And you, do you want to play for Real?
And you, do you want to play for Real Sociedad? So began one of the stories I read to Aintzane Encinas, and so began the story of the Real Sociedad women’s team. With this invitation, a dream was born that would soon become a reality. In a historic call, more than 100 players turned up at Zubieta, showing the enthusiasm and passion for women’s football in Guipúzcoa.
That ‘casting’ was just the beginning of a long and successful trajectory. After that, Real Sociedad participated for the first time as a women’s team in a tournament in Tolosa, marking a milestone in the history of football in Guipuzcoa, which today can proudly say that it is at the top of Spain in the percentage of women’s football licences, 20% of the total.
Since that first match, 20 seasons have passed, 20 years in which the team has grown, evolved and consolidated itself as a reference in Spanish women’s football. Since then, the girls have also worn the Txuriurdin colours, proving that football does not understand gender, but rather talent and passion.
The road has not been easy, but each season has been a step forward towards equality and the recognition of women’s football. Thanks to the joint efforts of players, coaches, directors and fans, Real Sociedad Femeninas has managed to make a name for itself and continue to write its history in golden letters.
The women’s team is finally a reality
19 September 2004 is a historic date for Real Sociedad, as it marked the debut of the women’s team in an official competition. It was against Amara Berri in the Regional category, played at the Martutene football ground in San Sebastian, the final score was 0-11 for the txuriurdin and the starting eleven that took to the field was made up of: Olatz Yerequi, Ainhoa Mateos, Evelyn Santos, Nahikari Etxaniz, Anne Mugarza, Ohiana Galdona, Aintzane Encinas, Itxaso García, Laura Gómez, Gurutze del Ama and Naiara Elgorriaga, with Iñigo Domínguez as coach. Redondo, Epelde, Estitxu, Egea and Larraitz were on the bench. The goals were scored by Laura Gómez (5), Naiara Elgorriaga (3), Evelyn Santos (1), Gurutze del Ama (1) and Aintzane Encinas (1).
It goes without saying that Real won promotion to the second division, from which they made the leap to the first division a year later, in 2006. The Txuriurdin qualified for the playoffs for the top flight and, although they did not make it on the pitch, winning 2-0 against Rayco Las Palmas, but were held to a goalless draw by Sporting Huelva, Estudiantes Huelva’s withdrawal due to financial problems brought with it an invitation to take their place in the top flight.
On 10 September, with Atlético de Madrid as their opponents, Real made their debut in the First Division, a category in which it was difficult to celebrate the first victory, which did not come until the ninth matchday, 0-1 at Transportes Alcaine. Once the nerves and the impression of playing against the best were gone, more victories would follow and permanence would be achieved.
The luck of having Garbiñe Etxeberria
Garbiñe Etxeberria, born in Hernani, Guipúzcoa, has been working at Real Sociedad for 20 years, and the women’s football section cannot be understood without her. The leading role, as usual, has always fallen to the coaches and the players, but her work in the background has been very important for the project to become what it is and thanks to this, the stands of the Z-7 in Zubieta are often full and many more people are aware of what the team is doing.
Garbiñe began her playing career at the age of 14 with her school team, from where she moved on to Oiartzun K.E., where she played from 1984 to 1996. As captain, she led Oiartzun to win the National League in the 1990/91 season and two Queen’s Cups (1987 and 1988). At the same time, she coached the club’s youth teams. It was already clear then that she was going to dedicate her whole life to women’s football.
In 2004, Etxeberria joined Real Sociedad as coach of the women’s first team, forming a tandem with Iñigo Domínguez, achieving promotion to the Superliga in 2006. A year later, in 2007, she became the first woman to coach the team in the top flight.
In 2008, Garbiñe left her position as coach to take on management roles within the club that were much needed for Real Femeninas to continue to grow, such as those of delegate and technical secretary. Since 2017, she has been the sports director of the Real Sociedad women’s section. Under her leadership, the team won the Copa de la Reina in 2019, a historic milestone.
Garbiñe is recognised as a pioneer of women’s football in Gipuzkoa and a luck for Real Sociedad.
Irene Paredes, a world champion from Zubieta
Irene Paredes is one of the most relevant players in the history of the Real Sociedad women’s team, not so much because of the number of games she played, 89, but because she is the one who is still having the most outstanding career on an individual level, with the 2023 World Championship title heading a good number of trophies with the Spanish national team, Barcelona, PSG and Athletic Bilbao, teams she has played for after leaving Zubieta.
The Legazpiarra centre-back, after starting out at Ilintxa in her hometown and moving on to Urola and Zarautz, arrived at Real in the summer of 2008 and, despite being only 17 years old, was a regular starter from then on, which led to her making 27, 30 and 32 appearances in three very high level campaigns which, together with a better offer, put an end to her time as a Txuriurdin, too soon for the interests of the Gipuzkoan side.
Paredes enjoyed winning the 2015-16 league title, Athletic Bilbao’s last, and also lifted the French championship trophy with the then all-powerful PSG, from where she made the leap to Barcelona, to do her bit in making it the best women’s team in the world, winning several leagues, cups and the long-awaited Champions League.
As a Blue and Whites, although never forgetting her beginnings at Real, Irene will always be in the history of Spanish football as one of the members of the national team that won the 2023 World Championship, also a few months later of the Nations League.
A tearful farewell to Aintzane and Maialen
15 May 2017 was one of the most emotional days in Zubieta’s 30-year history, as Aintzane Encinas and Maialen Zelaia, the first and sixth most-capped players in the history of the Real Sociedad women’s team, said goodbye on the Z-7 pitch. The first of the two was then the only ‘founder’ of the section who was still active.
Aintzane played and scored in the first official match in the history of the Real women’s team, on 19 September 2004, surely without thinking that day that many, many years later she would become, by far and away, the player with the most appearances in the Txuriurdin shirt, with no less than 344.
She was a reference for the Txuriurdin team for 13 seasons, in which she fought on the pitch and also off it in search of greater visibility, among many other acts with her blog ‘20, my passion’, which together with ‘Errealeko neskak’ by Ane Urkiri were the main sources of information for a project that, although very slowly, began an unstoppable growth and whose pioneers or references should never be forgotten.
That same day also served to say goodbye to Maialen Zelaia, the sixth all-time leading player, with 214 appearances, which would have been many more had it not been for a serious injury. The retirement of the two players from San Sebastian was like putting an end to one of the most important stages in the history of the women’s team, thanks to the consolidation of the team thanks to a group of women who defended the Txuriurdin colours for several seasons, such as Larraitz Lucas, another emblematic player, Maite Lizaso, Itziar Gastearena, Gurutze del Ama, Ainara Herrero, Evelyn Santos and Marina Agoues, among others.
These players and many others were marked by many coaches and trainers, also by more people who were part of the technical staff, especially one who said goodbye to us in a very hard way and whom everyone always remembers with the affection he earned: Juan Carlos Samaniego ‘Tximist’, a great readaptor of injuries and also of feelings.
Gonzalo Arconada, with him came evolution
The arrival of Gonzalo Arconada to the women’s team, after the coach from San Sebastian had always coached men in the almost 30 years he had been on the bench, was a key moment for the evolution of the Real project with the women, not only because of the achievement of the Copa de la Reina in 2019, the only title of the section in the showcases of the Reale Arena, but also because during his stay a series of important improvements were made.
Arconada, who as we say had always coached men’s teams, including Sanse and Real themselves, and whose official announcement was made on 22 November 2017, was quite surprised at the inequality in terms of equipment that the women’s team had for their day-to-day life.
The move from the Z-1, where he ran the men’s first team sessions, to the artificial grass Z-4, where he ran most of the women’s sessions, was for him a return to the past. Training in midfield, with men’s lower teams, without a specific goalkeeping coach, with older balls and scarce and outdated equipment, as well as other aspects, were left behind during his time, when he began to shape the professionalism that came later.
Gonzalo Arconada’s era brought with it the transition from evening training sessions, as the vast majority of the players were studying or working, to morning ones, and the hours at Zubieta began to be extended for the girls who, seeing that they could achieve the progression they were looking for, increased their sacrifices even more to defend the Txuriurdin shirt.
The women’s team took small steps forward continuously, also in consideration and visibility abroad, and the reward came with that unexpected title of the 2019 Queen’s Cup, an achievement that showed that the commitment to women’s football, which was already beginning to grow, was justified.
Anoeta also fills up with girls
The growth of women’s football in recent years is demonstrated by the fact that the clubs, in our case Real, have opened the doors to the girls in the first division fields that were reserved for boys, with the great response of seeing very good tickets and even full houses. What was unthinkable for the pioneers who blazed the trail is now normal for the players who continue it.
The women’s team’s first match at Anoeta was on 13 May 2018 and the fans responded with around 21,500 people in the stands. Historic players such as Larraitz Lucas, Maialen Zelaia and Aintzane Encinas were left wanting to play on that pitch and in front of so many people, something that Sandra Ramajo, another of the team’s key players, and of course players who are still active such as Ane Etxezarreta, Nerea Eizagirre and the now rivals Nahikari García, Leire Baños, Mariasun Quiñones and Itxaso Uriarte, did enjoy.
The experience was so positive that in the following year two matches were held, again with more than 21,000 women and men. One was the derby and the other was the semi-final of the Copa de la Reina, which they ended up winning in Seville, after beating Atlético de Madrid on that unforgettable 13 May 2019.
The pull of the title was felt on the next occasion that Anoeta was put at the disposal of the girls, on 13 October 2019, as 28,367 people turned up, a record crowd to date.
As we have noted and verified, playing at the now called Reale Arena is now something happily normal for the women’s team, highlighting among all the matches that have been played the one corresponding to the Champions League 2022-23, with Bayern Munich as opponents, and the semi-final of the Copa de la Reina last season, as there was possibly the best atmosphere, being key to the victory against Atlético de Madrid and the pass to the final.
The first title, a film with a happy ending
The 2018-19 season started with a smile on their faces, but nobody thought it could end with a much bigger one. The Txuriurdin won 2-3 in Tenerife and 3-0 against Málaga, then drew in Logroño and beat Sevilla to rub shoulders with the best teams at the top of the table.
Real then alternated between more wins, first defeats and a few draws, before playing the first knockout round of the Copa de la Reina in Valencia, where they won 1-2 in extra time, goals scored by Kiana Palacios and Nahikari García. Remember these names well.
Gonzalo Arconada’s side returned to La Liga until the second round on 30 January, when they beat Rayo Vallecano 4-0 in Zubieta, where they began to tingle in the semi-finals, which was even more so when the draw brought a clash with Sevilla, again in San Sebastian, and the club decided to take the game to Anoeta.
Nearly 20,000 people supported the team at the stadium, where Real did not let the opportunity pass them by and with a 3-1 win they reached the final, a fact that was celebrated as it deserved and which represented a new step forward for the club, because of the way they prepared for this hitherto only dreamed of date. By then, by the way, the Txuriurdin side were already on a positive run of 11 wins, six draws and only two defeats.
One of them came on the last matchday against the league champions and clear-cut Atlético de Madrid, who were to be their opponents in the cup final and who had in their ranks some of the best players of the moment, such as Lola Gallardo, Jenni Hermoso, Silvia Meseguer, Esther González, Amanda Sanpedro, Olga García and practically all the players in the squad, for example, the substitute goalkeeper was Misa Rodríguez. Yes, the now first-choice Real Madrid and international.
Favouritism in the decisive match in Granada was obviously for the rojiblanco team, even more so when Esther put the score at 1-0, but Kiana Palacios soon equalised. Nahikari García gave Real the lead on the hour mark and from then on all of Gonzalo Arconada’s players, supported by the several hundred travelling supporters, put in an outstanding display of resilience to realise a dream that seemed almost impossible: captain Sandra Ramajo lifted the Cup from the hands of Queen Leticia, an image that has gone down in history, but above all a heroic achievement in the trajectory of the women’s team.
The success was treated as it deserved on the return of the champions to Gipuzkoa, with receptions at the Provincial Council and the Town Hall, again with hundreds of people applauding the title, which the players paraded around the province in an unforgettable week.
From Iñigo Domínguez to Sánchez Vera
Natalia Arroyo has put an end to four seasons as coach of the women’s team in this 20th anniversary year, a time that has allowed her to place herself at the top of the ranking of the most historic coaches. The Catalan has coached 137 official matches, with a spectacular runners-up finish in the league and another in the Copa de la Reina as her most important achievements. José Luis Sánchez Vera has the difficult challenge of surpassing that figure.
Natalia Arroyo signed for Real in the summer of 2020, leaving her then profession as a commentator to become a coach. She arrived with the difficult mission of taking over from Gonzalo Arconada, but in her first season she already achieved a great fifth place. The post-season was very complicated, as a good number of historic players decided to leave the club, something that in the end would not be as noticeable as it might have seemed, as the renewed squad completed an outstanding league campaign that led to second place and the consequent qualification for a Champions League in which, as soon as they arrived, Bayern Münich were too much of a rival.
That round in the elite against the Germans was the beginning of the team’s downward slope with the coach from Esplugas de Llobregat, as the final place in the league of that 2022-23 season was eighth, the same as the fourth and last championship in which she has occupied the Txuriurdin bench.
Natalia Arroyo was the ninth person to coach Real’s women’s team since its inception in 2004. Iñigo Domínguez was the first, spending three seasons and playing 81 matches. Garbiñe Etxeberria took over the following season, making 26 appearances. Then came Javier Garmendia, with 60 games in two seasons. The same time was spent with José Manuel Etxabe, who went on to make 67 appearances.
Unai Gazpio was on his tenth anniversary, as he sat on the bench from 2012-13 to 2014-15, making 92 appearances. Igor San Miguel spent the next two, one with a great fifth place, for 62 appearances. Juanjo Arregi only lasted seven games in 2017-18 and, after Gorka Álvarez was provisionally in for three, Gonzalo Arconada arrived to be the penultimate before Natalia Arroyo and total 80 games, including the Queen’s Cup final won in 2019.
The Catalan has already been replaced this summer by José Luis Sánchez Vera, who has the challenge of getting the women’s team back close to the European places, above all, and then trying to get as close as possible to or even surpass the 137 games he set as a ceiling.
‘Izan’ and the three academy teams secure the future
La Real took the big step of having a women’s team 20 years ago, but fortunately in recent times it has continued to make progress in the structure, with the creation of three academy teams, so that the girls can follow practically the same path as the boys until they reach the first team, and the current construction of the ‘Izan’ building in Zubieta, in which La Real was since 2004 and for many years with only one team, the professional team, to which the players came directly from the clubs under agreement.
La Real was since 2004 and for many years with only one team, the professional team, to which the players came directly from the clubs under agreement, whose progress is also worth highlighting, but in 2018 it decided to set up a second team and the wisdom of the decision has been more than demonstrated by the leap made since then by Elene Lete, Izarne Sarasola, Cecilia Marcos, Elene Viles or Nahia Aparicio, among others.
Furthermore, in order to make sure that the ladder was as good as possible for the young promises of a Gipuzkoa women’s football that has grown by leaps and bounds, a third team was set up in 2021 and a cadet-age team in 2023. As if that wasn’t enough, the decision to appoint Aintzane Encinas and Sandra Ramajo, two of the historic players, as coaches of these first two training teams, means that the girls now have closer than ever to mirrors in which to look at themselves.
The stay of four women’s teams was beginning to demand more space in Zubieta and the construction of the ‘Izan’ building, with a pitch with a 4,000-seater stand and state-of-the-art equipment, with the most modern technology applied to training, gymnasium, canteen and all the needs required by a football that is growing very quickly and in which it is not advisable to get lost and fall behind.
