 Nacional was founded on 16 February 1919 as an association football club by employees of the British owned São Paulo Railway Company as São Paulo Railway Athletic Club, changing its name in 1946 when the Fourth Brazilian Republic was established and it nationalized the railways.The club is also known as "NAC," "Naça" and "Ferroviário" ("Rail"), and its mascot is a locomotive.Since 1975, the club focuses on youth programs for football, volleyball, futsal, boxing, basketball, and button football, with a senior football team that has usually been relegated to the lower tiers of the São Paulo state football league system.