Simplify the following text for a Grade 12 native English-speaking person.
Original: The `` Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata '' was founded on June 3 , 1887 as a civil association , and thus is the oldest surviving football club still participating in the Argentine Football League .
Simplified: The `` Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata '' was founded on June 3 , 1887 as a civil association , and thus is the oldest surviving football club in the whole of South America .