Flores Athletic Club


Flores Athletic Club was an Argentine sports club from Flores, Buenos Aires. The club was pioneer in the practise of some sports that would become popular in Argentina, such as football, rugby union and polo.

History

Origin: the polo years

In 1860 a great English community lived in the "porteños" neighborhoods of Caballito and Flores, most of them working in commerce activities. They usually spent summertime in their country houses located in Barracas, Buenos Aires, Belgrano, Buenos Aires and Flores, which was the favorite place of Argentine high society families to spend their free time. Some of the biggest palaces had been erected in that zone.
team of 1899.
The Flores Athletic Club was born in Caballito neighborhood, next to current club Club Ferro Carril Oeste. Flores established in the same lot where in 1875 the first polo match had been played in Argentina.
Flores AC was cited for the first time by English language newspaper The Standard on 15 January 1893, referring to a cricket match that would be disputed between Flores and Buenos Ayres al Rosario Railway. So the data of foundation of the club could be established between 1892 and 1893, so Flores AC had been never mentioned before by the English community in Buenos Aires.
Other matches recorded by The Standard were against Lomas Athletic that same year, and the only title won by the club, the 1894 Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo, defeating local team Cañada de Gómez by 6–0 at the final. The line-up was: J. Bennett, F.J. Bennett, T. Scott-Robson and Hugo Scott-Robson.
Other polo match covered by the newspaper was played in 1896 against Rangers Polo Club.

Football

Flores AC also had a football team, which played its home games in Caballito. The club was one of the founding members of the Argentine Football Association in 1893.
The football team debuted on 22 April 1893, being defeated by Quilmes Rovers by 4–2. The line-up was: Brown, Gordon, Syer; Gahan, Goddard, Murphy; Fothergill, Jordan, Allen, Bartman, Wilson. Flores AC took part in Primera División Argentina from 1893 to 1897, achieving a 2nd position in the year of its debut. Flores would be also placed 2nd. in 1896. 1897 was its last year in Argentine Primera División.

Rugby

The first registered rugby union match played by Flores was on July 19, 1896, against Buenos Aires FC. The game was disputed in the Caballito stadium, and the line-up was: B.F. Taylor, G.F. Elliot, Leslie Wilson, P.M. Roth, F.W. Fothergill; D. King, F. Chantriel; F.E. Jones, J.B. Faram, A.D. Jones; R. Colson, E.G. Kinch; C. McKenzie, D.R. Henderson, S. Willes.
The Flores AC stadium was also used by the Buenos Aires FC to dispute the derby with Rosario Athletic Club.
On 10 April 1899 the "River Plate Rugby Championship" was established in Argentina, organizing the first rugby tournament that same year. The role of Flores AC in the establishment of the league is still discussed. The "Centro de Estudios para la Historia del Rugby" states that Flores was one of the founder members along with Belgrano AC, Rosario AC, Lomas and Buenos Aires FC while other sources do not include Flores as a founding member, as they do with the other four team mentioned.
It was one of the founder members although the club only played in the first edition held in 1899. The team debuted against Belgrano Athletic and the line-up for that historic game was: N. Murphy, A. Coste, F. Leitch, George F. Elliot, J.Elliot, D. King, W.H. Goddard, C. Mackenzie, B. Gwyn, E.N. Neild, B. Campbell, H. Hampson, C. Thurner, A.O. Jones, and J. Negrón.

Dissolution

In 1907 Flores Athletic sold some of its facilities to Club Ferro Carril Oeste, for m$n 700. It is believed that the club was dissolved after this transaction.

Titles