| Full name | Alumni Athletic Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1898 | |
| Dissolved | 1913 | |
| League | Argentine Primera División | |
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Alumni Athletic Club, or simply Alumni, was an Argentine football team which took part in its football league during the Amateur era. Although officially founded in 1898, the team had been formed in 1893 when a group of students from the Buenos Aires English High School joined to Alexander Watson Hutton (who is considered the "father" of Argentine football)[1] to form a team in order to participate in the championship organized by the Argentine Association Football League (then Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (which had been created that year).
The squad participated until 1911 and finally was disbanded in 1913 due to internal problems. During its run in primera división, Alumni obtained 10 championships and many national and international cups, becoming one of the most important clubs in the history of Argentine football.[2]
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On February 25, 1882, Scottish Professor Alexander Watson Hutton arrived to Buenos Aires. Hutt, considered “the father” of Argentine football, had been hired as Director of Saint Andrew’s Scots School[3] but resigned short later due to the institution did not have funds to acquire sports facilities, which were considered by Hutton as an essential component of his teaching methods.
Therefore Watson Hutton decided to create the Buenos Aires English High School (BAEHS) to put in practise his ideas about education, with a special predilection for football. The BAEHS opened on February 1, 1884. To start with the practice of football in Argentina, Waton Hutton brought William Watters from Scotland, to work as a trainer. Some versions state that it was Watters who brought the first football from Great Britain to Argentina.
By 1890 football in Buenos Aires was not regulated by any Federation although there were many institutions where this sport practiced, such as Buenos Aires English High School, Saint Andrew's Scots School, Flores Collegiate, Flores English College, Old Caledonians Football Club, Saint John's Football Club, Scotch Club and Buenos Aires Football Club. In 1891 Alec Lamont, from Saint Andrew’s, worked out in order to create a ligue. Therefore the Argentine Association Football League, was established, registering the following teams: Saint Andrew's Scots School, Old Caledonians, Buenos Aires al Rosario Railway, Belgrano Football Club and Buenos Aires Football Club. Nevertheless, this new tournament was badly criticized and was boicoted by most of the clubs.[3] The title was obtained by Saint Andrew's.
With the finalization of the 1891 tournament, so the Argentine Association Football League was defuncted. As a result, in 1892 no championship was disputed. On February 21, 1893, Watson Hutton created a new football organism with the same name (AAFL), which is considered by the Argentine Football Federation as its only predecessor, as well as Watson Hutton is regarded as its first president.
In the 1893 tournament participated five teams: Lomas Athletic Club, Flores Athletic Club, Quilmes Rowers, English High School y Buenos Aires al Rosario Railway. At the end of the tournament, Lomas AC became the first champion in the history of Argentine football.
In 1898 the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction ruled that teaching of physical exercises would be obligatory for all the national schools programs. Furthermore, it was required that each School had to create a sports club formed by their current and former students. As a result, on October 3, 1898, Club Atlético English High School was founded. The school bought its first facility in the Coghlan neighborhood, near to train station, with the purpose of practicing physical activities as it was required [3][4]
During its last tenure in the first division, Alumni won 11 matches, lost 4 and drew 1, finishing in the first position along with Estudiantil Porteño. To proclaim a champion, a match between both teams had to be played. The game (hosted in Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires stadium) was won by Alumni 2-1 becoming new Argentine football champion. Alfredo Brown and Lett were the scorers. That was the 11th and last title by Alumni.
Alumni won a total of 10 titles in the Argentine Primera División. Despite being registered for the 1912 tournament, the team did not played again anymore. Alumni would have played vs Estudiantes de Buenos Aires the first fixture but that never happened. Alumni did not attend the other two matches against Quilmes and Racing, respectively. After those absences, and based on the rules for the competition, the AAF disaffiliated Alumni. Many of its players were to Quilmes, which finally would obtain the title that year.[3]
Alumni A.C. Dear member: You are invited to a meeting which will be celebrated on April 24th in the A.F.A. building, located in Maipú street 131, at 9 p.m. The object is to discuss about the dissolution of the club and how the funds will be distributed according to our rules.
There were two main reasons for Alumni's demise: the first cause was the shortage of players due to the fact that Alumni rarely admitted players outside the English High School. The second reason was that Alumni was losing a lot of money (due to the fact that the club often donated its incomes to benefit) and it seemed unlikely that the team could fulfil its matches for 1912 season. Alumni played its last game in 1911 and was definitely dissolved on April 24, 1913. All the members were invited but only 7 assisted to the meeting.
Once the team was disbanded, the assets ($ 12.322,29) were donated to eight public institutions, the Hospital Británico and the Patronato de la Infancia were among them [2]
In 1951 the English High School asked its former students for permission to re-establish the name "Alumni" for a rugby team, which would be immediately approved so the "Asociación Alumni" was founded[5] and has remained to date.
Domestic
International
| Position | Club | Championships |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Plate | 33 |
| 2 | Boca Juniors | 28 |
| 3 | Independiente | 16 |
| 4 | Racing Club | 16 |
| 5 | San Lorenzo | 13 |
| 6 | Alumni | 10 |
| 7 | Velez | 6 |
| 8 | Huracán | 5 |
| 9 | Lomas Athletic Club | 5 |
| 10 | Newell's Old Boys | 5 |
The most prominent Alumni's player was Jorge Brown, who was team's captain during two periods: first from 1903 to 1906, and then from 1910 until its dissolution. Five brothers of Jorge were also players for Alumni: Alfredo, Eliseo, Carlos, Juan and Ernesto, and his cousin Juan Domingo as well.
Other notable player was the goalkeeper José Buruca Laforia, who arrived to the club in 1905 and remained until 1907. Juan McKechnie (1891–94, 1900–04) was other remarkable goalkeeper giving services to the team.
Alumni was also famous due to its notable strikers thus many of them were the top scorers of the first division championships. Amongst them were Alfredo and Eliseo Brown, Carlos and Ernesto Lett and Arnoldo Watson Hutton.
Many Alumni footballers were usually called to play for Argentina national team. Moreover, four of Brown brothers were repeatedly called together for a match, as well as five of Brown cousins took part of Alumni squad for the Brazil tour from June 2, to July 14, 1907.
Being lined-up mostly with Alumni players, the Argentina national team won the Copa Lipton four consecutive times: 1906 (8 players from Alumni), 1907 (7), 1908 (5) and 1909 (7). The squad also obtained the Copa Newton in 1906 (with 7 players from Alumni), 1907 (4), 1908 (7) and 1909 (3). Argentina won the Copa de Honor Gran Premio de Argentina in 1909 (7) and 1911 (6).
The English High School uniform was based on what students wore at school: a white t-shirt with horizontal red stripes. When the team changed its name in 1901 so the uniform was changed to vertical red stripes. The shorts were white in most of the cases, but Alumni also used a black model and other in navy blue.
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