Coyotes Santurtzi

Coyotes Santurtzi (or Coyotes de Santurce) is an American football team from Santurtzi (Vizcaya), Spain, founded in 1998. It is the only team that plays this sport in the Basque Country and plays/trains at the Mikel Trueba Sports Center. Currently, it competes in the Spanish National American Football League 2 (LNFA2), specifically in the Aragonese Tackle League (men's division).

## History

The club was founded in 1998 by a group of friends who loved the sport, including some American football players who had played in the national league with the now-defunct Bilbao Cougars, as well as people new to the sport.

The team began by playing a few exhibition games, which drew good crowds, at the Zubi Alde Sports Center in Portugalete. On May 2, 1999, they won the flag football tournament held in Barcelona, ​​a competition that included five Catalan teams and the Coyotes, who won all three of their games. They also participated in the 2000 Flag Football Club League organized by the Catalan Federation.

In July 2000, a game was organized against the Catalan Select Team in Santurce, which was won by the visitors despite the high level of play shown by the home team.

In 2001, they competed in the league organized by the Catalan Federation and participated in the 1st Madrid Community Trophy, in addition to playing a friendly match in Oviedo. On July 14th and 15th of that year, they organized the 1st Spanish Flag Football Championship, held at the Santurce Municipal Sports Institute (IMD), thanks to their collaboration with the Provincial Council and the Barcelona Dragons Club. Fourteen teams participated, and the event was televised by Canal Plus on their program Sportmanía.

Following this, they successfully established their first team in the 7x7 format, a specialty played with only seven players on a smaller field.

Due to the lack of nearby American football clubs, they participated in the Madrid leagues. After defeating the Las Rozas Black Demons in the Madrid Final on June 1st, 2003, they qualified for the Final Four in Seville two weeks later. There, they faced the four winners of their respective leagues: Catalonia, Valencia, and Andalusia. The Final Four was held in Seville on June 3, 2003, at the Cartuja Stadium, where they earned the title of national runners-up.

On October 25, 2003, they were invited by the Vilafranca Eagles, who were celebrating their 15th anniversary, for a weekend during which they completed a joint skills training session and played a friendly match the following morning, emerging victorious despite the inclement weather.

In 2004, they participated in the first edition of the LNFA 2, launched by the Spanish American Football Association (AEFA). Despite being unable to compete in the national final, they were granted the right to host the event in Santurce on June 6, 2004.

They competed in LNFA 2 from then until 2010, the season in which they switched from 9x9 to 11-a-side football and joined the top division, the LNFA. They also made their debut in the Copa de España against the Valencia Firebats, losing 0-32. That year, they finished with a losing record of 2 wins and 4 losses, unable to play the last two games of the season.

In 2011, with a team that blended veteran players with a multitude of rookies, they had a very promising start to the season with a hard-fought victory against Gijón Mariners and a home draw against Valencia Giants. However, numerous injuries led them to finish third in the LNFA's national conference, with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses.

The 2012 season began with a young and inexperienced team, but one brimming with enthusiasm. Furthermore, the addition of Aitor Trabado to the coaching staff represented a significant step forward for the Santurtzi club. It was a tough season, as the team finished with a record of 1 win, 1 draw, and 6 losses, but a glimmer of improvement was evident in their play, especially on defense, where they didn't concede a single point in the first four games of the season.

That season also saw the emergence of flag football and junior tackle teams. The tackle team played only one game, a 5-on-5 tackle match against a formidable opponent, the Gijón Mariners Junior. Meanwhile, the flag football team participated in a tournament held in Oviedo, achieving a commendable 3rd place, and later in the 6th Spanish Flag Bowl, where, after 1 win and 3 losses, they finished in a modest 8th place. In 2019, they left the National American Football League to compete in the North American Football League.

In 2023, they were surprised during a training session by NFL star Cameron Jordan, who had practiced some rural sports in the Basque Country and ended up training with them. He met the team and offered several tips for improvement.

In 2025, they began playing in the Aragonese league of the National American Football League 2 (LNFA2) and qualified for the playoffs after several years of absence, but were unsuccessful in defeating the Guadalajara Stings in La Mancha. That summer, they organized the first edition of the "Santurtzi Summer Flag" flag football tournament, where they competed in a three-team competition, which they won against the Donosti Txipis and the Rucasa Berserkers.

Currently, in 2026, they have doubled their player roster and aim to continue competing to win the Aragonese league.

The team boasts a highly experienced coaching staff and a large team of collaborators with many years of experience. The current Board of Directors is comprised of individuals with extensive experience in American football.

On numerous occasions, the Club has contributed players and even staff to the Spanish National Team for training camps and matches. In recent years, three players have been called up to the Senior National Team and four to the Junior National Team, in addition to two staff members.

In the Basque Country, there have been four American football teams: Bilbao Steel Knight, Bilbao Cougars, Abanto Mineiro, and Bilbao Akerrak, but only the Santurtzi Coyotes remain active.

## Identity and sinbolism

**The Crest and the Name**

The club adopted the name Coyotes following the American football tradition of using predatory animals that evoke speed, cunning, and aggression in the game. The official crest shows the profile of a coyote's head with an aggressive expression and a defiant gaze, originally designed in flat colors (orange and black) to facilitate printing on helmets and uniforms in the late 1990s.

**Colors: The "Orange Tide" of the North**

Unlike the sporting tradition of Santurtzi, where purple predominates (associated with the Sotera rowing club and CD Santurtzi), the Coyotes opted for a completely distinct visual identity:

- Orange: This is the primary color of the home jersey and the one that gives the club its identity. In the national American football scene, this color is often associated with the Coyotes, making them one of the few teams in the north to use it.
- Black: Used in shorts and details to create contrast.
- White: Secondary color for the numbers and the away kit.

This color choice allowed the team to stand out visually on the grass and mud fields of northern Spain and create a distinct brand independent of other multi-sport clubs in the seaside town.

**Nicknames**

- Coyotes: Short form of their official name
- The Pack: On social media and in internal communications, the club often refers to its players and fans as "The Pack," reinforcing the concept of unity and teamwork associated with the canines they represent

## Titles

1. 2003: LNFA 2 runners-up
1. 2016: Northern Junior League Champions
1. 2017: Northern Junior League Champions
1. 2017: National Junior League Runners-up
1. 2017: LNFA Serie A promotion
1. 2019: Northern 7x7 League Champions

## Other websites

- https://web.archive.org/web/20190318190109/http://www.coyotes-santurtzi.com/
- https://fafa.es/liga-masculina-tackle-24-25