Mons Calpe
Full nameMons Calpe Sports Club
Nickname(s)The Calpeans
Founded2013
GroundVictoria Stadium, Gibraltar
Capacity2,000
OwnerReygadas Sports Group
ManagerSpain David Guti
LeagueGibraltar National League
2022–23Challenge Group: 1st
Overall: 7th
WebsiteClub website

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 National League.[1] 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.[2]

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 2213365029422nd[lower-alpha 1] First round Did not qualify
2014–15 Second 26103136263338th First round Did not qualify
2015–16 Second 2217238212532nd[lower-alpha 2] Second round Did not qualify
2016–17 Premier 27133114435425th Second round Did not qualify
2017–18 Premier 27142114835445th Runners-up Did not qualify
2018–19 Premier 2715486329494th Semi-final Did not qualify
2019–20 National 1810354929337th[lower-alpha 3] Abandoned[lower-alpha 3] Did not qualify
2020–21 National 2010283635324th Quarter-final Did not qualify
2021–22 National 2062123436206th Quarter-final Europa Conference League First qualifying round
2022–23 GFL 189182626287th Semi-final Did not qualify
  1. ↑ Lost in the Promotion/relegation play-off 2–0 to St Joseph's.
  2. ↑ Promoted via the Promotion/relegation play-off beating Britannia XI 2–1.
  3. 1 2 The 2019–20 Gibraltar National League season, and the 2020 Rock Cup, were abandoned with results declared null and void and results expunged due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

European record

As of match played 15 July 2021

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Agg.
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League 1QR Andorra FC Santa Coloma 1–1 0–4 1–5
Notes
  • QR: Qualifying round

Current squad

As of 21 October 2023

First Team squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Argentina ARG Christian Fraiz (player-coach)
3 DF Gibraltar GIB Kenneth Chipolina
4 MF Gibraltar GIB Shay Jones (on loan from Bruno's Magpies)
5 DF Spain ESP Esteban Montes
6 MF Spain ESP Chico
7 FW Spain ESP Jesús Ayala
8 MF Gibraltar GIB Sykes Garro
9 FW Spain ESP Antonio Sánchez
11 FW Gibraltar GIB Dylan Peacock
12 FW United States USA Tyler Francis
13 MF Gibraltar GIB Nazim Hughes
14 FW Gibraltar GIB John-Paul Duarte
15 DF Gibraltar GIB Ethan Llambias
16 MF Spain ESP Yussef Flalhi Idrissi
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Spain ESP Christian Pecci
19 FW Spain ESP Luisma Gallardo
20 MF Gibraltar GIB Jeremy Perera
22 DF Uruguay URU Alex Satriano
23 DF Gibraltar GIB Sebastian Sun Gorny
24 MF Gibraltar GIB Leon Clinton
25 GK Spain ESP Daniel Tudela
29 MF United States USA Greyson Basso
31 MF Spain ESP Fernando Cosano
61 FW Poland POL Hugo Bartkowiak
70 FW Spain ESP Michael Borja
77 MF Gibraltar GIB Jaron Vinet
— MF Gibraltar GIB Max Cottrell

Intermediate team

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Gibraltar GIB Michael Charvetto Parody
3 MF Gibraltar GIB Elton Victory
5 MF Gibraltar GIB Ashton Vinent
6 DF Gibraltar GIB Leon Thick
7 FW Gibraltar GIB Cameron Botterill
14 FW Gibraltar GIB Haim Bitan
15 MF Gibraltar GIB Aidan Gonzalez
17 FW Gibraltar GIB Zayne Da Costa
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 FW England ENG Aaron Quigley
21 MF Gibraltar GIB Karim Amghar
23 MF Gibraltar GIB Etien Victory
24 MF Gibraltar GIB Jake Wink
31 FW Gibraltar GIB Ashton Hancock
32 DF England ENG Bradley Cameron
77 DF Wales WAL Tom Farmer
— DF Gibraltar GIB Ryan Dean

Club staff

Position Name
Club Management
Head coach Spain David Guti
Assistant Coach Gibraltar Roderick Casciaro
U23 Coach Gibraltar John Robba
Goalkeeper Coach Gibraltar Christian Gilchrist
Physical Trainer Gibraltar Graeme Mojica
Physio Gibraltar Anthony Herrera
Analyst Gibraltar Richard McGoldrick
Team Delegate Gibraltar Steve Caraballo
Board
Chairman Mexico José Reygadas
Head of Youth Scotland David Wilson

References

  1. ↑ "Gibraltar Football Association".
  2. ↑ Statement re: Luis Blanco Mons Calpe on Twitter. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
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