

Argentine defender Ezequiel Garay, meanwhile, won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008 as a Racing player.

From crisis back to La Liga

After relegation in 2012 came hard years, with a financial crisis, unpaid wages and a drop to the third tier. In 2014 the players refused to play a cup match against Real Sociedad in protest.

In 2026, though, came redemption. A 4-1 win over Valladolid sealed promotion, and on 31 May Racing also clinched the Segunda title.

Celebrate with us

From Parque de Mesones to the Sardinero, Racing carries a century of history, firsts and stubbornness on its green and white shirt. It celebrates its 114th birthday where it belongs, in the top flight. From Gento to Setién, every generation in Cantabria has its own story to tell in this shirt.

Happy birthday, Racing, and all the best in La Liga!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The west façade of the Campos de Sport de El Sardinero – Emilio Gómez Fernández, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.