12 de Octubre de Itauguá

El 12 de Octubre Football Club, also known as 12 de Octubre de Itauguá, is a sports club in Paraguay, located in the city of Itauguá. Its main activities are football and social events. It was founded on 14 August 1914. It currently plays in the Tercera División, after being relegated from the División Intermedia in 2023.

Its name refers to the discovery of America, while the institutional crest represents the ñandutí, a type of lace of European origin; a craft characteristic of the city and valued both nationally and internationally. The identifying colors are blue and white, arranged in vertical stripes on the shirts. Popularly it is known by the nicknames “El 12”, “el Globo Itaugüeño” (“the Itauguá Balloon”) and “los Tejedores” (“the Weavers”). Likewise, the team's fans call themselves “seguidores” (“followers”).

The club has a social headquarters and a stadium. The former, called “Félix Tanasio”, occupies a site of two hectares, and is strategically located in the center of the city, on route 2 Mcal José Félix Estigarribia at its intersection with Victoriano Aldama street. Its stadium, by contrast, sits on the outskirts of the urban area, specifically in the Ybyraty district, also on Route 2 and between the streets Santiviago and Herminio Salinas. Since 2016, it has borne the name of the former president and former municipal mayor Luis Salinas Tanasio.

From its time as an amateur team, it is notable for having been one of the organizers of the Liga Itaugueña de Fútbol, in which it initially competed; and then joining the Caacupeña and Central de Deportes leagues, with success in both. After returning to its parent body in 1975, it became the absolute dominator of Itauguá football in the 1980s and early 1990s, winning a historic five-in-a-row (1985-1989). These achievements allowed it to take part in the former Torneos República, in which teams from the capital and the most important cities of the country competed.

Its first venture into professionalism came in the experimental championship of 1994, which lasted only one season. Some time later, it was invited to take part in the newly created División Intermedia, in 1997. On 5 October of that year it won the title by defeating Olimpia de Itá at home by 3 goals to 1 (it had also won the first leg 3 to 2), thus confirming its promotion to the top category of Paraguayan football, in which it remained until 2009. Since then, it has taken part without interruption in the competitions organized by the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol, in the first, second and third divisions alike.

To date, 2022, 12 de Octubre is the only club originating from the Unión del Fútbol del Interior that has won an official championship at the national level, having been crowned champion of the Torneo Clausura 2002. In addition, together with Club Sol de América of Villa Elisa, Sportivo Luqueño of Luque and Atlético Colegiales of Lambaré, it is one of only three non-Asunción clubs that have been champions of official Paraguayan football competitions.

Many renowned footballers have emerged from within the club, some of whom became key figures at other teams and in the Paraguayan national team, such as: Salvador Cabañas, Fredy Bareiro, Darío Verón, Edgar Báez, Librado Azcona, Lorenzo Melgarejo and Raúl Aviniagaldez, in the professional stage; to whom are added the names of Pedro Antonio Cabral, Pablo Lino Tanasio, René Vázquez, Mario Zaracho, Julián Coronel and Numa Rodríguez, in the amateur era.

Thanks to its track record, honors and infrastructure, it is one of the most representative teams of the interior of the country, although in recent years the city of Itauguá has become fully integrated into the Asunción Metropolitan Area.