page_title: Club Alianza Lima
section_title: Beginnings
hierarchical_section_title: Club Alianza Lima / History / Beginnings
caption_attribution_description: Español: Fundación del Club Alianza Lima (1901)
context_page_description: Club Alianza Lima, popularly known as Alianza Lima or simply Alianza, is a Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. It is widely known for having one of the most historical and successful football teams of Peru; they have won a total of twenty-three league titles of the Peruvian Primera División and are currently the oldest team playing in this competition, since the club was founded in 1901. Alianza's home stadium is the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva, named after Alejandro Villanueva, one of the most important players the club had in their history. The stadium is also popularly known as Matute, name of the neighbourhood in which it is located. It is the most popular football team in Peru, having the highest number of fans and followers.
  Alianza enjoyed success throughout the first decades of their professional era. Their best international performance came in 1976 when they won the Copa Simón Bolívar. In that same year, the team reached the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, repeating the feat in 1978.
context_section_description: The club was founded with the name Sport Alianza on 15 February 1901 by workers in the Alianza Racing Horse Stud, then property of twice President of Peru Augusto B. Leguía. The stud was located in downtown Lima
  The club is one of the oldest professional football teams in Peru. It was founded on 15 February 1901, as Sport Alianza, named for the stable that hosted its first games. It is the only surviving founding member of the Peruvian Football League, created as an amateur level league in 1912. The club's first kit was green and white, honoring founding member Eduardo Pedreschi's Italian heritage. Beginning in that first season, the colors of the Alianza stables, blue, white and black were used, and by the 1920s the classic vertically-striped jersey had become the definitive kit. The club changed its name to Alianza Lima in 1920. The League turned professional in 1951.
  Alianza participated in the amateur era of the Peruvian football league from that inaugural season, winning its first title in 1918. During its first years, it played irregularly against other teams from Lima and the port of Callao. Its matches against Atlético Chalaco from Callao stirred interest as a clash between limeños and chalacos. Sport Alianza had started to become a popular team drawing large support and this was the first derby or "clasico".
caption: The first Alianza Lima squad, during the years of its creation
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