Elche Club de Fútbol is a Spanish professional football club based in Elche, Alicante, competing in La Liga and playing home matches at the 33,732-seat Estadio Martínez Valero. Founded in 1923 from a merger of local teams, the club first reached the top flight in 1959 and achieved its best-ever league finish of fifth place in 1963–64, before reaching the Copa del Rey final in 1969, where they lost 0–1 to Athletic Bilbao. After a relegation in 1971 and a return as champions in 1973, the club suffered another drop in 1978, marking the start of a severe financial and sporting crisis. Throughout the early 1980s, Elche repeatedly missed promotion by narrow margins, most painfully in 1980–81 when a final-day loss to Cádiz cost them a spot in the top division. The club finally returned to La Liga in 1984, but their history has been marked by these dramatic highs and lows, including a long spell outside the top tier. Today, Elche remains a resilient fixture in Spanish football, with a passionate fanbase and a storied legacy despite its modest size.