Algarve club Quarteirense Futebol, backed by British investors from Brighton, UK, is seeking to reach the top flight of U-19 football in Portugal after finishing first place in ‘Série E’ of the National U-19 Second Division.
The Quarteira-based club is now competing in a championship playoff – known as the ‘Fase de Apuramento de Campeão’, which is divided into a North and South league – which will determine which teams from the second flight of U-19 will make it to the coveted National U-19 First Division.
It’s been quite a journey for Quarteirense, which just last season was promoted to the second tier of U-19 football in Portugal after being crowned the regional champions of the Algarve.
Quarteirense’s Director of Football, Jorge Nunes, has highlighted the tenacity of the U-19 team, which features players who were “carefully selected” to create a synergetic team.
“Each player was selected based on their history, as we prioritised players who had already competed in national championships,” Jorge Nunes said.
Winning ‘Série E’ was the “dream goal” that was set at the start of the season, and which was achieved with flying colours, with the team now focused on the next goal: reaching the top flight of U-19 football.
“We believe it is possible to finish among the top-3, which will guarantee promotion to the first division,” he said, although Quarteirense is also eyeing the ultimate goal of becoming national second division champions. It’s a dream that Jorge Nunes believes is possible, as players have been “tireless and are outdoing themselves every day”.
The team’s recent success can be partly explained by Quarteirense’s British investors, who have been breathing new life into the club since 2014. Comprised of investors from Brighton-based companies KSD Group and Sussex Roofing, who have ties to Premier League’s Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, the new management has been working hard to “bring the local community back in touch with the club”, Jorge Nunes explained.
These efforts to develop Quarteirense have been most visible in its U-19 team, which is made up of some of the Algarve’s most talented up-and-coming footballers from all over the Algarve, including Olhão, Faro, Portimão and Lagos.
Quarteirense U-19 manager Pedro Mendes is delighted with the team’s recent success, stressing how his players got off to an incredible start to the season with nine wins and only one loss in the first 10 matches.
“We have a team with very talented players who work very hard,” he said, adding that some players have already been given the opportunity to play with Quarteirense’s main team – which competes in the Algarve’s regional first division.
“We want to develop and prepare players to play in the main team and not face difficulties, be it in training or in matches.
Another goal is to instil the values of Quarteira, a fishing village before the boom of tourism in the Algarve, in the team’s players. Never giving up and fighting until the last minute, just like the town’s fishermen, are values that Quarteirense wants its players to share, and which were already visible in two matches in which Pedro Mendes’ players scored in overtime, one of them securing an all-important draw against Barreirense at the 97th minute and the other a vital win against Portimonense four minutes into stoppage time. “We are a team that plays until the end,” the manager stressed.
While Quarteirense suffered a 1-2 home loss versus Casa Pia in the first match of the ‘Fase de Apuramento de Campeão’ on Saturday, the Algarve team is still confident it can secure promotion to Portugal’s U-19 top flight where it could face top teams such as SL Benfica and Sporting CP.
Quarteirense’s home matches are played at the Almancil Municipal Stadium (Estádio Municipal de Almancil). You can follow the team on social media (search for ‘Quarteirense Futebol’) to stay updated on match days and results.
By BEATRIZ MAIO & MICHAEL BRUXO
