Xerez C.D.

Name

When the Kingdom of Castile took Jerez from the Muslims on 9 October 1264 during the period known as the Reconquista, the city was renamed Xerez, representing the phoneme /ʃ/ (which eventually evolved into the current /x/) with the letter x. Shortly thereafter, de la Frontera ("of the Frontier") was added as it was located on the Frontier with the Kingdom of Granada and was a frequent scene of skirmishes between the two kingdoms. More than two centuries later, after the conquest of Granada in 1492, Xerez lost its status as a frontier city definitively, but it did not lose the name.

The first football club in the city, the Jerez Football Club, was followed by the Xerez Fútbol Club, which recovered the classic spelling x instead of the modern j; however, the pronunciation remains the same (/x/ in Spanish, similar to a strong 'h'). The Jerez Club Deportivo, a direct descendant of the former, decided to pay homage to it at the request of former president Pablo Porro Guerrero, through two measures. The first was changing the shirt to the one used by the first club, switching from vertical blue and white stripes to a plain blue shirt. This kit is the current one and only differs from that of Xerez Fútbol Club in that the latter used black socks. The second measure was the recovery of the spelling x, becoming Xerez Club Deportivo. On 29 September 1992, the club was transformed into a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva (Public Limited Sports Company) and adopted its current definitive name: Xerez Club Deportivo Sociedad Anónima Deportiva.

History

Early years

Due to the link that Jerez established with the United Kingdom via the export of its Sherry wine to England, football began to be practiced informally in the city very early on. The first written record of football in Jerez dates from 1 November 1870 and appeared in the newspaper "El Progreso"; it reads: "We know that today a game of Cricket will be played, in the immediate site of the hippodrome, whose spectacle will begin at twelve o'clock sharp in the morning. In the afternoon, the fans of bumps will enjoy a while of foot-ball". Other early notes appearing in Jerez publications about football date from 1876 and 1884. The first one reads "new sport of strange rules and complicated foreign words", in the second note it reads "amusements of employees of English export firms based in Jerez fond of the goal".

In subsequent years there is talk of a football society in Jerez, but due to the little importance the new sport had, not many references are made to it. The clearest allusion is from 1887, when a news item appears reporting that "the Jerez society" will pay for the travel of some English sailors from the Port of Cadiz to Jerez to play a friendly match.

Xerez Fútbol Club

A few years later, the great introducer of football in Jerez appeared, Sir Thomas Spencer, an employee of the Bodega William & Humbert. He was the creator, president, player, and captain of the "Sociedad Jerez Foot-Ball Club". This was the first society of which there are clear references in Jerez and dates from 1907. It started with a simple white kit, but soon changed to blue and white colors. Other early Jerez teams were "Fortuna Foot-Ball Club" (yellow and black stripes) in 1908, which was later absorbed by Sociedad Jerez; "Jerez Balompié" (blue and claret stripes) in 1912, and "España-Mundo Nuevo F.C." (red and white stripes) in 1913. Other teams referenced in newspapers of the time are "Jerez Bote Club", "Racing Jerezano", "Club Deportivo Hércules de Jerez" and "Jerez Sporting Club", but due to their short lives, there are not many references to them, except isolated mentions.

Despite this proliferation of teams, Sociedad Jerez Foot-Ball Club was the most important team in the city and, due to the diverse ways of referring to its nomenclature in the newspapers of the time, it is named as Jerez, Xerez, Xerez F.C., Jerez F.C. or Xerez Club. The merger with "Fortuna F.C." soon arrived and its activity was intermittent. It is doubted if it was created even before the year 1907 and the Jerez society alluded to in 1887 in a match with "English sailors" was this same society.

One of the most important re-foundations the team had was in December 1933, with José Manuel Domecq Rivero as president. The Villa Mercedes football field was designated as the home ground, the construction of the Estadio Domecq was announced, and this time the official name was Xerez Fútbol Club. The most important milestones of this team were playing in the promotion phase to La Liga twice and reaching the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey (1943), where they were eliminated by Real Madrid.

Foundation of Xerez Club Deportivo and early years

On 4 June 1942, Club Deportivo Jerez was constituted as a reserve team of Xerez Fútbol Club. Both clubs shared facilities and stadium. Highlights of that era include consecutive Pichichi trophies in the second division in 1943/44 and 1944/45 by Pato Araujo, with the team close to being promoted to the first division.

Due to a combination of poor sporting and economic results, the disappearance of Xerez Fútbol Club was announced on 26 August 1946, and the board reorganized leading the reserve team Club Deportivo Jerez which remained as an independent team. On 24 September 1947, the club was refounded with the name "Jerez Club Deportivo". On 21 August 1963, the name was changed to "Xerez Club Deportivo" in honor of the original Xerez Fútbol Club, which in turn refers to the name of the city after the Christian reconquest.

The current club took, scrupulously and contrary to most football clubs that ignore new re-foundations, the date of September 1947 as its founding date. In reality, it could have taken any of the previous important dates as the founding date, since the history of football in Jerez since its arrival has been a gradual transfer through different people taking over. If the sports society had made the same decision as most football clubs, it could have taken 1876 as the founding date (because the "Football Society" of Jerez already existed then), 1907 or 1911 with the foundation of "Sociedad Jerez Foot-Ball Club", 1914 for the merger with "Fortuna Foot-Ball Club", 1922 for the first reappearance of Jerez FC, 1933 for its second reappearance, or 1946 when CD Jerez was intervened.

This is one of the golden decades of Xerecismo. After the impossibility of promotion to Segunda División in the 40s due to the "high national interest" of the dictatorial regime, which decided to promote España de Tánger, the club was promoted and allowed to play for the first time in Segunda División (1953–1954), where it managed to remain for five consecutive years. Notable signings included Rafa Verdú (later a prominent figure in the club's management). The first official Jerez derby was played between Jerez CD and Jerez Industrial (1958).

Also noteworthy is the creation of the Trofeo de la Vendimia, in whose first edition (1952) FC Barcelona defeated Jerez C.D. 6–3.

21st Century

With the year 2001 came a new promotion of Xerez to Segunda División, consummated with a 2–0 victory against CD Toledo at the Estadio Municipal de Chapín, a success that caused a huge pitch invasion by the fans. A new stage opened for the Xerez entity, which from the first moment would seek success in the silver division of Spanish football.

On the other hand, on the extra-sporting level, the City Council denounced Luis Oliver, majority shareholder and president of the entity.

During the 2001–02 season, the first after its return to the category, Xerez was very close to achieving promotion to La Liga, with Bernd Schuster as coach. However, the club's precarious economic situation, which kept the players unpaid and forced the team to play many home matches in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, decisively influenced a resounding fall in the last 8 matchdays, in which they were only able to get 4 points, wasting a very important cushion of points with respect to the fourth classified. Finally, on 19 May 2002, Xerez lost 2–1 against Recreativo de Huelva, coached by Lucas Alcaraz, saying goodbye definitively to promotion.

In subsequent seasons, it established itself as one of the constant contenders for promotion and imposing itself as one of the strongest teams in the championship (despite remaining in economic hardships that even forced the players to appear semi-naked in a magazine as a sign of protest). In the 2005–06 season, coached by Lucas Alcaraz, they managed to be winter champions only to fall into an inexplicable negative streak and finish seventh in the League. A similar situation was experienced in the 2006–07 season, with Pepe Murcia on the bench, where the team occupied promotion places between the 3rd and 17th matchdays, but deflated again in the second round and finished 9th.

During the 2007–08 season, Xerez remained in the relegation zone for 28 matchdays. On 12 January 2008, after a resounding defeat against UD Las Palmas (0–3) and 10 games without winning, the president and majority shareholder Joaquín Morales presented his resignation in a press conference, which ultimately did not become effective. The coach, Juan Martínez Casuco (who had previously replaced the resigned Miguel Ángel Rondán), was sacked after losing to Numancia (0–3) in the 24th matchday. His successor was Esteban Vigo who, despite taking charge of a team that seemed doomed and starting with 3 consecutive defeats, managed to save Xerez from relegation in the last matchday, after achieving 8 consecutive home victories (a historical club record). That season, the Xerez striker Yordi won the Pichichi Trophy and Zarra Trophy of the Segunda División, with 20 goals scored, 9 of them from penalties.

Symbols

Shield

The shield of Xerez Club Deportivo was designed during the summer of 1947 by Mariano Aricha de Vicente.

The shield is clearly inspired by the coat of arms of the city of Jerez de la Frontera, incorporating the same colors. It is divided into two parts by a white diagonal strip that spans from the top right to the bottom left corner. In the upper left part is the central motif of the city's coat of arms, the blue waves on a silver (white) background. In the lower right corner, the letters C and D are intertwined in white on a blue background. The shield is crowned, like the city's coat of arms, this time with a five-point crown.

Inside the diagonal strip, "XEREZ" can be read in blue. Originally it was designed with the word "JEREZ". The "J" was replaced by an "X" due to the initiative of president Pablo Porro Guerrero, who on 21 August 1963 decided to recover the word "Xerez" to refer to the club from which it proceeds, the Xerez Fútbol Club.

The shield received a second modification in the year 2000, where the tone of the color was changed, making it a little softer and with less saturation. This minor aesthetic change was made so that the shield would stand out more on the dark blue of the uniform. Occasionally, the shield is usually depicted outside the kit with the original darker tone.

On 31 May 2017, it was announced that the patent of the shield, as well as the name "Xerez Club Deportivo", became part of Afición Xerecista.

In September 2020, for a new sports project, the club's design team decided to restyle the shield, eliminating the black outlines of its predecessor, with a cleaner and more current look. It was also adapted to different versions (positive and negative).

Stadium

Xerez Club Deportivo played its first matches in the old Estadio Domecq, which it shared with Jerez Industrial CF. In 1988, the club moved to the newly built Estadio Municipal de Chapín, which was inaugurated with a match against Real Madrid.

From the 2013–14 season, and as a consequence of the application of the Regulatory Ordinance for Carrying out Activities in Municipal Sports Facilities, the club encountered difficulties in using the city's municipal facilities. This situation forced the team to live a period of sporting exile, training and competing in various stadiums in the province. During that period, Xerez played matches in Jerez fields such as La Juventud, La Canaleja, La Granja, El Torno and Picadueñas, among others.

The 2017–18 season was especially unstable, with the club acting as home team in up to seven different stadiums: Chapín, La Juventud, El Palmar (Sanlúcar de Barrameda), Antonio Fernández Marchán (Guadalcacín), Andrés Chacón (La Barca de la Florida), Municipal Sánchez Portella (Torrecera) and Municipal de El Torno (El Torno).

In 2021, Xerez returned permanently to the Estadio Municipal de Chapín, where it currently plays thanks to the notable growth of its social mass and the institutional strengthening of the club.

Chapín

From 1988 to 2014, Xerez played its home games at the Estadio Municipal de Chapín. The stadium was inaugurated in 1988, with a capacity for 20,523 spectators. Its dimensions are 105x68 meters.

One of the stands with the most public attendance was Preferencia. The Tribuna was frequented by well-known people in Jerez. The presidential box, VIP boxes, and broadcasting booths are also located there. The area with the least attendance was Fondo Norte. The fourth stand is Fondo Sur, which was not numbered at the request of the fans, as it was this stand that had the most attendance and atmosphere. This multipurpose stadium is often criticized for the difficulty of vision for spectators due to the separation distance between the stands and the grass, because of the athletics tracks.

After several years playing in different stadiums in the province due to municipal restrictions, Xerez Club Deportivo returned permanently to the Estadio Municipal de Chapín in 2021.

Other stadiums

Until 1988, the team played at Estadio Domecq.

During the 2001–02 season, while Chapín was being remodeled for the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games, Xerez played at "Estadio El Palmar" in Sanlúcar de Barrameda or "Bahía Sur" in San Fernando. Finally, it returned to Jerez to play first at the remodeled Estadio de la Juventud and finally at Chapín.

Uniform

In its early years, Xerez wore a blue shirt and white shorts. Blue, the main color since its foundation, reflects the link with the city of Jerez de la Frontera.

Since the 2022–23 season, Xerez wears kits from the German brand Adidas.

Home: Blue shirt with crew neck, white sleeves and white details on the sides. Shoulders with the three Adidas stripes in blue.

Away: Black shirt with a white diagonal sash crossing the chest from left to right, gold crew neck.

Third: Orange shirt with watermark diagonal line pattern, black shoulders and V-neck.

Goalkeeper: Long-sleeved shirt in fluorescent yellow.

Club data

Address: C/ Laguna de Gallocanta, 20. 11406

Colors: Blue and white

Kit manufacturer: Adidas

Sports Data

Updated to 2025–26 Season.

Seasons in 1st: 1

Seasons in 2nd: 25.

Seasons in 1st RFEF: 0

Seasons in 2nd B / 2nd RFEF: 19

Seasons in 3rd / 3rd RFEF: 29

Seasons in Regional Preferente: 4

Best position in league: 20th (La Liga, 09-10 season)

Worst position in league: 22nd (Segunda División, 12-13 season)

Historical League classification position : 58.

Best result in 1st: 3-0 (Real Valladolid, 09/10)

Biggest loss in 1st: 5-0 (Real Madrid, 09/10)

Biggest loss in 2nd: 7-0 (Real Jaén, 51/52)

Top scorer: Pepe Agar, 90 goals (47/48 to 53/54)

Most matches played: Jesús Mendoza, 432 matches (1999/2000 to 2012/13); Vicente Moreno, 412 matches (00/01 to 10/11); José Ravelo, 348.

Presidents

24/09/1947 to 28/06/1948: Sixto de la Calle Jiménez

29/06/1948 to 13/07/1949: Luis Soto Domecq

14/07/1949 to 01/03/1951: Antonio Rueda Muñiz

02/03/1951 to 15/05/1952: Sixto de la Calle Jiménez

16/05/1952 to 25/05/1954: Alberto Duran Tejera

26/05/1954 to 01/03/1956: Rafael Cáliz Garrido

02/03/1956 to 08/06/1959: José Benítez López

09/06/1959 to 23/06/1959: Francisco Paz Genero

24/06/1959 to 02/06/1960: Jesús Grandes Pérez

03/06/1960 to 20/08/1961: Manuel Santolalla Romero-Valdespino

21/08/1961 to 26/07/1963: Pablo Porro Guerrero

27/07/1963 to 17/02/1964: Francisco Paz Genero

18/02/1964 to 31/05/1966: Pablo Porro Guerrero

01/06/1966 to 29/06/1966: Rafael Cáliz Garrido

30/06/1966 to 21/07/1967: Heriberto Solinís Solinís

22/07/1967 to 10/09/1968: Manuel Robles Cordero

11/09/1968 to 21/11/1971: Andrés Reyes Zambrano

22/11/1971 to 15/07/1972: José García Núñez

Seasons

Season to season

1 season in La Liga

25 seasons in Segunda División

3 seasons in Segunda Federación

17 seasons in Segunda División B

26 seasons in Tercera División (21 on 3rd tier)

3 seasons in Tercera Federación/Tercera División RFEF

Honours

Friendly tournaments

Trofeo de la Vendimia: 1955, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1980, 1981, 1984, 2006, 2009 (9)

Trofeo Ciudad del Puerto: 1983, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025 (12)

Trofeo Ciudad de Mérida: 2007

Trofeo Los Cármenes: 2009

Trofeo de la Sal: 2011

Trofeo Rafa Verdú: 2020, 2021 (2)

Trofeo Feria de la Vendimia: 2020, 2024 (2)

Coaches

Recent coaches in the 21st century:

Youth System

At the end of the 2014/15 season and in order to reduce expenses due to the bad economic situation of the club, Xerez abolished most of its youth system, keeping only a Youth team. Among the teams that disappeared was Xerez B, which had been relegated that same season. At the same time, an affiliation agreement was announced with Xerez Balompié.

Since the 2017/18 season, several teams belonging to the association Afición Xerecista CD act as the youth academy of Xerez Club Deportivo. For the 2019/20 season, the intention to increase the number of academy teams with four new teams: school (baby), benjamin, alevín and infantile, as well as a senior women's team and a futsal section, was announced.

In the 2023/24 season, Xerez Club Deportivo communicated that the entity would manage its own grassroots football teams, approving the new strategic plan called "Cantera Xerez CD". Similarly, the team will maintain the affiliation agreement with Afición Xerez CD for greater enrichment, with the idea of re-enhancing Jerez grassroots football.

Rivalries

Xerez Deportivo FC (breakaway of Xerez CD)

Cádiz CF

Xerez Deportivo Fútbol Club

Córdoba CF

Recreativo de Huelva

Málaga CF

Jerez Industrial (formerly)

Players

Current squad

As of 10 February 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Trofeo de la Vendimia

This trophy was played for the first time on 7 September 1952, a match played in the old Estadio Domecq against FC Barcelona. Since then, many high-level teams have disputed this trophy, which was lost in subsequent seasons. After the Trofeo Teresa Herrera in A Coruña, it is the oldest held in the entire Spanish geography.

From 2014, Xerez DFC took over the rights to it by registering its patent. In 2015 Xerez CD began celebrating the "Trofeo Rafa Verdú" in recognition of its Honorary President and later in 2020 Xerez C.D presented the Trofeo Feria de la Vendimia.