Even though the club registered with the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 6 June 1949, UD Las Palmas was officially founded on 22 August of that year, as the result of a merger between all five clubs on the island: "Club Deportivo Gran Canaria", "Atlético Club de Fútbol", "Real Club Victoria", "Arenas Club" and "Marino Fútbol Club". The union was to create a club strong enough to keep Canarian players on the island and not to seek a better career on the mainland.