For a club that has only existed five years, reaching the elite is rare. Intercity is a prime example, a club whose structure and organization set it apart from most small outfits. While FC Barcelona sits in the spotlight in the Copa del Rey round of 16, Intercity has a real chance to etch its name further into the annals of Spanish football. This piece explores a club from Alicante that many fans still know little about, uncovering multiple facets that are not widely discussed.
- The club has made waves on the stock market. Many big European teams have ventured into public markets, yet Intercity stands out as one of the early Spanish examples. The first major milestone occurred on October 29, 2021, roughly four years after the club’s creation.
- Since that listing, the share price has shown significant volatility, with a notable rebound by the end of 2022. The per-share value rose from 0.09 euros to 0.42 euros, following recognition of a donor connection with Barcelona that raised eyebrows across the sector.
- The journey has not been smooth. In its first fourteen months on the market, especially within the BME Growth segment, shares tumbled as much as 86 percent, a tough start for a club aiming to professionalize rapidly.
- Intercity traces its roots to GCD Sant Joan, a club founded in 1929 that became the springboard for a group of investors led by Salvador Martí, the current president, and Javier Mira, who helped pilot the project forward.
- Martí and Mira had previously founded FacePhi, a facial recognition company, and used the experience to attract new stakeholders. Today around 1,100 shareholders form the club’s ownership, with most being minority holders.
- A pivotal moment arrived when Alpha Blue Ocean supported a capital increase of 4.5 million euros. In addition, the club secured over a million euros through innovative crowdfunding on the Fellow Funders platform.
- Juanfran Torres, a former Atlético Madrid player, serves as the club’s sports vice president and is a principal owner. He bears the responsibility for steering the professionalization of Intercity.
- The club operates a football academy in San Juan de Alicante, reinforcing its commitment to grassroots development. A subsidiary team competes in the Second RFEF, while the first team currently sits in 16th place in Group 2 of the Primera RFEF, one point above the relegation zone.
- Intercity is often discussed as a business case because its ascent is unusual in the sport. Yet the on-field achievements match the buzz: four promotions in six years, a meteoric rise that brings professional football within striking distance.
- Intercity CF has an intriguing history corresponding with the ambition of Barcelona’s ecosystem. The team faced the Barcelona reserve squad in league play this season, and a few years earlier, a bid for a vacant spot in Second Division B’s Group III was part of a larger narrative that involved Reus Deportiu. Alicante’s investors placed a 400,000 euro deposit to secure the spot, only to see the spot awarded to Andorra, a situation linked to a decision by the governing federation. The episode remains a talking point about how quickly potential changes in the Spanish football pyramid can unfold.
Note: This overview reflects reporting from Goal and related coverage of Intercity’s developments and public market moves.