Vitória S.C. B

Vitória Sport Clube B, commonly known as Vitória de Guimarães B, is a Portuguese professional football team based in Guimarães, which serves as the reserve side of Vitória SC. They compete in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth division of Portuguese football, and play their home matches at the Pista de Atletismo Gémeos Castro or at the club's 2,500-capacity Academia do Vitória S.C. training facility.

Vitória SC B was founded in 2012 and its only purpose is to develop players for the first team in a competitive context, in order to sustain the first team now and in the future.

Reserve teams in Portugal play in the same league system as the senior team, rather than in a reserve team league. However, they cannot play in the same division as their senior team, so Vitória B is ineligible for promotion to the Primeira Liga and cannot play in the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga.

History

Prior to the end of the 2011–12 football season in Portugal, seven clubs in the Primeira Liga announced their interest in constructing a "B" team to fill the six vacant places available to compete in the Segunda Liga for the 2012–13 season. Of those seven, five clubs were selected to take part in the competition considering their position on 2011-12 Primeira Liga, as well as Marítimo, since they had already a "B" team competing.

The LPFP who organizes the professional football tiers in Portugal announced that for the clubs to compete in the 2012–13 Segunda Liga they would have to pay €50,000 . In addition the LPFP would also require the clubs to follow new rules regarding player selection in which each "B" team must have a squad of a minimum of ten players who were formed at the club's academy as well as having an age requirement between 15 and 21 years old. The LPFP also went on to saw that the clubs are unable to compete in cup competitions as well as gaining promotion due to the possibility of playing the senior team. Each "B" team may have 3 players above 23 years old.

In late May 2012, it was officially announced that the six Primeira Liga clubs' B teams would compete in the 2012–13 Segunda Liga which would increase the number of teams in the league from 16 to 22 as well as increasing the number of games needed to play in one season from thirty games to forty two games.

Early years

Vitória B played their first game on 12 August 2012, a goalless home draw against SC Covilhã at the Estádio do Varzim SC in Póvoa de Varzim. The team ended their debut season with relegation in second-last place.

In 2013–14 under manager Armando Evangelista, Vitória B won instant promotion from the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores with a 2–0 aggregate win over Sport Benfica e Castelo Branco. Five years later, the team slipped into the third tier again in rock-bottom place, after a 2–2 draw with fellow northern reserve team SC Braga B on 7 May 2019.

Vitória B won promotion in May 2021 to the new third tier, the Liga 3. Two years later, the team were relegated to Campeonato de Portugal (league).

The ‘B’ team, which is at an intermediate level between training and the first team, has allowed the club to grow sustainably based on training and after 10 years there has been enormous success in increasing the competitiveness of the league both sportingly and financially.

Supporters

B Team With Most Attendances at 2nd League Matches

Vitória Sport Clube B was the club with the most spectators at 2nd League matches in the 2012/13 season, more than clubs that had secured or were fighting for promotion to the top flight, such as CF Os Belenenses, FC Arouca, Leixões SC and Desportivo das Aves, as well as the ‘B’ teams of the so-called ‘big three’ (Benfica B, Porto B and Sporting B), despite having played two matches behind closed doors due to punishments, where they were deprived of the support of their public in the stands of the D. Afonso Henriques Stadium. In the 2014/15 season, and ever since, they've confirmed their good attendances again, ending the season as the club with the 2nd best attendance in the 2nd league, with only GD Chaves, the club that fought for promotion, having a better record.

The "B" team currently plays at the Pista de Atletismo Gémeos Castro, where it continues to receive considerable support. The team will at some point move to a new sports ground (mini-stadium) that is being built on pitch 5 of the Vitória SC Academy with a capacity for 2,500 spectators.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable former players

Over the years, the "B" team has produced a number of players who have come through the youth ranks of the Vitória Academy with some becoming references in the world of football, in particular:

* Ricardo Pereira
* Cafú
* Paulo Oliveira
* Hernâni
* Raphinha
* Josué Sá
* Al-Musrati
* Óscar Estupiñán
* Edmond Tapsoba
* Yann Aurel Bisseck
* André Almeida
* Gui Guedes
* André Amaro
* Ibrahima Bamba
* Tomás Händel
* Alberto Costa

Seasons Statistics

League performance record

''Information correct as of end of the 2023–24 season. Only competitive league matches are counted.''

References

External links

Official homepage

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vitoria SC B

Football clubs in Portugal
Reserve team football in Portugal
2012 establishments in Portugal
Vitória S.C.
Liga Portugal 2 clubs
Association football clubs established in 2012