- published: 24 Jun 2013
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Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. (FIATC Joventut for sponsorship reasons) is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, playing in the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB). Known to their fans as La Penya (in English, The Club), it is one of only three teams that have never been relegated from the top division of the Spanish League. The only other two are Real Madrid and CB Estudiantes. In 1994, Badalona was the champion of the FIBA European Champions' Cup, which is now called the Euroleague.
Well-known players have included: Jordi Villacampa, Raúl López, Álex Mumbrú, Rudy Fernández, and Ricky Rubio.
Club Joventut de Badalona has received diverse trade names along its history. These are the Joventut denominations along the years:
Badalona has had a basketball team since March 30, 1930, when Joventut was founded as Penya Spirit of Badalona. Apart from basketball, the club initially had teams involved in several sports including cycling, table tennis and football. In 1932, the club changed its name to Centre Esportiu Badaloní. In 1939, it became Club Joventut Badalona. By 1940, basketball was established as the club's main sport and green and black were adopted as the club's colors.
Badalona (Catalan pronunciation: [bəðəˈɫonə]) is a city in eastern Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the comarca of the Barcelonès, joined to Barcelona and part of its metropolitan area. It is situated on the left bank of the small Besòs River and on the Mediterranean Sea, backed by the Serra de la Marina mountain range. Badalona is the third most-populated municipality in Catalonia after Barcelona and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. It became a city in 1897.
Badalona was founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, with the name of Baetulo, although human settlements in the area existed from 3500-2500 BC. The Iberians had fortified villages on the Melasas and Boscà hills since the 7th century BC. The Roman town's plan was based on their common scheme of the cardo and decumanus, occupying some 11 ha, with a line of walls measuring 413x261 m and having large defensive towers. In the 1st century BC it had some 15,000 inhabitants.
The current Badalona was formed in the 10th century, as a new urban nucleus built over and around the old Roman city. It comprised a group of houses built around the square and the church. At the same time, a rural nucleus grew up outside the town walls. This rural and urban dichotomy would remain until the mid-18th century.