It’s been a long, tough road, but FC Carvoeiro United has endured and is celebrating its milestone 10th anniversary this year
It’s the kind of thought that almost any young football fan has at least once in their life – “what if I created my very own football club?”
This is exactly what a group of friends decided to do over a decade ago, founding their own club in their beloved town of Carvoeiro.
“We had a group which would meet to play football at the local sports field, and the level of play was … let’s say, not bad. So, we started organising friendly matches with actual football clubs and our performances were good. That is when our dream started taking shape,” club co-founder, president and player Yannick Nicklaus told the Resident.
As he explained, founding the club was a difficult process and was only possible due to the support of local sponsors.
“It it wasn’t for Hemingways Bar and JAN, I don’t think we would have achieved this. A lot of money was needed, including a lot of our own money, to get this thing rolling,” Yannick said. From covering the costs of policing at matches to paying for club uniforms or physiotherapists, players would often “have to pay to play”.
“But the more support we received, the more we realised that it was worth it. More and more people from Carvoeiro started wanting to become involved with the club, which I think helped us a lot, because people started feeling like this was their club as well,” the co-founder explained.
While the club is preparing to start the 2024/25 season in the lowest tier of Portuguese football (the Algarve’s regional second division) after being relegated last season, FC Carvoeiro United has nonetheless experienced “notable growth” throughout its first decade of life.
“At the beginning, players used to bring their own uniforms from home. Now, we have a partnership with the Carvoeiro Clube laundry room to take care of players’ uniforms,” Yannick said.
Coaching staff has also increased, while the club’s board – previously run by club players – has a dedicated team focused on the day-to-day management of the club, from Tiago Raposo, vice-president and former FC Carvoeiro United player, and João Jacinto, sports director and fan, to John Wilson, treasurer and former player, and Marianne Schuyffel, Yannick’s mother, who has been a key figure of the club and is the current president of the board, focusing on organising events and ticket sales. Meanwhile, Sandro Pacheco – a current sponsor and one of the co-founders, as well as the club’s first president – helps with raising funds for the club.
For this season, the goal is to achieve promotion to the Algarve’s first division, despite facing the competition of clubs with more substantial resources.
“Last season was the first time we were able to pay our players something minimal – and I mean truly minimal – but which for us is already a lot. It is very difficult to compete with other clubs in that regard. The only revenue we have is from the sale of club jerseys and scarves. Luckily, we have players who would rather play for their hometown team than play for another club and earn €300 or €400 – which other clubs are able to pay,” Yannick told us.
Matches will be played at the club’s home stadium in Estômbar, with dates and times announced every week on the club’s social media pages. As FC Carvoeiro United are competing in the regional second division, all home matches will be free.
Dream projects
Having its very own stadium in Carvoeiro is a dream that the club would love to pursue. “But considering the prices of plots of land, it’s a dream that is hard to make come true at this point,” Yannick admitted.
A more realistic goal is creating youth teams for the club. The interest from young players is there, but the stadium in Estômbar is currently overloaded with youth teams from other clubs, leaving any potential youth teams with nowhere to practice.
A club for everyone
One of the things that sets FC Carvoeiro United apart from other clubs is the wealth of nationalities and cultures of its players and supporters. Much like the town it is based in, the club has had players of countless nationalities, from Portuguese and British to Dutch and Brazilian.
“Our name reflects our goal – to unite all the nationalities that make up Carvoeiro. Our club’s colour, orange, was chosen because of my mother and I, as we are Dutch. And in fact, many Dutch tourists come to the bar and buy the jersey because it is orange. Others end up buying our jerseys or becoming fans of our club because they identify with our ideology,” Yannick said, adding that the club’s goal is to be the “hometown club for everyone.”
To celebrate the club’s 10th anniversary, FC Carvoeiro United’s current team will play a friendly match on Saturday, September 7 against a team of FC CU ‘Legends’, made up of players who are “important to the club throughout the last 10 years”. The match will be played at the stadium in Estômbar, with the time due to be announced soon.
You can stay updated on FC Carvoeiro United’s agenda by following the club on social media (Facebook / Instagram).
Also read: Palm Properties Portugal unveils partnership as shirt sponsor for FC Carvoeiro United
By MICHAEL BRUXO
