Foundation (Light and Power Company, Luz y Fuerza) (1899–1920) Necaxa was founded on August 21, 1923, by Scotsman William H. Fraser, an
engineer and owner of the Light and Power Company (
Compañía de Luz y Fuerza) in the state of
Puebla. As a student in Scotland Fraser played football and was a strong advocate for the sport. Fraser consolidated the teams of the Light and Power Company and the Street Car operators
Compañia de Luz y Fuerza and Tranvías into one. Fraser supported the newly merged team with company revenue and funds. In addition, the Light and Power Company offered steady employment to players in an era where half of the players were playing at an amateur level. However,
the Mexican football federation did not allow teams to be named after private companies, so the team changed its name to Necaxa, after the
Necaxa River that was close to the electrical plant. Historians assert that Necaxa's colors and crest came from following the arrival of the Cornish community in Mexico; the Cornish community flourished and stayed in
Central Mexico until the
Mexican Revolution in 1910. Although the Cornish community in Mexico broadly returned to Cornwall, they left a cultural legacy;
Cornish pasties, Cornish mining museums, a
Cornish Mexican Cultural Society and football are part of the local heritage and tradition in and around
Mineral del Monte. In 1923, it was decided that Necaxa would field players regardless of race and nationality. In that era, the team was called "Los Electricistas" (
The Electricians). The team adopted red and white as their team colors, earning them the nickname "Los roji-blancos". During this period, the oldest rivalry in Mexican football began to form, between Necaxa and
Atlante F.C. On September 14, 1930, having already been a two-time champion of the amateur
Copa Eliminatoria, Necaxa inaugurated its stadium
Parque Necaxa, located on the banks of La Piedad River on land donated by the Fraser Family. The stadium had a maximum capacity for 15,000 fans, and was known for its clock tower displaying the team's emblem. Necaxa, in the early days of Mexican Football were members of the Mexican Amateur Association Football League
Liga Mexicana de Fútbol Amateur Association, composed of
Atlante,
Club España,
Germania FV, and seasoned and disciplined team
Asturias. Necaxa won championships during the 1932–33, 1934–35, 1936–37, and 1937–38 seasons. The following season after the stadium's opening, players such as Hilario López and Luis Pérez contributed to the team's success, leading Necaxa to the League final against Atlante, losing 3–2. But Necaxa would rebound the next season, smashing Atlante by a 9–0 score. The lineup Necaxa used on that day was: During this decade, Necaxa became one of the most popular teams in Mexico. Under the direction of the Ernst Pauler, Necaxa, in one season of play (1935–36), the team dominated and won titles ranging from Champion of Champions, Champion of the Liga Mayor De La Ciudad, National Champion of League, National Champion and Central American Champions. Their last title was the Central American Championship in
El Salvador. 1935 Caribbean games lineup
Mexico "Paco" Martinez de la Vega, an aficionado, would coin the surname for the first time "Campeonismo" or "Championshipism", which Necaxa would later use to justify their achievements and titles. altogether due to the
professionalization of Mexican Football. It would be half a decade before the Necaxa emblem and uniform would be represented on the field again. In 1982, the Spanish ownership within the Federal District of Mexico City sold the franchise. A new group of Mexican businessmen purchased Necaxa in 1982, then telecommunications Giant Grupo Televisa returned the organization's original name from 1971 and opened its training facilities in Cuautitlán Izcalli in the state of Mexico. The ownership renamed the franchise Necaxa by 1982 after the cultural and historical importance of the franchise in Mexican football. While Mexico experienced a crisis called "the Lost Decade" or "
La Decada Perdida" in the 1980s and early 1970s, Necaxa in the 1980s struggled against two relegation matches. One at the end of the 1982–83 season against
Zacatepec and another by the end of the 1984–85 season against
Leones Universidad de Guadalajara. Atlético Español footballers: Goalkeepers: Julito Aguilar, Jan Gomola, Goyo Cortez, Enrique Vazquez del Mercado, Defense: El Pimienta Rico, Juan Manuel Alvarez, Mario Trejo, Midfielder: Juan Carlos Rodriguez Vega, Manuel Manzo, Benito Buen Hombre Pardo, Tomas Boy. Forwards: Juan Manuel Borbolla, J.J. Muñante, Romano, Carlos Eloir Perucci, El Cachito Ramirez, Ricardo Brandon, Pio Tabaré Gonzalez, Juan Carlos Rossete. Raúl 'El Cora Isiordia", y Alejandro Romanh.
New Owners and return to glory (1990–2000) In 1988, Futbol Club Necaxa was purchased by Mexican telecommunications giant Grupo Televisa, S.A. de C.V. The now late owner,
Emilio Azcárraga Milmo (father of
Emilio Azcárraga Jean), and several associates took a new direction with the team. In the 1989 and 1990 season, director of football operations
Anibal Ruiz acquired the services of the Ecuadorian midfielder,
Álex Aguinaga, one of the iconic figures of the Necaxa in the 1990s and one of the most talented foreign players who has ever set foot on Mexican soil. Necaxa has a great season, previously in the 1980s they battled twice against
México Primera División's regulations of the Mexican League. In that year Necaxa reached the finals losing to Pumas of the University of Mexico. The following season
Aníbal Ruiz was replaced with new coach, the Argentine ex-defender,
Eduardo Luján Manera who contracted the services of the Chilean
Ivo Basay. Under Manera, Necaxa didn't qualify for the finals of the championship. The acquisition of new coach
Roberto Saporiti, marked the beginning of a commitment to competition excellence in a period known to Necaxa fans as "La Epoca Necaxista bajo el Capitalismo" or "the new era of Necaxa under Capitalism". In 1992, the talented footballer of
UNAM, ex-Puma player
Enrique Borja was put under contract and headed the club's football operations, leaving Saporiti as head coach of Necaxa. Eventually Saporitti was replaced. The team Saporitti, Manera, Ruiz leave was an offensive minded team, that was disciplined, yet lacked great defensive talent. The following season management engaged the services of Manuel Lapuente.
Sergio "El Ratón" Zarate,
Octavio "Picas" Becerril, the Chilean
Eduardo "Lalo" Vilches,
José María "El Chema" Higareda were key figures in the defense and offense of the club.
Manuel Lapuente managed Club Necaxa to three Championship titles in Mexico's National Football League. After 56 years, once again Necaxa found itself with the title of "Campeonísimo", contributing talent in the 1990s and late in the millennium, within the Primera División of the Mexican League and in the Mexico national team. They won the Mexican League Championship in 1994 (beating
Cruz Azul), in 1995 (beating
Celaya) and 1998 (beating
Guadalajara), becoming Champion of CONCACAF, created a huge upset against European Giants
Real Madrid CF in 3rd place match of the inaugural
FIFA Club World Cup the following season. Champion of champions the legacy of the "Once Hermanos" attempted to be reestablished within the franchise's values and mind set. The Necaxa team of the 1990s had represented the cohesion and ability of working and playing as a team under lucrative financial incentives, forced great communication on the field and execution on the field during advanced Capitalism competition play. Necaxa's Championships were similar, yet different reminder of the spirit of "Los Once Hermanos" or "the Eleven Brothers" in the late 1930s.
Relocation and new home (2000–2009) After poor attendance numbers during the early 2000s, Necaxa needed to refresh their home and relocate to improve on this issue. Many considered
Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes to be the first modern stadium built in Mexico. Attendance continued to decline steadily despite the change of city and stadium for Necaxa. This consistent decline would lead to a relegation for Necaxa during the Spring 2009 campaign. The Hidrorayos would bounce back winning the fall 2009 and Spring 2010 (undefeated)
Ascenso MX titles thus earning an automatic promotion back up to the
Liga MX.
Necaxa in Primera División and return to Ascenso MX (2011–present) After winning the 2009–10 promotion, Necaxa returned to the FMF Primera División for the 2010–11 campaign. Omar Arellano began the season with Daniel Brailovsky taking over for the remainder of the tenure. Ultimately the club faced immediate relegation after only one year. Despite having a good performance in the 2nd division, Necaxa was initially unable to return to the top flight, losing two finals in 2013 against
Neza FC and
Universidad de Guadalajara. On 6 December 2014, Necaxa won the
Apertura 2014 championship in the final game against
Coras de Tepic ultimately losing the promotion play-off against
Dorados de Sinaloa. The Apertura 2015 tournament was not good for Necaxa, finishing in 10th place. However, in Clausura 2016, Necaxa finished the regular season as runner-up, one point behind U. de G. In the playoffs, Necaxa beat Correcaminos 2–1 in the Quarterfinals, Atlante 5–3 in the Semifinals, and Zacatecas 2–0 in the Finals to become champion. Next was a two-legged playoff series against
Juárez, the Apertura 2015 champion. Necaxa won the first leg in Aguascalientes 1–0, and one week later in
Ciudad Juárez 2–0, thus clinching its return to Primera División Liga MX for the first time in five years.
NX Football USA, LLC (2021–present) Necaxa took in a 50% ownership partner named NX Football USA, LLC in 2021. The ownership group included former owners from
Major League Soccer club
D.C. United, former managers from Welsh football club
Swansea City, and celebrities: Mexican-American actress
Eva Longoria, former international football player
Mesut Özil, former
NBA basketball player
Shawn Marion,
MLB baseball player
Justin Verlander, and Verlander's wife, American model
Kate Upton. Necaxa's backers purchased 5% of
Wrexham AFC in April 2024 and its owners
Rob McElhenney and
Ryan Reynolds, in turn, purchased a minority stake in Necaxa. On July 9, 2024, a TV series was ordered with filming beginning on the same day. The series will be similar to
Welcome to Wrexham. ==Sponsorship==