The Associação de Futebol do Algarve ''(Algarve Football Association)'' is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated to the

Portuguese Football Federation The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) ( pt, Federação Portuguesa de Futebol; ) is the governing body of football in Portugal. The federation was formed in 1914 as Portuguese Football Union (UPF) by the three existing regional associations ...

. The AF Algarve administers lower tier

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

in the

district of Faro Faro District ( pt, Distrito de Faro ) is the southernmost district of Portugal, coincident with the Algarve region. The administrative centre, or district capital, is the city of Faro. Municipalities The district is composed of 16 municipalit ...

Background

Associação de Futebol do Algarve, commonly referred to as AF Algarve, is the governing body for football in the

. The Football Association is based in Penha in Faro, close to Piscinas Municipais de Faro (Faro Municipal Swimming Pool) and Complexo Desportivo da Penha (Sports Complex of Penha). The Association's President is António Coelho Matosa. The organisation was established on 22 January 1922 following an initial meeting on 15 October 1921 at the Ginásio Clube Farense by representatives from a number of Algarve clubs including Sporting Clube Farense, Sport Lisboa e Faro, Boxing Futebol Clube (Portimão),

Sporting Clube Olhanense Sporting Clube Olhanense () is a Portuguese sports club from Olhão, Algarve. Its football team was founded on 27 April 1912 and currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth tier of Portuguese football. It holds home matches at the ...

Lusitano Futebol Clube Lusitano Futebol Clube, often known as Lusitano VRSA, is a Portuguese football club from Vila Real de Santo António, in the Algarve region. The club was founded on 15 April 1916 and is the No. 1 delegation of S.L. Benfica, and has Miguel Ânge ...

, Glória Futebol Clube, Portimonense Sporting Clube, Sport Club União, Sport Club "Os Leões Portimonenses" and Esperança Futebol Clube. The two previous attempts to establish a Football Association ended in failure.

Competitions

Algarve clubs compete in the three national levels of the

Portuguese football league system The Portuguese football league system consists of several leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation. Reserve teams are allowed to compete in the main league system, as is the case with most of Europe. However, they are not ...

in competitions run by the

Portuguese League for Professional Football The Liga Portugal (Portugal League), also known by its acronym LPFP, is a governing body that manages professional football club competitions in Portugal. It was founded in 1978 as Liga Portuguesa dos Clubes de Futebol Profissional and works as an ...

(

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

and

LigaPro The Liga Portugal 2 (), also known as Liga Portugal 2 SABSEG for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system. At the end of each season, the two top-finishing teams are promoted to the top-tier Prim ...

) and

(

Campeonato de Portugal (league) The Campeonato de Portugal (Portuguese for 'Championship of Portugal') is the fourth level of the Portuguese football league system. Together with the third-tier Liga 3, it is organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). The Campeonato ...

). Below the Campeonato de Portugal, the competitions are organised at a district level (known in Portuguese as

Distritais There are 22 district Football Associations in Portugal. These organizations are the governing bodies (alongside the Portuguese Football Federation) of football in each Districts of Portugal, Portuguese district. Overview Until the reform of Port ...

) with each District Association organising its competitions according to geographical and other factors. The AF Algarve runs two league competitions with the Division One (1ª divisão) being at the fourth level of the league system and Division Two (2ª divisão) at the fifth level. At one time this second tier was divided into two groups on a geographical basis. In more general terms the AF Algarve currently organises District Championships for Football and Futsal for men and women for all age groups including Senior, Junior, Youth, Beginners, Infants and Schools.

Notable clubs affiliated to AF Algarve

;

(tier 1) *

Portimonense SC Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. It a ...

SC Farense Sporting Clube Farense, simply known as Farense, is a Portuguese professional association football, football club based in Faro, Portugal, Faro in the Faro District, district of the same name and the region of Algarve. Founded in 1910, the club wi ...

;

(tier 3) * Esperança de Lagos *

Louletano DC Louletano Desportos Clube is a Portuguese club from Loulé, founded on 6 June 1923. The association football team currently play in the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores (Portuguese fourth level), H series. The club plays at the Estádio Algarve, ...

* Moncarapachense *

SC Olhanense Sporting Clube Olhanense () is a Portuguese sports club from Olhão, Algarve. Its football team was founded on 27 April 1912 and currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth tier of Portuguese football. It holds home matches at the ...

;

(tiers 4 & 5) *

Almancilense Sociedade Recreativa Almancilense ''(abbreviated as SR Almancilense)'' is a Portuguese football club based in Almancil, Loulé. History SR Almancilense currently play in the Campeonato de Portugal which is the third tier of Portuguese footbal ...

C.D.R. Quarteirense Clube Desportivo e Recreativo Quarteirense, commonly known as Quarteirense, is a Portuguese football club from Quarteira, in the Algarve region. The club was founded on 2 January 1937. For the 2012–13 season, the team is currently competing ...

Ferreiras Ferreiras is a civil parish in the southern Portuguese municipality of Albufeira. The population in 2011 was 6,406 in an area of 20.13 km². History From the discovery of various archeological vestiges within the territory, including the Cer ...

Imortal Desportivo Clube Imortal Desportivo Clube ''(abbreviated as Imortal DC and colloquially known as Imortal de Albufeira)'' is a Portuguese sports club centered around a football club based in the city of Albufeira, in the Portuguese region of Algarve. Imortal has ...

* Lusitano FC * Operário * Silves F.C.

2020–21

AF Algarve Division One covering the regional fourth tier of the

Division One (1ª divisão)

* Associação Farense 1910 *

* C.D Odiáxere * C.F. Esperança Lagos * C.U. Culatrense * F.C. Ferreiras * F.C. Os 11 Esperanças * G.D. Lagoa * Guia F.C. *

Imortal Desportivo Club Imortal Desportivo Clube ''(abbreviated as Imortal DC and colloquially known as Imortal de Albufeira)'' is a Portuguese sports club centered around a football club based in the city of Albufeira, in the Portuguese region of Algarve. Imortal has ...

Albufeira * Louletano D.C. * Lusitano FC * Quarteira S.C. * Silves F.C. *

S.R. Almancilense Sociedade Recreativa Almancilense ''(abbreviated as SR Almancilense)'' is a Portuguese football club based in Almancil, Loulé. History SR Almancilense currently play in the Campeonato de Portugal which is the third tier of Portuguese footba ...

At the end of the season the champions will be promoted to the national third tier. The team placed second gains entry to the Portuguese FA Cup. The three lowest teams will be relegated to Algarve League Division Two.

Division Two (2ª divisão)

* 4 ao Cubo Olhāo * Carvoeiro United * C.D. Marítimo Olhanense *

* International Club Almancil * JS Campinense * Padernense Clube * Portimenense S.C. B * S.C. Farense B * UDR Sambrasense The winners will be promoted to Division One.

Taça do Algarve

The regional cup competition is competed for by the teams above, plus those in the national third tier. It is of note that the number of clubs in the Algarve has declined significantly in recent years. Among the casualties are Campinense, Castromarinense, Infante de Sagres, Beira Mar Monte Gordo, Serrano (São Marcos da Serra), Bensafrim. Os Machados and Internacional Almancil.

Former participants

Other clubs that have competed in the

include: *Algarve United Futebol SAD *Associação Académica da Universidade do Algarve *Associação Ases de Alcantarilha *Associação Cultural de Salir *Associação Recreativa Cultural Amorosa *Casa do Povo da Mexilhoeira Grande *Centro de Educação Desportiva de Lagos *Clube de Futebol Montes Alvorense *Clube de Futebol Os Bonjoanenses *Clube Desportivo Boliqueime *Clube Desportivo e Recreativo Santaluziense *Clube Oriental de Pechão *Clube Recreativo Infante de Sagres *Clube Recreativo Praia da Salema *Clube Recreativo Vila do Bispo *Futebol Clube de Bias *Futebol Clube Ferreiras (B) *Futebol Clube Império *Gil Eanes Juventude Portimonense Clube * Grupo Desportivo Beira Mar *Grupo Desportivo Beira Mar (B) *Grupo Desportivo Cultural Salgados *Grupo Desportivo da Atalaia *Grupo Desportivo de Alcoutim *Grupo Desportivo de Burgau *Grupo Desportivo e Cultural Jograis António Aleixo * Grupo Desportivo e Recreativo Alvorense *Grupo Desportivo Odeceixense *Grupo Desportivo Safol Olhanense *

Grupo Desportivo Torralta Grupo Desportivo Torralta ''(abbreviated as GD Torralta)'' was a Portuguese football club based in Portimão situated in the Algarve. Background GD Torralta folded at the end of the 1987/1988 season when they finished third in Terceira Divisão ...

*Guia Futebol Clube (B) *India Futebol Clube Olhanense *Instituto D. Francisco Gomes – Casa dos Rapazes *Internacional Clube de Almancil *Juventude Desportiva Monchiquense (B) *Leões Futebol Clube Tavira *Sociedade Recreativa Boa União Parchalense *Sport Clube de Benafim *Sport Lagos e Benfica *Sport Lisboa e Faro *Sport Lisboa e Fuzeta *Sporting Clube Olhanense (B) *União Desportiva e Recreativa Sambrazense (B)

District championships

Historic champions

;Titles *

- 16 *

Lusitano VRSA Lusitano Futebol Clube, often known as Lusitano VRSA, is a Portuguese football club from Vila Real de Santo António, in the Algarve region. The club was founded on 15 April 1916 and is the No. 1 delegation of S.L. Benfica, and has Miguel Âng ...

- 6 *

- 5 *

- 1

Recent divisional winners

List of member clubs

;Footnote: * 1-10 games in

Portuguese Cup Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. * * 11-100 games in

. * * * 101+ games in

. * * *

References

External links

Associação de Futebol do Algarve Website
{{Authority control

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

Sports organizations established in 1922 Sport in Faro, Portugal