Spain’s first women’s football team to win the World Cup achieved the feat under the guidance of their coach, Jorge Vilda, with the early leadership of Paco Bru shaping the movement. The story begins with a controversial figure who will be remembered for a difficult chapter today, Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation. A public incident involving a kiss sparked a global uproar that brought into sharp focus issues of consent, respect, and the recognition of women’s achievements in soccer. The rise of Spanish women’s football has often been tied to strong personalities who challenged stereotypes and propelled the sport forward, and this history remains a touchstone for how the game is perceived worldwide.
“Cádiz, November 22, 1931. Transatlantic ‘Buenos Aires’ docked in New York harbor. There are about fifteen tired-looking young men on board, dressed in trench coats and felt hats. As it may seem, they are not Al Capone’s men, but football players from a team that no longer exists,” begins one of the episodes of the ‘Black Bracelet’ podcast, setting the tone for a narrative that travels across continents and decades. The piece captures a moment when football took root in a global journey, and the echoes of that journey still resonate today.
“Racing Madrid helped spark passion for football in the Spanish capital, maintained fierce rivalry with Real Madrid, built the Vallecas field and, facing the threat of bankruptcy, bet everything on a tour of the Americas: it would be the most eventful tour in world football,” the storyteller notes. The leader of this pioneering group was Paco Bru, a figure who embodied the early, formative era of football. Bru’s influence extended beyond Spain, as he also contributed to the development of women’s football in other regions. Spain owes much of its late 19th and early 20th century football culture to such trailblazers who would later be remembered for their broader impact on the game.
Spanish Girls Club
In this account, episodes of adventure and risk unfold as coups in Peru, revolutions in Cuba, riots in Mexico and gunfights in the United States intermingle with the story of the Spanish Girls Club. The podcast episode chronicles the so‑called ‘Racing’s suicide tour’ and the life of Bru, a multifaceted football pioneer who wore many hats as a player, journalist, coach, referee and manager. He was a leading figure for women’s football in the early days and helped shape the formation of a national identity within the sport. The narrative notes that the Spanish Girls Club consisted of eleven clubs that signed a contract with the Women’s Federation against tuberculosis. Contemporary sports journalists described some players with admiration and a touch of awe for their strength and resolve.
Fathers, brothers and husbands voiced their grievances, insisting that football belonged to men. Bru responded with a clear message: the term is not tomboy; it is an athlete woman. This stance helped reframe expectations and opened doors for women to pursue football with seriousness and dignity. The exchange, though controversial, highlighted the tension between tradition and progress that defined the era.
— Panenka cited on social media on March 8, 2022 —
According to period reports, Bru had only 45 days to prepare these women for competition. The first match took place at the ground of RCD Español, and the setting carried a sense of novelty as spectators gathered to witness history in motion. Bru advocated for practical uniforms, preferring shorts over flashy attire, and he supported players training together and sharing facilities. The commitment of players and supporters alike underscored a broader belief that sport could unite communities and advance social progress, even as some doubted the legitimacy of women in competitive football. The early success helped fund the Women’s Federation in the fight against tuberculosis, a cause that connected sport with public health and social change. This moment also sparked a broader debate about whether football was appropriate for girls and young women, a debate that would continue to evolve over the decades.
Although Bru was born in Madrid in 1885, his influence stretched across Catalonia before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. In 1902, at the age of 16, he joined Barcelona’s Internacional team, where his brother Federico also played. With that club he won the Turin Cup in 1904 and later defended the shirts of Barcelona and Espanyol. Bru appeared in 201 matches for Barça and scored 13 goals. In 1910, he won three Catalan titles and the first Copa del Rey with Barça. He also claimed two Catalan titles with Espanyol, and added another with Barcelona in the third era of Catalan football. He then represented the Catalan National Team from 1904 to 1915.
Bru reinvented himself after retirement in 1916 and became Spain’s first national team coach in 1920. He participated in the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, earning a silver medal. Bru later coached Español, Madrid, Girona and Granada and even played a role in the federation’s outreach to Cuba, helping lay the foundations for football there and guiding the Cuba federation toward FIFA inclusion. He also trained the Asturya Youth Club and, in short, took charge of Peru’s national team during the 1930 World Cup cycle.
Bru passed away in Malaga in 1962 at the age of 77, leaving behind a legacy of bold bets on women’s football despite the misunderstandings and contempt that could arise from a male-dominated sports culture. World War I disrupted the early momentum, but the spirit of those pioneers endured. They fought prejudices and machismo with resilience, showing that women could compete at the highest levels and inspire future generations to pursue the sport they loved with courage and conviction.