Portugal has always been and always will be a football country. The history of the sport in the country is dominated by three clubs, both in terms of competitions won and number of fans, but there are examples that show us how much passion football generates and exactly why it is called “the beautiful game”.
In every corner of the nation, there is a club that excites someone or is the “face” of a region or locality, and Alverca is no different.
In the former village in the Ribatejo region, even before Futebol Clube de Alverca existed, there were two other clubs: Alverca Futebol Clube, founded in 1922/1923 (who wore a white jersey like the current club does today) and Sporting Clube Alverca, founded in 1930, whose name was the result of a vote between two factions, one of Sporting fans and the other of Benfica fans, with the former winning.
It was clear from the outset that Alverca wanted to live and breathe football, but these two groups ended up with the same fate and were dissolved a few years after they were founded because the local administrative authorities did not recognise their legitimacy.
Out of the ashes a new club arises
But the people of Alverca were not about to give up. In 1937 a fresh attempt was made, with a group of local young people coming together to try to realise Alverca’s dream of having a club again. After raising funds just to buy the bare necessities such as the match ball, they set about finding out what was required to make the club official. A year later, this group of young people invited some of the former members of the two previous sports groups to take charge of the club’s destiny, with the promise of finally establishing it as the town’s football representative.
On the 1st of September of 1939, after setting membership fees, recruiting members, creating a name and statutes, the dream of engendering the “biggest football club in the Ribatejo” finally came true and Futebol Clube de Alverca was founded, and it was recognised by the Lisbon government. With the club legalised, the next step was to establish headquarters and a football pitch, and in 1942 the barefoot football field (where the club’s training centre currently stands) was inaugurated. That same year, the club began competing in the Santarém Football Association, moving to the Lisbon Football Association in 1947.
Top-flight debut and golden era
Over the years, Alverca competed in various football divisions until something remarkable happened in 1998. The club made its debut in Portugal’s top division! They remained there until 2001/2002. After relegation and one season in the second division, Alverca bounced straight back up to the Primeira Liga in 2003/2004, at the time under the command of José Couceiro, but got relegated again the next season. Before Couceiro, other prominent coaches such as Jesualdo Ferreira and António Veloso had already passed through the club. It should be noted that in 2001/2002 Alverca became the national champions at junior level.
This spell at the turn of the century can be considered the club’s golden era, spending five seasons in a six-year spell at the top table of Portuguese football. It was during this period that the team fielded several standout players who would go on to enjoy stellar careers, chief among them Portugal legends Deco and Ricardo Carvalho.
The good times ended with relegation in 2003/04, and subsequent administrative mismanagement saw the club quickly tumble down into the district divisions. For two decades, Alverca competed in the lower leagues, never achieving the much-desired return to the big time. Nevertheless, in 2019 they managed the notable feat of knocking Sporting out of the Portuguese Cup.
Primeira Liga return
In 2024/2025, history would again smile on Alverca. After a 2-1 victory over Portimonense, the club secured second place and consequently promotion to the Liga Portugal Betclic, under Vasco Botelho da Costa, the current coach of Moreirense. After a 21-year absence since they last played in the top flight, Alverca fans could look forward to again welcoming the country’s elite teams to its stadium.
The promotion to the Primeira Liga carried even more emotional weight given that as well as the “21 years later” factor, it was the club’s second consecutive promotion and the team had actually started the 2024/2025 season very poorly, firing coach José Pedro, meaning that no-one could have predicted the victorious outcome.
At the time of writing Alverca are sitting in 9th place in the Liga Portugal, coached by Custódio Castro, a former Braga and Sporting player, with a squad packed full of interesting young players, also thanks to the arrival of new investors, including none other than one of the world’s greatest modern-day footballers, Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinícius Júnior.
The injection of fresh money has been used wisely. In addition to the success of the main team, Alverca has invested heavily in its training and youth football facilities in recent years, with most of its youth teams competing in the national championships, and has improved its stadium.
Fact File:
Name: Futebol Clube de Alverca
Where is Alverca? The town is located 20 km north of Lisbon in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira
How to get there: Alverca is about 25 minutes from Lisbon by car and has a direct rail link, the train ride taking about 10 minutes
Stadium name and capacity: Complexo Desportivo FC Alverca (capacity: 6,900)
Founded: 1 September 1939
Honours/Highest finish: 11th place in the Portuguese top flight in 1999/2000
Nicknames: “O maior do Ribatejo” (the biggest in the Ribatejo)
Curiosity: Portugal legends Ricardo Carvalho and Deco both spent a season on loan at Alverca early in their careers
