ACUSHNET - The release of the book ‘Centenário Sporting Club da Horta 1923-2023’ (Centennial of Sporting Club da Horta 1923-2023) by Luís Menezes will be one of the highlights of the centennial celebration of this sports organization from the island of Faial, Azores, to be held at the Century House, in Acushnet, on May 25.
The event will be attended by some historical figures from the club. Sporting Clube da Horta President Davide Marcos and Carlos Morais, the President of the General Assembly, will also be in attendance.
Sporting fans will be able to reminisce about the “good, old days” of their soccer teams as former Captain Edgardo Goulart, who represented the club for more than 10 seasons, Francis José, champion in 1977-78, and Renato Lima, one of the most complete athletes of his generation, have confirmed their presence.
The Portuguese Consul in New Bedford Tiago Cabrita de Sousa, a representative from New Bedford Mayor’s office and State Representative António F. D. Cabral, who was fundamental in putting together the extensive program prepared for the visiting members of the Horta centennial committee, are the local officials who will address the crowd.
Founded on May 28, 1923, Sporting Club da Horta, delegation number 80 of Sporting Clube de Portugal, was founded as a soccer club but gradually added other sports, including track and field, roller hockey, basketball, rowing, volleyball, skeet shooting, cycling, gymnastics and handball.
The centennial celebrations began last year and included an exhibit at the João José da Graça Public Library and Regional Archive, in collaboration with the Horta Museum. Launched in January, the exhibit will remain open to the public until May 28 and portrays the 100 years of history of Sporting Club da Horta, “highlighting the most significant moments, the different sports and the most significant sporting and cultural events”.
“The exhibit has 24 sports represented, all the sports in the club, naturally some with more intensity, others with less intensity, but they are all here,” explained Davide Marcos, President of Sporting da Horta. “Sporting is confused a bit with the history of Horta, because, after all, in the social part it always had the sporting dynamics and then it had the socio-cultural dimension. And obviously, there, I think, we made a great contribution to the society of Faial and to the island in particular.”
The exhibit became a reality due to “the support of everyone, from the members, fans, athletes, former directors who, spontaneously, responded to the appeals made on social media by the Horta Museum and by the club itself,” he added.
Fundraiser to bring back the 4th of July celebration to Faial
The event at the Century House will also serve as a fundraiser to bring back to the City of Horta the memorable Independence of the United States 4th of July Celebration.
As Cláudia Castro, an official at the Horta Museum, explained to RTP-Açores, “the 4th of July balls were very highly regarded and full of people.”
“The immigrants would come at that time because in the United States the factories closed on the 4th of July and they would take the opportunity to come here,” she said. “Sporting began to take advantage of this arrival of immigrants to celebrate the 4th of July. They had the ball, and it was a huge party. It was also an exchange of cultures and ways of life.”
Possibly due to the reduction in immigration that occurred since the 25th of April of 1974, the day of the so-called ‘Carnation Revolution’, the ball was stopped. But thanks to the funds that will be raised with this dinner, it will return this year.
Musical entertainment will be provided by ‘Os Sombras’, an emblematic band from the 60s and 70s. Originally from Faial, all the current members of the band — Ilídio Gomes, António Figueiredo (Kiko), Carlos Madureira, Francisco Resendes and Roberto Bettencourt — currently reside in the United States.
Part of the funds raised at this event will be used to take ‘Os Sombras’ back to Sporting Clube da Horta, so that 51 years later they can once again perform at the 4th of July gala.
“Not only do the Sombras want to play in the city of Horta again, but also Sporting and all Faialenses want the Sombras back,” said Zé Guilherme Ribeiro, the organizer of the event at Century House.
The success in handball
Although the club won the first soccer championship played in the Azores, in the 1930/31 season, and later participated in the Azores Series of the Portuguese 3rd Division, it is in handball that Sporting Clube da Horta has won the most acclaim.
The greatest success in this journey in handball came in 2006, when the club reached the final of the Challenge Cup, the second most important European handball competition. Unfortunately, Sporting Clube da Horta, after defeating the Romanians of Steaua Bucharest by 26-21 in the first leg in the Azores, lost by a 34-27 margin in Bucharest, after conceding in the closing minutes in a match that was attended by more than 6,000 fans who filled the Steaua stadium in Bucharest.
The senior Sporting Clube da Horta team continues to be very competitive in Portugal’s Honor Division, as they finished in fourth place in the first stage. In the final round, they ended in fourth place, but that was not good enough to be in the final four that competed for the title. Interestingly, the season was dominated by Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Event nearly sold out
The event at Century House, which includes dinner, is almost sold out. The turnout is a sure indication of the passion that the fans carry for this eclectic organization.
Sporting Clube da Horta fans will be traveling from very distant locations, such as California and Canada, as well as from various cities and towns throughout New England, to be at this dinner.
During their short stay in the United States, the Sporting Clube da Horta delegation will have a very busy program, which will include visits to the Portuguese Consulate, New Bedford City Hall, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Gillette Stadium, and other facilities.
With the support of Rep. Cabral, they will also be visiting the State House in Boston, where they will receive a proclamation and exchange gifts with state officials.
After the State House visit, the Faialense Club in Cambridge will host a dinner for the entire delegation.
Ribeiro said it took him several weeks to put together the diversified program to welcome the Horta delegation, but he gladly did it because “Sporting Clube da Horta is my favorite club.”
“Everything for the trip and their stay in the United States was planned in conjunction with the Centennial Committee,” he said. “They were informed of everything, from start to finish. And in our area, I also had a lot of support, because we got 33 sponsors who made it all possible.”
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