The Englishmen’s Field: The place where football took root in Bilbao

La Campa de los Ingleses, what is it and where is it?
‘La Campa del los Ingleses’ roughly translates as the ‘Englishmen’s field’. But when we talk about La Campa de los Ingleses in Bilbao we could be referring to three different places: the old quay, the current park or the bar inside the San Mamés stadium.

La Campa de los Ingleses quay.
From the 17th century until 1908, the quay ran along the left bank of the Bilbao’s River Nervión. It was in the heart of city, in part of the area now known as Abandoibarra.

Apart from ships, the quay was home to a British cemetery. But it also had various other uses. For example, at one point it was used an airstrip, but most importantly for us in the late 19th century, it became a makeshift football pitch.

English sailors who came to Bilbao in MacAndrews ships played football on the quay next to the riverbank. It was a sport which was unknown to the people of Bilbao at that moment.

The area became so synonymous with the Englishmen and their sport that it eventually became known as ‘La Campa de los Ingleses’.

For the Bilbainos who watched on, it was love at first sight. The local citizens watched the sailors in awe, and it wasn’t long before they picked up the sport themselves.

In 1894, a group of Bilbainos challenged the English to a match. Probably one of the first ‘international’ matches in the history of the sport.

The fixture took place on a horse racing course just outside of the city.

Eventually, Bilbao had proper football teams of its own. At the turn of the century, the two most important clubs in the city were Athletic Club and Bilbao Football Club.
In 1903, Bilbao FC collapsed and merged with Athletic to form the club we all know and love today.

It wasn’t until 1912, that Athletic adopted its policy of only fielding players born or formed in the Basque Country and days, many Brits still played for Athletic.

The likes of Alfred Mills (Athletic’s only foreign founding member), Llewellyn Dyer, Walter Evans and many others helped the Club find its feet and delighted fans with their exploits.

Just a short walk up from the Guggenheim Museum, there is a commemorative plaque where the Campa de los Ingleses used to be. It explains how sailors would throw rocks into the river to create waves so they could retrieve the ball when it was hit into the water.

It’s a reminder of the journey football has taken in Bilbao. In the space of around 140 years, we’ve gone from riverbank fields to 53,00-seater stadiums.

La Campa de los Ingleses Park.
Nowadays, this place looks quite different. The fields, ships and docks are gone, and the entire area has undergone a massive transformation.

Some 25,000 square metres are now the Campa de los Ingleses Park, the work of landscape designer Diana Balmori.

It is a green space which extends from the Guggenheim Museum until the Deusto Bridge, and it’s home to some of the city’s most famous landmarks such as the Iberdrola Tower and the University of Deusto’s Library.

La Campa de los Ingleses Bar.
Lastly, we have La Campa de los Ingleses Bar, which is located inside the San Mamés Stadium.

It’s named after the famous field, an homage to the first place where football was played in Biscay.

For people from Bilbao, Athletic Club is everything and San Mamés is the modern spiritual centre of that love. The bar combines history and tradition, with great food and drinks, along with some phenomenal views of the stadium.

It’s the perfect place to learn more about the Club, and it’s open every day of the week, except match days.

In other words, it’s a unique bar with a lot character which is a must-see for any football fan who happens to be visiting Bilbao.