“It’s a big ship to turn around, but with the help of local people and local businesses, we can achieve great things.” Our contributor, Vaughan Willmore, meets Luis Salero Viagas, vice president of the Olhão-based Sporting Clube Olhanense.
A little over 10 years ago, Sporting Clube Olhanense’s senior football team was competing against Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and Porto in the Primeira Liga, the top tier of the professional football league. Since then, relegation after relegation has seen the team fall out of the professional football league. However, with a new and motivated board of directors in place, progress is being made both on and off the pitch.
“We took over the club in August 2023, just six weeks before the season started,” said Luis. “We had no players and just one member of staff. When I was invited to get involved, it seemed like an impossible job, but as a lifelong supporter and resident of Olhão, there was no way I could say no.” Despite a difficult inheritance, in that first season the senior team went on to win the Algarve District League. It was to prove one of the many highlights of 2024.
The president of the club, Manuel Cajuda, recently published his thoughts in the club newspaper on some of the issues faced by Sporting Clube Olhanense and the progress being made. What’s particularly striking is how so much of it concerned not the senior football team but the very infrastructure and financial well-being of the club itself. Manuel explained how contracts with certain suppliers have been renegotiated on more favourable terms, and over a third of the inherited debt had been paid off. New state-of-the-art floodlights have been installed along with a new synthetic pitch to replace the badly worn grass pitch that had been there for several years. The financial investment has been significant and has been made possible with the support of the city council, the parish councils, and local businesses and people. A significant increase in members has also helped, rising from 400 paying members when the new board took over to what they have today: over 1,300. Whilst more members are still needed, the aforementioned increase is a sure sign the local community is keen to support the club.
A women’s football team has been established. There’s also a futsal team, a beach soccer team, a boxing club, a mountain biking team, and numerous junior football teams. As Luis told me, “Our aim is to establish a range of sporting facilities that serve the community and generate income for further investment in the club and its facilities.”
It’s hoped that this year will see progress with the long-awaited Sports City of Sporting Clube Olhanense. The establishment of the Sports City, incorporating a new stadium and expanded sports to include padel courts, would be a fantastic development for the club and the city. “The project is ready to move forward,” said Louis. “It’s dependent only on the allocation of the promised land and its approval by the council assembly.”
The senior football team continues to be a prime focus, with the aim of progressing through the leagues as quickly as possible or, as Luis rightly pointed out, “As far as our supporters want to go and our budget will take us. We cannot do this without our supporters.” We can each help by supporting the team at home and away games or by helping out behind the scenes – volunteers are always welcome. Signing up as a paying member also helps. Businesses can also advertise at the stadium at very competitive rates.
There is so much investment going into Olhão at the moment, making it an exciting place to live, work, and invest. The potential for re-establishing Sporting Clube Olhanense at the heart of the community is there for all to see, as is the opportunity to restore the senior football team to its former glory. With the ambition and expertise of Luis Salero Viagas and his colleagues – and the support of the local community and councils – there’s every chance that before too long, this giant of a club will be restored to its former glories.
If you want to help out at the club, please see the club’s website (below) for more details.
The next home game of the senior football team is against Odiáxere on Saturday, 8 March. Your support will be greatly appreciated.
