Dear Editor,
I was interested in Skip’s report on Portimonense in the Algarve Resident dated November 15.
I was at that game (Portimonense v Moreirense) and I have also been to some of the other midweek afternoon matches. I have been told that if they played in the evenings when Champions League matches are on TV, there would be even less people there. They also save the money needed to switch on the floodlights!
The crowd for the game against Moreirense was officially given as 904. The average attendance for that league so far this season is 718. Only four teams average more than 1,000 a match. Portimonense are the fifth best supported team, with an average of 981 per match. Their lowest crowd of 518 actually came on a Sunday afternoon.
Next season the Segunda Liga is being changed to become two sections of fourteen teams split north and south. There will thus be only 26 regular season games instead of 42 and therefore no midweek matches.
No more travelling the length of the country to play on front of a handful of fans.
I am a regular watcher at Imortal Albufeira and occasionally at Ferreiras, where I was yesterday afternoon. Imortal had about 60 at their match on Saturday, Ferreiras perhaps 150.
I have Farense’s home match on November 27 against Sporting B in my sights. I cannot go to Olhanense’s game on Monday night as I do not drive.
Tom Allen
Albufeira
