SD Formentera · History

Sociedad Deportiva Formentera is the football club of Sant Francesc Xavier, on the island of Formentera in the Balearic Islands, and has played in the Tercera Federación, Group XI, since 2024. It was founded in 1971, when its first board of directors was formed, and plays in a red shirt with black shorts and socks, colours that earned it the nicknames «rojillos» and «rojinegros». The club spent one season in Segunda División B, 2017-18, and in that same campaign reached the last 16 of the Copa del Rey after knocking out Athletic Club.

Foundation and early decades

The priest José Costa Guasch drove the creation of the club and served as its first president. In its early seasons, from 1971-72 onwards, Formentera played in the Primera Regional and then in the Regional Preferente of Ibiza and Formentera. In 1979-80 it reached the Tercera División for the first time, placed in Group VIII. The team finished 19th and went down, but that same season it made its Copa del Rey debut, beating UD Porreres 3-2 on aggregate in the first round before losing to Atlético Baleares in the second.

A long spell in regional football followed. The first team was not registered in 1988-89 or 1989-90, and in 1990-91 it won the Ibiza and Formentera Preferente, although it lost the promotion play-off to the Tercera. The club spent the 2000s in mid-table in the regional league until, in 2011-12, it earned its return to the fourth tier.

Settling in the Tercera División

From 2012 Formentera became a regular presence near the top of Tercera Group XI, the Balearic section. It finished third in 2012-13 and 2013-14, reaching the promotion play-offs for Segunda B both times. In 2014-15 it won its first Tercera league title, though promotion did not follow. In the 2015-16 Copa del Rey the club produced its first upset in the competition, winning 2-1 away at Segunda B side CD Alcoyano on 2 September 2015; a week later it lost 3-1 to Barakaldo at Lasesarre. The 2015-16 league season ended in second place.

The 2017 promotion and the night at San Mamés

In 2016-17 the team won Group XI again. In the cup it was drawn against Sevilla FC, who won 5-1 on Formentera on 30 November 2016 and 9-1 at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on 21 December. In the promotion play-offs Formentera beat Deportivo Alavés B 2-0 at home and 1-0 in Vitoria in May 2017, securing the first promotion in its existence to Segunda División B.

The 2017-18 season in the third tier brought the club's best cup run. After getting past SD Tarazona on penalties, Formentera were drawn against Athletic Club. Following a draw in the first leg, on 29 November 2017 they won 1-0 at San Mamés with a header from Álvaro Muñiz in the 96th minute, going through 2-1 on aggregate. Deportivo Alavés eliminated them in the round of 16, winning 3-1 in Sant Francesc on 3 January 2018 and 2-0 at Mendizorroza a week later. In the league the side finished 17th in Group III and returned to the Tercera in 2018.

Segunda Federación and back to the fifth tier

Back in Group XI, Formentera finished fourth in 2018-19 and seventh in 2019-20, the season suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020-21 it earned a place in the new Segunda RFEF, the fourth tier created in the 2021 restructuring of Spanish football. There it finished seventh in 2021-22 and eleventh in 2022-23. In 2023-24 it ended 13th and had to play the relegation play-out, losing 1-0 to SD Izarra on 19 May 2024, a result that sent it down to the Tercera Federación.

Ground and presidents

Between 1960 and 1973 the team played at the Can Joan des Pla ground. Since then it has been based at the municipal sports ground in Sant Francesc Xavier, opened on 30 September 1973 with a league match against San Rafael CF and later fitted with an artificial pitch. Its presidents include Felip Portes, from 2008 to 2016, when the club established itself in the Tercera, and Xicu Ferrer, from 2016 to 2020, who led the club through the promotion to Segunda B. Luis Elcacho coached the team from 2012 to 2016, and Tito García Sanjuán from 2016 to 2018.

Honours

Formentera have won two Tercera División Group XI league titles, in 2014-15 and 2016-17. At island level they won the Ibiza and Formentera Regional Preferente in 1990-91. Their best Copa del Rey finish is the round of 16 in 2017-18, and their only season in Segunda División B was 2017-18, which they ended in 17th place.