Under the abbreviated name Deportivo La Coruña, the former top club from Galicia gained fame beyond Spain’s borders before falling into financial trouble. Now Depor is back in La Liga—with a new name.
The sports corporation known as “Real Club Deportivo de la Coruña” is now a thing of the past. 79.41 percent of the members voted in favor of a name change. On Tuesday, the results of the binding referendum were announced at an extraordinary general meeting of the club’s members. “Real Club Deportivo de A Coruña” is now the club’s official name; in Galician, it is now “Real Club Deportivo da Coruña.” The “L” will also disappear from the city’s name on Depor’s crest, which will instead read “A Coruña,” the city’s official name.
“With this decision, RC Deportivo is moving forward with the formal adjustment of its corporate name to comply with the applicable legal framework and is concluding a process that was carried out with the participation of season ticket holders, with corporate law guarantees, and with the full support of the shareholders,” the club explained in an official statement.
From last Wednesday through Sunday, members were called upon to vote—voter turnout was 55.9 percent. The ball had already been set in motion several months ago by a fan survey, which yielded a clear result: a clear majority favored a name change.
No wonder—various segments of the fan base had been vocally calling for the change for years. In addition, a group of students from A Coruña had launched an initiative. Their slogan: “El Depor es de A Coruña.” Thousands of signatures were collected.
From European elite to third division
Around the turn of the millennium, Depor set out to become a top European club. The 2000 Spanish champion and 1995 and 2002 Cup winner reached the semifinals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1996, and in 2004, the Galicians reached the semifinals of the Champions League. Due to major financial problems, the club slipped further and further down the ranks and, in the 2020–21 season, played in the third division for the first time in its history. A few weeks ago, the club celebrated its return to La Liga after finishing second in the Segunda División.
