On March 1, 1946, A group of students from "Ginásio Leão XIII", at the time directed by professor Antilhon Ribeiro Soares, met to discuss the founding of a sports club that would take the name of River Atlético Clube.

Almost a month later, on March 12, 1948, there was the so-called 'reorganization' of the club, led by Afrânio Messias Alves Nunes (River's most successful president - 11 titles).

[8] In 2000, River competed in the Copa João Havelange, which was the competition that replaced the Brazilian Championship in that year.

Despite losing the finals, River earned a spot in the 2016 Série C. In the 2016 Serie C, River had a poor campaign, finishing last with only 2/18 wins and being immediately relegated to Serie D. The club's home matches are usually played at Governador Alberto Tavares Silva stadium, nicknamed Albertão, which has a maximum capacity of 60,000 people.

[10][2] River also plays at Estádio Lindolfo Monteiro, nicknamed Lindolfinho, which has a maximum capacity of 8,000 people.