Athletic Club is a Brazilian club from Sao Joao del-Rei in the state of Minas Gerais, founded on 27 June 1909 at a meeting convened by Omar Telles Barbosa, who became its first president. Nicknamed the Esquadrao de Aco, or Steel Squadron, the club plays in black and white at the Estadio Joaquim Portugal in the Matosinhos district of the city.

Athletic spent decades as an amateur institution before returning to professional football in 2018, after which it rose rapidly through the Brazilian league system. Promotion from Serie D was followed by a runners-up finish in Serie C in 2024 that took the club into the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B for the first time, an unusual achievement for a side from a small historic town. It should not be confused with the Spanish club Athletic Club of Bilbao.