Club Atleta de los Astilleros del Nervión

The Club Atleta de los Astilleros del Nervión (English: Athletic Club of the Nervión Shipyards) was an multi-sports club based in Nervión, Biscay, that mainly consisted of the British workers of the Nervión Shipyards, hence its name, but sometimes also with players hailing from all across Bilbao. It was one of the very first companies dedicated to sports in the region, most notably, football, having a section dedicated to the said sport due to its rapid growth in England. In addition to football, Club Atleta also performed in other modalities such as athletics, cricket, and cycling, although they also practiced others such as rugby, rowing and tug of war.

This entity is best remembered for its pioneering role in the amateur beginnings of football in the Basque Country, organizing the first known football match in the Basque Country on 4 April 1890, between the Machinery Department (engineers) vs the Shipyard Workers. These football teams were scratch teams that existed between 1890 and 1894.

Club Atleta was the first to bring football to the region, and most notably, to Bilbao, a sport practically unknown in the city at the time, playing a prominent role in promoting the sport there as the Bilbainos who watched their matches fell in love with the game and soon the local population joined the game too, even challenging the British workers to a match in 1894. Despite its very short life, the football team of the Nervión Shipyards left a big mark in the history of Basque football, laying out the seeds from which Athletic Bilbao would be born in 1898.