Gimnasia Y Esgrima De La Plata
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Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional
sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
based in the city of
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima",''Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, 100 Años'', by Carlos Asnaghi, Editorial Ceyne, 1988 – the club is mostly known for its
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team, which currently plays in Primera División, the first division of the
Argentine football league system The Argentine football league system include tournaments organised by the Argentine Football Association. Clubs affiliated to the body compete in the tournaments, which are split into categories or divisions. Rules establish a system of promot ...
. The club was most famously managed by footballing legend
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
, from September 2019 until his death in November 2020. Apart from football, CGE also hosts a large number of sports such as athletics,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
,
chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
,
fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
,
futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
,
artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), ...
,
field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
,
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
(
aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...
,
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
, kendo,
taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
), swimming,
roller skating Roller skating is the act of travelling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreation, recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on s ...
,
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
,
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
, and
weightlifting Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...
.


History

The "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata" was founded on 3 June 1887 as a civil association, and thus is the oldest surviving football club still participating in the Argentine league. The club also claims to be the oldest football club in the Americas, despite other football clubs, such as Peruvian Lima Cricket F.C., having older foundation dates. Its foundation came barely five years after the creation of the City of
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
in 1882. The first sports offered to its members were, as its Spanish name indicates,
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
and
fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
. Clubs supporting these sports were common among the upper classes at the end of the 19th century (''cf.'' the prior foundation of
Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima (also known for its acronym GEBA) is an Argentine multi-sports club placed in the city of Buenos Aires. The institution is one of the oldest in the country, having been established in 1880. Gimnasia y Esgrima is also one ...
in 1880). Later on, other disciplines were added, including
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
, football,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
and rugby. The institution changed name a few times: from April to December 1897 it was called a "Club de Esgrima" (in English, "Fencing Club") because fencing was the only activity practised at that moment. On 17 December 1897 it returned to its original name: "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima" ("Gymnastics and Fencing Club"). From July 1952 to 30 September 1955, the club was named "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima de Eva Perón" ("Gymnastics and Fencing Club of Eva Perón"), because the city of La Plata itself had been renamed "Eva Perón" in 1952, after
Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until ...
's death. The city returned to its previous name during the government of the "''Liberating Revolution''", and so did the club. However, it remained unduly identified legally as "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima ''de'' La Plata" ("Gymnastics and Fencing Club of La Plata"), a mistake that was corrected on 7 August 1964 after the new statute was approved. Gimnasia y Esgrima was promoted to the first division after becoming champions of the División Intermedia of Argentine football in 1915. Later, in 1929, the club won its first Primera División championship. During successive years, Gimnasia became champion of Primera B in 1944, 1947 and 1952 and won the Copa Centenario de la AFA in 1994. Additionally, the squad has been a runner-up in the Primera División on five occasions. The club has remained at the top level of Argentine football for 73 seasons, giving it with
Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...
the eighth longest participation at this level.


Clásico Platense

The Clásico Platense (La Plata derby) is the nickname given to the match between
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
's two main football teams: Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and
Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "La Plata Students"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its histo ...
. The first official derby took place as part of the Primera División season on 27 August 1916. On that occasion, Gimnasia won 1–0 over Estudiantes, with an
own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...
by Ludovico Pastor. The first derby of the professional era took place on 14 June 1931. Between 12 August 1932 and 9 September 1934 Gimnasia won five consecutive La Plata derbies, the longest run of victories in that derby until Estudiantes emulated that feat in 2006–08. On 25 June 1963 Gimnasia obtained a 5–2 victory, this being the best result so far against Estudiantes. On the other hand, Gimnasia's worst result was a 7–0 defeat on 15 October 2006. A curiosity among the derbies occurred on 5 April 1992, when Gimnasia won over Estudiantes 1–0 at the latter's stadium. On that date, as the stands erupted and Gimnasia's fans shouted in celebration at the goal being scored, the seismograph of the local Astronomical Observatory registered a low-intensity seismic event. That goal was scored by the Uruguayan José Perdomo on a freekick, and it has been known ever since as "El gol del terremoto" ("The earthquake goal").


Presidents

Through more than 120 years of history, the Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata has had 56 presidents, who are elected individuals who took on the responsibility of steering the Institution. Many of them contributed to the growth of the club over the years. Some of them have remained more vivid in the fans' memory for their achievements or outstanding works. Saturnino Perdriel was the founder and first president of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata. Perdriel was a merchant during the first few years of the city of La Plata, in addition to being a civil servant at the Treasury Department of the
Province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
. He died prematurely in 1888, after one year as Club president. Currently, the President of Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata is chosen by its associates, by means of general elections that take place every three years. Any club member over 18 years of age, and with at least three years membership of the club, have a right to vote. Members with over seven years membership have a right to be elected to the Club governmental body, the Management Commission or "Directory". The most recent President of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata is Gabriel Pellegrino, who refused to run for re-election in 2019. On 15 December 2019, however, Pellegrino, who was encouraged to seek re-election from club manager
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
, was re-elected to a three-year term.


Facilities

Gimnasia's facilities include, besides its football stadium, a campus of 160 hectares, a campus for children's football, a sports center, a kindergarten, a primary school and one high school. There are also dozens of subsidiaries located in the country and the world. * Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo: also known as ''El Bosque'' (Spanish for "the forest", because it is located in the La Plata park of the same name), has the capacity to accommodate approximately 24,544 spectators. * ''Estancia Chica'': It is a property of 160 hectares, where the professional football team trains before each match. * El Bosquecito: It is a campus of 11 hectares where children's categories practice and play. * Other: The club has opened a kindergarten in 1999 (works on Calle 62 No. 474), a Primary School called "Dr. René Favaloro" opened in 2001 (on streets 123 and 58) and a High School opened in early 2008. * Polideportivo Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata: Opened in 1978, Gimnasia y Esgrima has a sports complex, where it competes in the first division of basketball and volleyball with a capacity for 2,600 people, which rises to 3,500 spectators when performing musicals. * Headquarters: In addition to the administration of the club and the attention of the members, it is possible to play sports like basketball and volleyball, among others. It also has a gym.


Anthem

The official anthem of Gimnasia was written in 1915 by the popular poet born in Magdalena, Délfor B. Méndez and the music was composed by the master Juan Serpentini, who composed versions of the National Argentine Anthem and "El tambor de Tacuarí", with Rafael Obligado's letter. The official anthem of Gimnasia was intoned by the first time on 9 July 1915 on the occasion of the reception that was given to the
delegation Delegation is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person.Schermerhorn, J., Davidson, P., Poole, D., Woods, P., Simon, A., & McBarron, E. (2017). ''Management'' (6th ed., pp. 282–286). Brisbane: John Wiley & Sons Australia. ...
of the club River Plate of
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
. In 1967 the official anthem was recorded by the musical ensemble of the
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
Police.


Emblems and colors


Badge

The current shield of Gimnasia y Esgrima is a wreath in which, in the top part, a helmet is outlined with a
heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...
crest. At the center, on enamel and with the colors of the club (white and navy blue), is the club
monogram A monogram is a motif (visual arts), motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbo ...
appears. In the top cantons, like a guard, there appears the hilts of a saber and a foil, with their sharp points emerging in lower part of the shield. To the sides of the center laurels spread around the helmet. Since its inception, the club shield has undergone some modifications. The first symbol of the club appeared on a document dated 30 April 1888. This emblem consisted in the coat of arms of La Plata with the legend "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata – Mens Sana in Corpore Sano" surrounding it. The second seal appeared between 1894 and 1897, with the legend "Club de Esgrima" (
fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
was the only activity of the club by then).La institución
on GELP website
But the first heraldic emblem was indeed devised in 1901 by artist Emilio Coutauret, who was also a member of GELP board. That emblem was characterized by a handcrafted and adorned design. Because this symbol could not be reproduced easily at small sizes, the club commissioned technical draftsman Raúl Felices to design a more synthetic emblem. As a result, a new symbol was released in 1928. It has remained until present days. During Héctor Domínguez's presidency, the abbreviation CGE (Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima) at the center of the shield was replaced by GELP (Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata). Since the beginning of Walter Gisande's presidency, it was decided to return to the original abbreviation of 'CGE'.


Uniform

The official historical uniform of Gimnasia y Esgrima is based on the colours displayed in the club shield, as established in the institutional
statute A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...
, a white jersey with a single horizontal navy-blue stripe over the chest. In the first years of the institution, the colors adopted were white and light blue, seeking to highlight the fact that it was an
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
club. The first vest used by the team had vertical white and light blue stripes. In 1905, it was decided to change the colors to make it distinct from Racing Club. This resulted in a vest with vertical stripes of white and navy-blue color. Finally, in 1910, the design was modified, changing the vertical stripes into the horizontal band of navy-blue color over a white jersey, which has been used ever since.


Uniform evolution


Apparel and sponsors

The table below details the companies that provided the team's apparel, and have been sponsoring the club since 1980 to date:


Supporters


Fan base

Within the city of
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
and its environs, Gimnasia's fan base used to be identified with the working class, in contrast with the mostly middle class Estudiantes' constituency. Most of Gimnasia y Esgrima fans are from the Greater La Plata area. The club currently has 35,000 members. It is one of the 10 clubs with the most members in Argentina. The
barra brava () is the name of organized supporters' groups of association football, football teams in Hispanic America that provides fanatical support to their clubs in stadiums and provoke violence against rival fans as well as against the police. Actio ...
section named itself ''"La 22"'', after 22nd street in La Plata where many famous violent fans lived, notably Marcelo Amuchástegui. Known as ''Loco Fierro'', Amuchástegui was famous for his exploits, such as hanging a 100-meter Gimnasia flag in the Bombonera stadium. He was shot to death by
Rosarian Some Garden rose, rose growers are known for their particular contributions to the field. These include: A *David C.H. Austin (1926–2018), British breeder of English-style roses including the Rosa 'Wife of Bath', 'Wife of Bath' B *Barbier ...
police in a murky episode on 28 May 1991, allegedly during an armed robbery. Several surveys carried out over the years in Argentina, place Gimnasia in the eighth place in the ranking with the most fans in Argentina. As is the case with other clubs in the Argentine First Division, the fans celebrate the "Worldwide Day of Gimnasia's Fans" on 10 December with a large party and outside gathering.


Nicknames

Since the 1960s, Gimnasia has been known as ''El Lobo'' (short for "El Lobo del Bosque", Spanish for "the
wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
in the Forest") after the story of "Red Riding Hood", since its historical football field is located in the middle of La Plata's main park, known as ''El Bosque'' ("the forest"). Another nickname, ''mensanas'', derives from the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
motto used in the shield: ''Mens sana in corpore sano'' (a healthy mind in a healthy body). An original nickname was (and still is) ''triperos'' ("tripe" or "gut-handlers"). This name has its origin in the fact that many of Gimnasia's original supporters worked in the meat-processing plants of nearby Berisso. In newspaper caricatures from the early 1900s, Gimnasia was accordingly depicted as a "butcher", instead of the current "wolf". However, Gimnasia is still often greeted by its fans with a resounding "Tripa corazón!" (Spanish for "Heart of tripe!"). Curiously, the same nickname is applied when referring to the population of
Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
in Portugal, although the meaning of the nickname in Portuguese is closer to "tripe-eaters". Another nickname is ''basureros'' ("garbage or waste collectors"), acquired during the presidency of Mr. Venturino in the 1970s, who also managed the private company dealing with trash pickup in La Plata.


Stadium

The ''Juan Carmelo Zerillo'' stadium, known as ''El Bosque'' (Spanish for "the forest", because it is located in the La Plata park of the same name) had a capacity of 31,460 and was used continuously until 2005. When a new city stadium was built for
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires province, Argentina. According to the 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...
, both Gimnasia and Estudiantes initially chose to stay at their respective fields, but this arrangement collapsed when both fields were closed down due to new security regulations. In the 2006 ''Clausura'' tournament, Gimnasia began to use the city stadium for home games. During the Copa Sudamericana 2006, in a match against Fluminense, Gimnasia obtained the Stadium capacity record exceeding 50,000 spectators. Registration that is still valid. Match that ended 2–0 for The Wolf. Beginning in March 2008, Gimnasia made various reforms to its old stadium, seeking to secure the permit for its use at selected games. Finally in June 2008, the "''El Bosque''" grounds were reapproved for First Division competitions. On Saturday 21 June 2008, in the last game of the Clausure 2008 championship, Gimnasia returned to its old home in a match against Lanús. Now the ''Juan Carmelo Zerillo'' stadium has a capacity of 24,544.


Team records

* Best position in First Division: 1st – First Division 1929 * Historic position in Argentine First Division: 8th with 3461 points achieved in First Division, behind River Plate (5425),
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
(5242), San Lorenzo (4798),
Club Atlético Independiente () is an Argentine professional sports club, which has its headquarters and stadium in Avellaneda, a city of the Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its Association football, football team, which plays in the Argentine Primera Divi ...
(4765),
Racing In sports, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific g ...
Club (4609), Vélez Sarsfield (4276) and
Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "La Plata Students"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its histo ...
(4229). * Largest victories: 10–1 to River Plate (in 1905 playing in the División III) :: 8–1 to Racing Club (22 November 1961) ::In international tournaments: 5–1 to
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
(at the Copa Libertadores 2003) * Most consecutive victories: :: 8 (Apertura 2005) The 6th-best in the history of Argentina football. (in small tournaments) :: 9 (1962) * Worst defeats: ::In national championships: 0–8 to
Huracán Huracán (; ; , "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity. He also caused th ...
in First Division 1968. ::In international tournaments: 0–4 to IA Sud América (at the
Copa Conmebol The Copa CONMEBOL () was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football contest, similar to the ...
1995)
* Participation in international competitions: ::
Copa Conmebol The Copa CONMEBOL () was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football contest, similar to the ...
(3): 1992 (being a Semi-finalist), 1995 and 1998. ::
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
(4): 2002, 2006, 2014 and 2017. ::
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
(2): 2003 and 2007.


Players

In its 133-year history, the team has had more than 800 players play for their first team. From its low divisions they have arisen a great quantity of football players of national and international renown, as being
Guillermo Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'. People * Guillermo Amador (born 1974), American musician * Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Span ...
and Gustavo Barros Schelotto, Mariano Messera, Lucas Lobos, Roberto "Pampa" Sosa, Andrés Guglielminpietro, Sebastián Romero, Lucas Licht, Hernán Cristante and Leandro Cufré, among others.


Current squad


Reserve squad


Out on loan


Individual records


Most appearances


Top scorers


Current coaching staff

, - , Head coach , ,
Alejandro Orfila Alejandro José Luis Orfila (9 March 1925 – 9 June 2021) was an Argentine career diplomat, who later became a prominent winemaker in San Diego, California. Early career Orfila was born in Mendoza, Argentina to Catalan immigrants who had b ...
, - , Assistant coach , , Guillermo Almada , - , Assistant coach , , Axel Clazón , - , Fitness coach , , Diego Arias , - , Fitness coach , , Martín Fernández , - , Fitness coach , , Juan Lhomy , - , Goalkeeping coach , , Alejandro Andrada , - , Video analyst , , Facundo Juárez , - , Video analyst , , Ignacio Giusti , - , Doctor , , Pablo Del Compare , - , Doctor , , Flavio Tunessi , - , Nutritionist , , Lucía Márquez , - , Kinesiologist , , Jorge Murúa , - , Kit man , , Leandro Ladogana , - , Kit man , , Emiliano Silva , - , Kit man , , Omar Valenzuela , - , Masseur , , Cristian Ordoñez , - , Administrative assistant , , Cristián Jorgensen , -


Managers

As there are no records for the 1891–1930 period, since 1931 Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata has had a total of 63 managers (coaches). The first one was Emérico Hirschl, a Hungarian who trained the team between 1932 and 1934. He was also the first non-Argentine coach in the history of Argentine football. Several prominent coaches for the team have been Nito Veiga (who led the team to promotion in 1984), Roberto Perfumo (who win the Copa Centenario de la AFA with the team), Carlos Griguol (who coached Gimnasia for ten years) and former footballer Pedro Troglio * José Ripullone (1929–1930) * Rafael Lafuente (1931) * Emérico Hirschl (1932–1934) * Manuel Álvarez (1935) * Máximo Garay (1937) * Roberto Scarone (1948–51) * Adolfo Pedernera (1955) * Jorge Ormos (1959) * Carlos Aldabe (1960–61) * Enrique Fernández Viola (1962) * Adolfo Pedernera (1962) * Enrique Fernández Viola (1966), (1967) * Juan Carlos Murúa (1968–69) * José Varacka (1968–71) * Juan Carlos Murúa (1971) * José Varacka (1973–74), (1978–79) *
José Ramos Delgado José Manuel Ramos Delgado (25 August 1935 – 3 December 2010) was an Argentina, Argentine Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. He played for the Argentina national football team in two FIFA World Cup, ...
(1989–90) * Alberto Fanesi (1990–91) * Roberto Perfumo (1993–94) * Gregorio Pérez (1 Jan 1999 – 30 June 2000) * Carlos Griguol (2000–01) * Carlos Ramacciotti (1 Jan 2002 – 31 December 2003) * Carlos Griguol (2003–04) *
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Other sports

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
was practiced for the first time at the club in the 1920s. In 1924 the institution built a stadium on the corner of 60 and 118 streets. Since that time, it would become one of the major sports in the club. The basketball team peaked during the 1978 and 1979 campaigns, when it won two Metropolitano championships. 'Yo, el Basurero'' by Oscar Guidi, 2005/ref> In both cases, team prevailed over favorite Obras Sanitarias, Argentina's powerhouse at the time. The team included players such as "Gallego" González, "Finito" Gehrmann, Peinado, as well as some Americans: Michael Jackson, Lawrence Jackson Jr., and the team leader and star, point-guard Clarence Edgar Metcalfe, chosen as the league MVP in 1979. The twice-champions were coached by Rolando Sfeir. Gimnasia was also runner-up in the 2003–04 Liga Nacional de Básquetbol's Primera División tournament, when it was defeated by
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
by 4–2 in the final series. In the following season, the team was relegated to the TNA (Second Division) after president Juan José Muñoz decreased substantially the basketball budget, thereby causing the loss of its principal players. Some of Gimnasia's notable basketball players were Carlos "Gallego" González, Ernesto "Finito" Gehrmann, Roberto López, Carlos Bejarano and Mariano Cerutti among others. Likewise, club's notable coaches include José Ripullone, Miguel Ángel Ripullone and Gonzalo García. Gimnasia y Esgrima also has a female
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
team, who are the only one of the nine founder clubs from the ''Federación de Voleibol y Pelota al Cesto'', still playing volleyball and in the highest division. The federation is current ''Federación Metropolitana de Voleibol'' (FMV).


Former sports

In addition to the aforementioned sport activities, Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata participated in other disciplines throughout its history. The following sports are no longer practiced in the club: *
Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
: In 1933, the "Unión de Rugby del Río de la Plata" (current Unión Argentina de Rugby) decided not to allow the affiliation of clubs that participated professionally in other sports (''e.g.'', association football). As a result, the ''mens sana'' team playing rugby was forced to rename itself distinctly as "Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata Rugby Club". Four years later, however, it was decided to channel rugby activities through an independent institution, thereby creating "La Plata Rugby Club", which currently competes in the Torneo de la URBA, first division of the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires. * Table tennis: The "Asociación Platense de Tenis de Mesa" ("La Plata Association for Table-tennis", part of the Argentine Federation of the sport) existed between 1945 and 1951. Gimnasia was a founding member of the Association, and it obtained the majority of the tournaments organized during these six years. * Greco-Roman wrestling: Between 1924 and 1928 the club had a team of Greco-Roman wrestling. * Gymnastics: During the 1930s, the practice of gymnastics played a central role in the club's activities. Members of the Gimnasia team were part of the Argentine delegation that competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. This discipline was discontinued after 1976. Other activities were available at the club at various periods, namely: water polo,
boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
, cycling, pétanque, auto racing and judo, among others.


Honours


Senior titles


Other titles

Titles won in lower divisions: *Primera B Metropolitana, Primera B (3): 1944, 1947, 1952 *Argentine División Intermedia, División Intermedia (1): 1915 *Copa Bullrich (1): 1915


Friendly

* Trofeo Eva Perón (1): 1953 * Copa Gobernador Alende (1): 1960 * Copa Diario El Día (1): 1974 * Copa Diario La Gaceta (2): 1975 y 1977 * Copa Amistad (1): 1977 y 2006 * Copa Provincia de Buenos Aires (1): 1998 * Copa Municipalidad de La Plata (2): 1999 y 2001 * Copa Malvinas Argentinas (1): 2003 * Torneos de Verano (Argentina), Copa Ciudad de Mar del Plata (1): 2009 * Copa Ciudad de Necochea (1): 2012 * Copa Amistad Ciudad de La Plata (1): 2014 * Copa Ciudad de Ensenada (1): 2016 * Copa Banco Provincia (1): 2017 * Copa de Verano Schneider (2): 2018, 2019


Basketball honours

* Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (1): 2000–01 * Campeonato Argentino de Clubes de Básquet, Campeonato Argentino de Clubes (2): 1979, 1980 * Federación de Capital Federal's League (3): 1937, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985 * Asociación Platense de Básquet (13): 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 * Copa "Ismael Genaro Cerisola" (1): 1996


Women's Volleyball honours


Official

*Argentine National League (3): 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03 *Federación Metropolitana (1): 2000 *Liga Metropolitana (1): 2004


Friendly

*Copa Morgan (1): 1951 *Torneos Evita (1): 1954 *Torneo Lola Berta (1): 1955 *Torneo Cuadrangular Chile (1): 1972, 1975 *Torneo Cuadrangular Náutico de Uruguay (1): 1976 *Torneo Norma Rimoldi (1): 2005


See also

* History of Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (Football) * Gimnasia y Esgrima (basketball) * Presidents of Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata * Estadio Juan Carlos Zerillo * La Plata derby


Bibliography

* ''Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, 100 Años'', by Carlos Asnaghi. Publisher: Editorial Ceyne (1988) – * ''Gimnasia: Historia de una Pasión'', by Héctor Collivadino. Publisher: Editorial Deportiva Bonaerense y Diario El Día (2005) – * ''Asociación del Futbol Argentino: Cien Años con el Fútbol'', by Beto Devoto. Publisher: Manrique Zago Ediciones (1993) – * ''140 Años de Fútbol Argentino'', by Diego Estévez. Publisher: Edición del Autor (2009) – * ''Yo, el Basurero'', by Aníbal Guidi & Oscar Venturino. Publisher: Editorial Universitaria de La Plata (2005) – * ''La Barrabrava: Fútbol y Política'', by Gustavo Veiga. Publisher: Grupo Editorial Agora (1998) –


Notes


References


External links

*
Letra G


at RSSSF {{Authority control Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata Sports clubs and teams established in 1887, g Association football clubs established in 1887, g Football clubs in Buenos Aires Province, g Basketball teams in Argentina, g 1887 establishments in Argentina, g Sport in La Plata, g