 However, it took until 1903 when the SPR officially organised football as a leisure activity for its employees and another one-and-a-half decades when a proper football club was formed on 16 February 1919.In 1924 the club found access to the third division of the state league of São Paulo and reached ascension to the second division in 1925.In 1935 Nacional was one of the co-founders of today's state football association o São Paulo, the Federação Paulista de Futebol and in 1936 played the new first division of the now professional football league of São Paulo, finishing in 9th position.