Club San Fernando is an Argentine multi-sports club based in San Fernando, Buenos Aires. One of the largest clubs of the North side of Greater Buenos Aires, the club hosts a wide range of sports and activities, such as basketball, basque pelota, bowls, canoe racing, chess, field hockey, football, gymnastics, judo, rowing rugby union, swimming, tennis, volleyball and yachting.
The club has a large tradition in sports, having played in the Argentine Football Association tournaments from 1923 to 1931 when the football became professional in Argentina and the club disaffiliated. Football is currently practised as an amateur activity at San Fernando.
Nowadays the club has competition teams of women's field hockey, which plays in the regionalized Torneo Metropolitano, having won 13 titles to date. The other sport taking part in senior leagues is rugby union, which currently plays in Primera División B, the second division of the URBA league system.
History
Origins in football
The roots of current club can be traced to its predecessor Club Atlético San Fernando, founded on 25 November 1905 by a group of members of Club Tiro Federal Argentino who played football outside that institution. The meeting was held in a room of Club Social Unión because Tiro Federal refused to host the meeting.
The club soon affiliated to the Argentine Association, playing some friendly matches against Uruguayan teams Nacional, Palmira and Club Náutico Carmelo.
In 1918 San Fernando promoted to División Intermedia (second division) after winning over Del Plata by 2–1 at Independiente stadium. When the club lost its game field due to the owner requested it to get back, Gerardo Magaldi ceded a land that the Municipality of San Fernando had given him many years before as a payment for a debt. Therefore, Atlético San Fernando established its headquarters there.
At the end of the 1910s, the Municipality annulled the property given to Magaldi and requested the land to get back. Not only the club refused but some the neighbors declared against the request so the municipality desisted from demanding the restitution of the land.
Two years later, Atlético promoted to Primera División. To play at the top division, the Association demanded the clubs to have their stadiums in optimal conditions due to security reasons, otherwise they would not be allowed to play. Therefore, the club had to build grandstands and a fence surrounding the field, for which it was suggested that San Fernando merge with clubs Social Unión and Fénix Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima. Fénix did not accept to merge but so did Social Unión.
Atlético San Fernando debuted in the 1922 season playing in official league, "Asociación Argentina de Football" (the other league was the dissident "Asociación Amateurs de Football"). The colors that identify the club (blue, white and green) symbolized seriousness, purity and hope respectively.
On 3 March 1923, seventy-two members of clubs Social Unión and Atlético San Fernando gave their approval to the merger, so current "Club San Fernando" was established.
San Fernando continued playing at the top division of football until 1931 when the team was relegated after finishing in the last place. That same year, the club decided to disaffiliate from the Football Association, focusing on internal tournaments since then.
Tennis was the second sport to be introduced at San Fernando, in 1930. It was practised only at lower levels until 1932, when the club affiliated to Asociación Argentina de Lawn Tenis. One year later, the club took part in its first official tournament, finishing second. In 1937, the men's team promoted to Segunda División.
Basketball began to be practised at the club in 1925 when the first court was built. In 1930, the club had 1,600 members.
Hockey
In March 1932 a female team named "San Fernando Hockey Club" requested the club permission to play their games in its fields. Then president Francisco Charlin approved the request and not only the girls were admitted but field hockey was added to the institution as an official activity. The female team was affiliated to Argentine league to play at second division. The first team that took part in an official championship was formed by Lorna Mathews, Norah Hubber, Marjory Stuert, Peggy Cowlishaw, Joey walsh, Florrie Walding, Dorothy Stuart, Beatrice Crawlwey, Violet Spamer, Gladis Herboldt and Martha Harrison and Doris Mayne.