At a networking event for sponsors held at Quarteira’s municipal stadium on December 18, club representatives outlined an ambitious vision for Quarteirense, which involves attracting more expatriate fans and securing sponsorships to put Quarteirense SAD in the right position to climb up Portugal’s football tiers.
Founded in 1937, Quarteirense is more than a football club for the local community of Quarteira. Beloved by residents, the club competes in the AF Algarve 1ª Divisão, the first tier of the Algarve’s regional football leagues.
But given the Algarve’s thriving expat community and Quarteira’s close link to the tourist resort of Vilamoura, the club’s British investors are keener than ever to attract expat fans – and thus increase sponsorship opportunities to help develop the club even further.
The club’s SAD – anonymous sports society – was taken over in 2014 by investors from Brighton-based companies KSD Group and Sussex Roofing, led by SAD president Ned McDonnell, a shareholder and avid supporter of Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion, as well as being co-owner and director of his local football club, Whitehawk FC, Brighton’s “second club”.
With the club’s senior and U-19 squads under their control, the British investors aim to guide Quarteirense to new heights. To do this, they realise that they need funding and sponsors. This is where Mike Youles, Commercial & Sponsorship Liaison at Quarteirense SAD, comes in.
“We haven’t really explored the opportunity to bring expats in,” Youles explained at the club’s networking event for sponsors on December 18, held at the Estádio Municipal de Quarteira. “We must respect the local community and their aspirations for the club. But commercially, bringing in the expat community can generate revenue to reinvest in players and infrastructure, ultimately benefiting all supporters,” Youles told the Resident.
Quarteirense SAD plans to tap into expat-focused media outlets like the Resident and local radio station Kiss FM to raise awareness. This, coupled with enhanced hospitality services – such as reinstating a bar at the stadium – aims to create a more inclusive and appealing matchday experience.
With a background in motor racing sponsorships, Youles explained how the club can attract more sponsors to help its growth plans.
“If you have a football club, it’s a focal point for your community,” he noted. “We want to create networking opportunities for our sponsors to develop their businesses by reaching the customers we bring through the turnstiles.”
The club is also exploring creative revenue streams. For example, plans for a boxing event in Vilamoura, to be held in 2025 in collaboration with Algarve Fight Academy and local hospitality partners, are underway. Excess revenue from such events will be reinvested into the club.
Another key factor in the club’s planned growth is its youth academy.
“With the right financial backing, we can create a pyramid that develops players from a young age, keeping them tied to the club and pushing them to reach professional levels, much like Premier League teams,” Youles told us.
In the running to be promoted
Jorge Nunes, Quarteirense SAD’s general manager in charge of football, was a successful youth academy coach before being invited to oversee football operations at the club. With Quarteirense very much in the fight to be promoted from the Algarve’s regional league this season (fourth place with 22 points, five behind Portimonense SC with 10 matches still to go before the champions playoff), Nunes says the immediate goal for the senior squad is to secure promotion to the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth tier of national football.
“We want to take solid steps,” said Nunes. “Once we make it there and stabilise our position, we will look to Liga 3 (third tier), which will put us in a much better business position,” he added.
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.
