9 de Julio Rafaela

Rafaela grew up as a railway and grain town on the Santa Fe pampas. Long before the city had any organised competition, three twelve-year-olds — Eduardo Tello, Luis Gunzinger and Atilio Scarassini — put together a side from the neighbourhood around the tracks. That team, formed on 9 July 1904, first called itself Central Norte, after its place in the city.

Two years on, a local man, Paulino Rosales, handed the boys blank receipts printed with the words "Club 9 de Julio" — Argentina's independence day — and the name replaced Central Norte for good. The team played on open ground at first, settled on Ayacucho street by 1906, where its social premises still stand, and moved to its present stadium in 1974. Nothing has broken that continuity since — 9 de Julio remains the oldest club in Rafaela, the "dean" of the city's football.

Home matches are played at Estadio Germán Solterman, known locally as the Coloso Germán Solterman, which holds 8,000. The red and white vertical stripes give the side its nickname, El León. City rivalry runs two ways — the Clásico Rafaelino is fought against both Club Sportivo Ben Hur and Atlético Rafaela.

Alejandro Donatti came through here in 2004 before winning an Argentine title with Racing and playing for Rosario Central, San Lorenzo and Flamengo.

Most of the silverware belongs to regional football: back-to-back Torneo del Interior titles in 1989-90 and 1991-92, then promotion through the Torneo Argentino B in 2000-01. A Torneo Regional Amateur title followed in 2023, won 3-1 against Camioneros Argentinos del Norte in the final, returning the club to the Torneo Federal A.

In the 2023 Copa Santa Fe final, 9 de Julio won the first leg 1-0 against Argentino de Rosario, only for a 1-1 draw in the return to cost them the title. Marcelo Varela, who took over from Maximiliano Barbero, led the side to the semi-final of the 2025 Torneo Federal A.