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SPORT LONDON & BENFICA |
Sport London e Benfica was founded on the 15th of May 1981. The club is affiliated (No.22) to Sport Lisboa e Benfica, the most widely supported football club in the world, as acknowledged by the Guiness Book of Records in November 2006. The club has always had great ambitions but has never had a structure in place that would enable it to fulfil these ambitions. SLB is presently recruiting volunteers to join in the building of this sleeping giant of a club.
In the 2005/06 season Sport London e Benfica (SLB) changed their Senior Side from Sunday to Saturday League, joining the Cherry Red Books Middlesex County Football League, under the management of José Viana. As part of the National League System, SLB have taken a step in the right direction towards their ambition of reaching the dizzy and distant heights of professional football.
In their first year of National League System football, Sport London e Benfica became CHAMPIONS of Division 1. A great deal of gratitude is owed to Hanwell Town FC, who granted Sport London e Benfica the opportunity to ground share with them in the following season and gave the senior side the chance to climb the football pyramid. The team progressed into the Premier Division where they were to be crowned CHAMPIONS once again, for the second season running!
2007/2008 sees Sport London e Benfica playing semi-pro football, having now been promoted to The Moltens Spartans South Midland Football League, Division 1.
The importance of this achievement cannot be under-estimated as the success of the senior side gives something for the youth team players to aspire to.
In 2006, two youth teams were launched as part of the club’s local community initiative. Ivan Evaristo took on the important job of organising these two teams, with Joăo Neves who volunteered to share the responsibility. Both are owed a great deal of gratitude for their hard work in getting this youth-based project off the ground. The teams were entered into the Camden & Regents Park Football League and in their first test season had decent successes. One such success was the winning of a QPR tournament held in Wormwood Scrubs!
This coming season will see the youth section increase to 4 teams with 1 team added on either end of the age scale. Partnerships have been made with local organisations to help with the overall progress of the youth section. During the coming season, the club is aiming to build on these by adding more teams and we are ever on the look out for more volunteers.
SLB’s philosophy stays the same and the ambition gets even greater. How far can Sport London e Benfica go? With your support, only time will tell! Please take some to think how you can support our initiative. All support is welcome, no matter how big or small, whether it be coming to watch one of our games to taking an interest in one of our sponsorship packages.
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SPORT LONDON & BENFICA U12 |
In 2006, two youth teams were launched as part of Sport London e Benfica’s local community initiative. Ivan Evaristo took on the important job of organising these two teams, with Joăo Neves who volunteered to share the responsibility. Both are owed a great deal of gratitude for their hard work in getting this youth-based project off the ground.
The teams were entered into the Camden & Regents Park Football League and in their first test season had decent successes. One such success was the winning of a QPR tournament held in Wormwood Scrubs!
This coming season will see the youth section increase to 4 teams with 1 team added on either end of the age scale.
Partnerships have been made with local organisations to help with the overall progress of the youth section. During the coming season, the club is aiming to build on these by adding more teams and we are ever on the look out for more volunteers.
2007/2008 sees Sport London e Benfica’s senior side playing semi-pro football, having now been promoted to The Moltens Spartans South Midland Football League, Division 1.
The importance of this achievement cannot be under-estimated as the success of the senior side gives something for the youth team players to aspire to.
SLB’s philosophy stays the same and the ambition gets even greater. How far can Sport London e Benfica go? With your support, only time will tell! Please take some to think how you can support our initiative.
All support is welcome, no matter how big or small, whether it be coming to watch one of our games to taking an interest in one of our sponsorship packages.
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Sport Lisboa & BENFICA |
Supporters
In Portugal, a majority of the population who likes competitive football, are said to be Benfica sympathisers. Almost every municipality of Portugal has its own Casa do Benfica (House of Benfica), which can also be found in many cities and towns of countries worldwide (Andorra, Angola, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, England, France, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Luxembourg, Macao, South Africa, Switzerland, and United States).[7]
Since the 2004-2005 championship, club membership figures have seen a significant increase. In April 2006 the number of club members surpassed 140,000.[1] In July 2006, S.L. Benfica had 143,000 members, 1,000 more than Manchester United. S.L. Benfica is since 2006, the club with the most associates (registered paying supporters) in the world, with over 160,000 members.
Like all major Portuguese football clubs, Benfica have an organized group of supporters (claque, in Portugal), including the Diabos Vermelhos (Red Devils), which is affiliated with the club, and the No Name Boys, which maintains an independent line.
Benfica has also the highest average attendance in Portuguese top league with about 39 thousand supporters in the last season.[8]
Early years (1904-1960)
On February 28, 1904, a reunion took place in Rua de Belém with the goal to form a new football club, that would be called Grupo Sport Lisboa. There were 24 people in that reunion including the co-founder and the soul of the club, Cosme Damiăo. José Rosa Rodrigues was also appointed the first president.[5]
In 1908 there was a merge between Grupo Sport Lisboa and Grupo Sport Benfica.
Benfica, as almost all clubs in Portugal, was founded in the beginning of the 20th century, but the national competitions only began in the 20's.
After losing the first national championship to FCPorto in 34/35, Benfica won the next three championships in a row (35/36, 36/37 and 37/38). However, in the 40's Benfica faced a strong opposition of Sporting Lisbon for the internal domination.
But in 1950, the first big moment of Benfica History. Defeating Girondins de Bordeaux in the final, Benfica won the Latin Cup, becoming the first and only Portuguese club to win the competition.
In 1954 Benfica inaugurated his first own stadium, the Estádio da Luz. Also in this year, Benfica conquered the Portuguese Cup for the fourth time in a row, an unbroken record until now.
In the remaining years of the decade, Benfica won 3 championships and 2 Portuguese Cups, but more important than that, the club created the foundations to entry in the 60's with one of the best teams in Europe.
The Golden Era (1960-1970)
Benfica was the first team to break Real Madrid's dominance in the early European Champions' Cup. Having won two European Cups in a row against FC Barcelona (1961) and Real Madrid (1962).
During this decade Benfica would reach another 3 European Champions' Cup finals, but the Lisbon club never managed to win a European trophy again. Having lost against A.C. Milan (1963), Internazionale (1965) and Manchester United (1968).
In 1968, Benfica was considered the best European team by France Football despite its defeat in the Champions Cup. Many of its successes in the 1960s were achieved with all-time football great Eusébio playing for the Lisbon side. In fact, the 60's were the best period of Benfica history, in which the club won an astonishing 8 Championships (1960, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68 and 69), 3 Portuguese Cups (1961, 64 and 69) and 2 European Champions Cup (1961 and 62).
Titles After Titles (1970-1994)
During the 1970s, the team faded slightly from the European scene, but remained the main force inside Portuguese football, winning 6 championships (1971, 72, 73, 75, 76 and 77) and 2 Portuguese cups (1970 and 72). Jimmy Hagan led the club to three successive Portuguese championships, and once to the national cup between 1970 and 1973. Benfica also attracted Europe-wide attention when the team reached the semi-finals of the European Cup of Champions, where the team was only narrowly defeated 0-1 on aggregate by the legendary Ajax of that era.
In 1972-73 Benfica became the only ever club in Portugal to last a whole season without defeat and won 28 matches - 23 consecutively - out of 30, and drew two. In that year Eusébio also became Europe's top scorer with 40 goals, in what was his penultimate season as a Benfica player. The team scored 101 goals, breaking 100 only for the second time in their history.
The club had some problems in the late 70s, early 80s, but managed to stand up to its standards again, this time under the guidance of Sven-Göran Eriksson. In 2 years (1983 and 1984) the club won 2 championships, 1 Portuguese cup and reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 1983 against Anderlecht.
In 1985 the board decided to close the third level in the Estádio da Luz, which transformed the stadium into one of the biggest in Europe, with a standing room capacity of 120.000 and in 1987 Benfica won another double (championship+Portuguese cup), an achievement done for the ninth time in their history.
During the period from 1988-94 Benfica made a huge financial investment in an effort to win another European cup, but the club failed to meet its expectations. While they did reach the European cup final in 1988 & 1990, Benfica lost in the final against PSV Eindhoven and AC Milan respectively. Domestically, Benfica won 3 more championships (1989, 1991 and 1994) and 1 Portuguese cup (1993).
The Dark Years (1994-2003)
Financial trouble began to undermine the club due to rampant spending and a questionable signing policy which allowed for squads composed of well over 30 players. Consequently the period from 1994 through 2003 was arguably the darkest in the history of Benfica. During this time Benfica won only one Portuguese cup ('96) and finished in embarrassing positions such as 6th in '00/'01 and 4th in '01/'02. The debts were accumulating, and nearly every year saw the hire of a new Benfica coach and the addition of high-priced but under-performing players.
The New Era (2003-Present)
In 2004 the club regained some of its sporting prowess, with a new president and the manager Jose Antonio Camacho, winning the first title in eight years (the Portuguese cup, won against Mourinho's FCPorto in the final), and in 2004–2005 the first national championship in eleven years, this time with Giovanni Trapattoni as coach. In 2005/2006 Benfica won the Portuguese supercup for the 4th time.
In the 2005-06 Champions League, Benfica managed to reach the quarter-finals, defeating Manchester United 2-1 in the decisive group stage encounter, and then overcoming the 2005 European champions Liverpool F.C. 3-0 on aggregate. However Benfica lost in the Quarter Finals to the eventual winner F.C. Barcelona by an aggregate of 2-0, both goals coming during the second leg in Camp Nou. In the 2006 -07 season Benfica found themselves again facing Manchester United in a decisive Champions League group match in which the winner would advance. However, this time it was Manchester United who prevailed, gaining revenge in a 3 - 1 win. On 20th August 2007 Jose Antonio Camacho returned to SL Benfica on a 2-year contract, a more or less desperate move as Benfica was facing a vital Champions League qualifying game against F.C. Copenhagen, ending with an away win by 1-0 that granted Benfica a place in 2007-08 Champions League.
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