Every club has a youth academy and naturally, there are football teams from the under-8 and under-10 level for players to progress. However, these levels have a degree of protection in terms of the environment the players play in.
The under-18 level is considered to be one of the biggest steps for a budding footballer as it implies the player is in the eyes of the first-team coach. However, there is the absence of proper first-team experience and several times, players with a high ceiling have failed to make the grade due to their inability to adapt to the demands of first-team football.
Therefore, football clubs have a reserve team that acts as a bridge between the first-team and lower levels. Different leagues in different countries have their own versions. In England, the under-23s have a league of their own where players usually between ages 18 to 23 compete.
In countries such as Spain, these reserve teams play in the same league system as the first-team albeit a division lower i.e. as Barcelona and Real Madrid play in the Primera Division, the La Liga, it implies Barcelona B and Real Madrid Castilla should play in the second division or lower. This way, if any first-team gets demoted while their respective B team gets promoted, the club cannot swap players and compete in the higher-ranked division.
This system ensures that players get to learn while playing against teams actually fighting for promotion and provides the closest experience to first-team football. However, these B teams cannot get promoted to the same division as the parent club even if they make it to the top spots.
In the 1951-52 season, Valencia’s B team Mestalla were denied promotion despite winning the promotion play-off as the first-team was in the top-flight. Recently, Barcelona B finished third in the 2010-11 Segunda Division but were not promoted to the top division as they were ineligible due to the same reason.
While this gives another team below a chance to get promoted, it also causes resentment as it spoils the competitiveness and the rewards associated with it. There are instances when teams did become eligible for promotion, however.
Also Read: Ranking the players of Barcelona B team
Espana Industrial, one of the earlier names of Barcelona B, were eligible for promotion in 1956 and decided to separate from Barcelona, thereby becoming eligible to play in the top-flight. They were renamed as CD Condal but got relegated in 1957 and eventually merged with Atletic Catalunya to form FC Barcelona B in 1970.
A very interesting case is that of Malaga CF who were previously known as CD Malaga and their reserve team was named as Atletico Malagueno. The 1959-60 season saw both teams in the third division and since the reserve team should not be in the same division, they separated out and registered as independent clubs.
In 1992, CD Malaga was dissolved due to financial difficulties leaving Atletico Malagueno as the representative. However, the latter endured financial difficulties as well and the club members voted to rename it to Malaga CF as known today, making it the official successor of CD Malaga.
Another criticism levelled at B teams playing in the same league system is the lack of spectators when other first-teams in the division visit these sides as very few fans turn up for watching the reserve team. This was similar to cup games as well and initially, these second-teams were eligible to play in the Copa del Rey, the annual football cup competition in Spain.
During this time, a special event occurred in 1980 when Castilla CF, Real Madrid’s reserve team reached the Copa del Rey final. In the final, Castilla CF faced none other than their parent club Real Madrid. Despite beating 4 top-flight teams to make it to the final of the cup, there were no surprises as Real Madrid won 6-1.
Also Read: Ranking the players of Real Madrid Castilla
Castilla CF’s run to the final made them eligible to play in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, with Real Madrid already through by virtue of their league position. Madrid’s reserve team drew English side West Ham United in the first round and beat them 3-1 at the Bernabeu only to lose 5-1 in the return leg.
This incident remains a one-off and for the sake of remaining first-teams in all divisions, the reserve teams were made ineligible to participate in the Copa del Rey since the 1990-91 season. This is common now in almost every country where the reserve teams play in the same league system with Japan being a notable exception as the reserve teams there are still eligible to compete in the Emperor’s Cup.
Finally, the Spanish B teams playing in the same league system is a definite boon for parent clubs due to the experience obtained. And the move to make these reserve teams ineligible for cup competitions or promotion is fair keeping in mind the interests of other teams in Spain.
