| Full name | Real Estelí Fútbol Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | El Tren del Norte (The Train of the North) |
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| Founded | 1960 (as Estelí FC) | ||
| Ground | Estadio Independencia, Estelí, Nicaragua (Capacity: 4,800) |
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| Chairman | Fidel Moreno | ||
| Manager | Otoniel Olivas | ||
| League | Primera División, Nicaragua | ||
| Apertura 2010 | 5th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Real Esteli Fútbol Club is a Nicaraguan football club playing in the top national league, the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Primera División (First Division National Championship). The club play out of their home stadium, Estadio Independencia, based in the northern city of Estelí.
Real Esteli is the second most successful club in Nicaragua (behind Diriangén FC), earning a combined 10 national Apertura/Clausura championships.
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The club was founded in 1960 as Estelí FC, but acquired its current name in 1961. Real Estelí FC plays at the Estadio Independencia, one of the biggest stadiums in Nicaragua, with a capacity of 4,800. The club is known by the nickname, El Tren del Norte (Train of the North), coming as it does, from the northern region of Las Segovias.
The club made history in Nicaraguan and Central American Football in 2004, eliminating favorites Real España in the First Round of the Copa Interclubes UNCAF, becoming the first Nicaraguan football team in history to advance to the second round of the tournament.
Real Estelí FC has finished in the top five of Nicaragua's top division every year since 1986 and has achieved some of the highest attendances in the league during this period.
The club crest consists of a crown, representing 'Real' (meaning 'Royal'). Similar crowns can be seen on the crests of many other clubs with the prefix 'Real', such as Spanish clubs Real Betis, Real Zaragoza and Real Madrid C.F.[1]
The two gold stars of the crest mark the first two national championships won by the club (in 1991 and 1999), while the red and white striped shield represents the club colours as used on team shirts. The logo was redesigned and digitalised in 2000 by Nakor'd J. García and Michael D. Raney (current President/CEO of the World Football Organization), based on the original design by Arnulfo Rivera Zeledón and Johnny Herrera Vallejos.
There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in the national league, where the game between Real Estelí and Diriangén FC has become known as El Clásico (The Classic).
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt partner |
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| 1998–2001 | Galaxia | |
| 2000-2008 | Enitel | |
| 2008–Present | Movistar | |
| 2008–Present | La Curacao | |
| 2011–Present | Yahoo! |
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