José María Abalo

José María Abalo Abad (1884 – 1 September 1954), was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Sporting de Vigo and later worked as a referee. He was one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of football in Galicia, being noted for his prominent role in promoting football in the city and for founding the first football clubs in the region, such as Football Corunna Club.

Early life and education Abalo was born in 1884 in Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra, and as the son of a wealthy industrialist from Vilagarcía, he was sent to London to complete his studies, doing so in an English boarding school. During his years in Britain, he developed a deep interest in football, and when he returned to Galicia in 1901, he did so not only with a university degree in commerce, but also with a ball in his suitcase.

Abalo took the ball with him when he went to the School of Commerce in Coruña, and he quickly spread his passion to his classmates The sport began to take root in the city and kept growing to the point that in 1903, some young people from the Sala de armas Calvet, a gym that was then directed by the fencing champion Federico Calvet, began deserting it to follow Abalo in football practice.

Playing career In the 1906–07 season, Abalo played as a forward in Sporting de Vigo, scoring twice in the 1907 Copa del Rey, including a late winner against the eventual runner-ups Club Bizcaya. Back in Vilagarcía, Abalo continued his efforts in favor of this sport until he achieved the formation of Villagarcia FC in 1907, which in the same year of its constitution was invited by Madrid FC to "take part in a training match".

Later life and death In the following years, Abalo continued practicing this new sport, even alternating between football and rugby in the fields of Santa Rita and A Lomba, "witnessed by a large audience". Abalo died on 1 September 1954, at the age of either 69 or 70.