Lobos Athletic Club

Lore & Background

Lobos Athletic Club was founded on Sunday, 3 July 1892, at a meeting of young people, many of whom were Irish immigrants or their descendants. The founding act stated the club's purpose was 'to serve as an entertainment for the youth of Lobos, living in a town which life is monotonous and boring,' through football played under Association rules. The club's first field was on land provided by the Buenos Aires Western Railway. Initially wearing blue and white, the team changed to red and black in 1893 to avoid confusion with other clubs.

In its early years, Lobos played matches against teams such as Once de Carlos Bowers, Ferrocarril Sud, Quilmes, St. Andrew's, and English High School. The club achieved runner-up finishes in the Primera División in 1898 and 1899, behind Lomas A.C. On 30 July 1899, Lobos became the first Argentine football team to tour outside the country, playing friendly matches in Uruguay and notably defeating CURCC (current Peñarol) 2–0.

In 1902, three Lobos players—Walter Buchanan, Carlos Buchanan, and Juan Moore—were called up for the Argentina national team to play the first international match against Uruguay, a 6–0 victory that became known as the 'Rioplatense derby.' Several Lobos footballers later played for the legendary Alumni club, including Moore, the Buchanan brothers, Juan Mc Kechnie, and brothers Herbert and William Jordan.

Reader's Guide

Lobos Athletic Club holds a significant place in early Argentine football history. As the first club to host football in Buenos Aires Province, it helped spread the sport beyond the capital. Its runner-up finishes in the 1898 and 1899 Primera División championships demonstrated the club's competitiveness in the nascent Argentine league. The 1899 tour to Uruguay, where Lobos defeated CURCC, marked the first international tour by an Argentine football team, foreshadowing the cross-border rivalries that would define South American football. The club's contribution to the Argentina national team in its first match against Uruguay in 1902—providing three players—underscores its role in the development of the national side. Although the Argentine Football Association's 1899 rule requiring clubs to be within 30 km of Buenos Aires led to Lobos's disaffiliation from the top division, the club continued in regional leagues. Its legacy is preserved through its influence on later stars who joined Alumni, the most successful Argentine club of the early 20th century. Today, Lobos Athletic Club remains active in the Liga Lobense de Fútbol and other sports.

Did You Know?

• Lobos Athletic was the first club to host the practice of football in Buenos Aires Province.
• On 30 July 1899, Lobos became the first Argentine football team to tour outside the country, playing in Uruguay.
• Three Lobos players—Walter Buchanan, Carlos Buchanan, and Juan Moore—played in Argentina's first international match against Uruguay in 1902.
• The club originally wore blue and white but changed to red and black in 1893 to avoid confusion with other teams.