Algarve Aces
Spotlight on Portuguese club
The Algarve is not necessarily known for its football teams, with most of the more well-known clubs playing their football in the north of Portugal or Lisbon.
The southern region is renowned for being a popular tourist destination, but football is still competitive in the Algarve.
Olhanense, Portimonense and Farense are all currently plying their trade in Portuguese football’s second tier, but things look to be on the up.
Olhanense, who are based in the fishing village of Olhão, were in the Primeira Liga until last season, when they finished bottom of the division. However, the Leões de Olhão had been in the top flight since 2009.
The 2013-14 season did not start too well for the club, as their home fixtures were moved to the Estadio Algarve, the picturesque stadium that England were the first international visitors to in 2004, for the third time in four seasons. This was due to the playing surface at the Jose Arcanjo Stadium not recovering from maintenance work over the summer – the same reason for having to relocate for the opening matches of the other three seasons.
Olhanense were finally able to move back to their home at the start of the year and their supporters stuck with them through thick and thin. In fact, a large number of their fans are British expats, who have started their own supporters group. Headed by Brits who have decided to retire in the sunshine, the supporters club offers travel to away fixtures so that the club have support wherever they are playing.
Attendances at the Estadio Algarve dwindled to as few as 500 fans – a poor amount when you consider Olhanense was, at the time, a top-flight team and playing ther home fixtures in a stadium with a capacity of 30,002. But attendances picked up in the latter stages of the campaign and the support is still there in the Segunda Liga. Sporting Clube Olhanense have been successful in the past, too. In 1941, the club became the first team from the Algarve to
reach the top flight of Portuguese football. Olhanense also became the Champions of Portugal in 1924 as they won the Campeonato de Portugal, which was the most important national competition at the time. To win that title, the Leões de Olhão had to see off FC Porto in the final. But in 1951, the club dropped back into the second tier after ten consecutive seasons in the top flight.
Portimonense, who were formed 100 years ago, were also playing top-flight football not too long ago. They spent a single season in the Primeira Liga in 2010-11, but were relegated after winning only six of 30 fixtures. That was their first appearance in the division since the 1989-90 campaign.
The club, based in the coastal town of Portimão,are not only known for their professional football, though. Portimonense Sporting Clube also have various youth teams and a veterans team in football, as well as teams in basketball.
However, arguably the most famous and successful team in the Algarve are Farense, with the likes of Portugal international central defender Bruno Alves and West Ham United winger Ricardo Vaz Te having been on Farense’s books. The club have won nine major trophies since being founded in 1910, including the AF Algarve Championship five times, the Portuguese Second Division twice, and the Portuguese Third Division and AF Algarve First Division once.
The club, based in Faro, were in the Pre-meira Liga as recently as in the 2001-02 season and they were in the UEFA Cup competition in the 1995-96 campaign. Unfortunately for Farense, they were eliminated at the first stage by French giants Lyon, 2-0 on aggregate.
More recently though, the club have strug gled. Since their relegation in 2002, Farense have had financial problems which thwarted them from challenging for promotion back to the top flight. The club failed to come to terms with the financial problems and were relegated again, playing in regional leagues, before finally winning promotion back to the Segunda Liga in 2012-13.
All three teams have made a strong start to the new campaign and it is more than likely that at least one of the trio will be in the Pre-meira Liga next season.