UE Santa Coloma

UE Santa Coloma

Full name	Unió Esportiva Santa Coloma
Nickname(s)	UE Esquirols (Squirrels) Groc-i-negres (Yellow and Black)
Founded	1986; 38 years ago (1986)
Ground	Andorra Football Federation stadiums
Chairman	Joan Antoni Antón
Manager	Boris Antón
League	Primera Divisió
2023–24	Primera Divisió, 1st of 10 (champions)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours

Unió Esportiva Santa Coloma, also known as UE Santa Coloma, is an Andorran professional football club based in the village of Santa Coloma, Andorra la Vella. The club currently plays in Primera Divisió.

UE Santa Coloma was founded on 23 September 1986 in the village of Santa Coloma. In 1996 the club established a football academy to give a qualitative leap in the field of sports in the country. During few seasons the club acted as farm team for many Andorran teams including FC Santa Coloma. The first football department team was refounded, after being inactive many years, in 2006 by joining the Andorran football league Segona Divisió the following year.^[1]

The team plays in the Primera Divisió after winning the Segona Divisió in the 2007–08 season. The club made its first appearance in European competition in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League after finishing second in the league in the 2009–10 season.

In 2013 the team won his first trophy in the Copa Constitució after defeating 3–2 Sant Julià in the average time.^[2] Three years later UE Santa Coloma was crowned again as Andorran's Cup winner after defeating 3-0 UE Engordany in 2016.^[3]

On 16 July 2024, the club earned their first win in European competition by beating Ballkani from Kosovo in the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League. On 14 August 2024, after losing their UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie against FK RFS, they qualified for the play-off round of UEFA Conference League so they became the first ever Andorran side to reach the play-off stage of a UEFA club competition.

Yellow has been the traditional UE Santa Coloma color. Manly of the home kits alternate yellow and black. Even then in its beginnings the club dressed up the colors of the parish of Andorra la Vella, green and navy, and occasionally wearing an orange kit during some seasons.^[4]

Until 2013 the badge was representing Santa Coloma's pre-romanical church tower and the most traditional team icon, the squirrel. The nowadays crest still represent the icons of UE Santa Coloma, featuring the club colours (yellow and black) and the year of foundation (1986).

The club have an alternative badge (main crest during the first leg of the 2013–14 season) representing the Santa Coloma's squirrel and the colours of the Andorran nation with the motto's country "Virtus Unita Fortior".

Original first kit.

2013–14 home kit.

2014–16 home kit.

* Since the Andorra Football Federation affiliation.

The club's nickname, as seen from the crest, is Esquirols (Squirrels) due to the number of the animals that live around the town of Santa Coloma. There is a long-standing tradition for a number of fans to wear squirrel costumes at the club's last home game of each season.

The local rival of UE Santa Coloma is actually their neighbour's hometown football team FC Santa Coloma. The rivalry between these two teams has increased since the 2009/10 season when those teams were competing for winning the Premier Andorran League.^[5]

• Primera Divisió:
  • Winners (1): 2023–24
  • Runners-up (2): 2009–10, 2013–14
• Copa Constitució:
  • Winners (4): 2013, 2016, 2017, 2024
  • Runners-up (2): 2010, 2011
• Supercopa Andorrana:
  • Winners (2): 2016, 2024
  • Runners-up (2): 2013, 2017
• Segona Divisió:
  • Winners (1): 2007–08

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
2010–11	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Mogren	0–3	0–2	0–5
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Paks	0–1	0–4	0–5
2012–13	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Twente	0–3	0–6	0–9
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Zrinjski Mostar	1–3	0–1	1–4
2014–15	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Metalurg Skopje	0–3	0–2	0–5
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Lokomotiva	1–3	1–4	2–7
2017–18	UEFA Europa League	1QR	Osijek	0–2	0–4	0–6
2022–23	UEFA Europa Conference League	1QR	Breiðablik	0–1	1–4	1–5
2024–25	UEFA Champions League	1QR	Ballkani	1–2	2–1 (a.e.t.)	3−3 (6–5 p)
		2QR	Midtjylland	0–3	0–1	0–4
	UEFA Europa League	3QR	RFS	0–2	0–7	0–9
	UEFA Conference League	PO	Víkingur Reykjavík	0–0	0–5	0–5

Notes

• PR: Preliminary round
• QR: Qualifying round
• 1QR: First qualifying round
• 2QR: Second qualifying round
• 3QR: Third qualifying round
• PO: Playoff round

As of 15 September 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ESP Juanpe Navarro 2 MF  AND Jesús Rubio 3 DF  ESP Marcos Blasco 4 DF  AND Christian García 5 DF  ESP Miguel López 6 MF  ESP Youssef El Ghazoui 7 FW  ESP Jorge Bolívar 8 MF  ESP Andrés Mohedano 9 FW  ESP Víctor Tellado 10 MF  ESP Modric 11 FW  ESP Joaquinete 13 GK  ESP Álex Ruiz

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 MF  AND Àlex Martínez 17 MF  AND Dacu 18 DF  ESP Jorge Valín 20 DF  ESP Eric Ruiz 22 FW  ESP David Virgili 23 FW  PAR Franco de Jesús 27 FW  ESP Bilal El Bakkali 30 FW  ESP Óscar Fernández 33 FW  ESP David Martín 48 DF  ESP Chete — DF  POR Luca Pereira — MF  ESP Marc Castells

• Official website
• Club profile at UEFA