Boavista F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Boavista Futebol Clube | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Os Axadrezados (The Chequered ones) Boavisteiros As Panteras (The Panthers) Os pretos e brancos (The black and whites) |
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| Founded | 1 August 1903 | ||
| Ground | Estádio do Bessa | ||
| Capacity | 28,263 | ||
| Owner | Gérard López | ||
| President | Fary Faye | ||
| Head coach | Cristiano Bacci | ||
| League | Primeira Liga | ||
| 2023–24 | Primeira Liga, 15th of 18 | ||
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Boavista Futebol Clube, often called Boavista, is a professional sports club from the Boavista area of Porto, Portugal. It was started on August 1, 1903, by some British people and Portuguese workers. This makes it one of the oldest clubs in Portugal. The club plays in the Primeira Liga, which is Portugal's top football league.
Boavista became a very important sports club in Portugal. It has teams for many sports, including football, chess, gymnastics, bicycle racing, futsal, volleyball, rink hockey, and boxing. The most famous part of the club is its football team, known for its special black and white chequered shirts.
Boavista has won 9 big trophies in Portugal. These include 1 league championship, 5 Portuguese Cups, and 3 Super Cups. They won all these titles when Valentim Loureiro or João Loureiro were presidents. This makes Boavista the most successful Portuguese football club after the "Big Three" clubs: Benfica, Porto, and Sporting CP. Boavista has played in the Primeira Liga for 39 years in a row (and 50 years in total). Along with Belenenses, Boavista is the only team outside the "Big Three" to have won the Portuguese Championship. They achieved this in the 2000–01 season. Boavista also has a strong rivalry with Porto, another team from their city. Their matches are sometimes called O Derby da Invicta.
The club's home stadium is Estádio do Bessa. It was built in 1973, but football has been played on that land since the 1910s. The stadium was updated for the Euro 2004 football tournament.
Contents
Club History: How Boavista Started and Grew
Early Years and the Famous Chequered Shirts (1903–1933)
Boavista Football Club began on August 1, 1903. It was started in the Boavista area of Porto by two English brothers, Harry and Dick Lowe. They received a football from their father in England and decided to create a team called The Boavista Footballers. Another English club in the city, the Oporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club, was an early rival.
At first, there was a disagreement within the team. The British players, who were Anglican, did not want to play on Sundays. But the local Portuguese players, who were Catholic, could only play on Sundays because of their work. The local players won this argument, which changed who played for the club. In 1910, the club took its current name. On April 11 of that year, the field where the Estádio do Bessa now stands was opened with a match against Leixões SC. In the 1913–14 season, the team won the first ever Porto Football Association championship.
In the 1920s, Boavista started offering more sports. Their football team was known for having a very strong defense. In the 1930s, the club pushed for football players to be allowed to be paid professionals. This happened after Boavista was investigated for complaining that FC Porto had paid one of their players to join them. In 1933, the club changed its shirts to the black-and-white design we see today. This idea came from club president Artur Oliveira Valença, who had seen a French team with similar shirts.
Joining the League and the Golden 1970s (1934–1980)
In its first few decades in league football, Boavista moved between the top league and the second division. They won the second division title in 1937 and 1950. In 1966, they dropped to the third division for two years.
The team returned to the top league by 1970, getting promoted two years in a row. They finished updating their stadium in 1972. In 1974, they hired a new manager, José Maria Pedroto, and a new president, Valentim Loureiro. In their first year with these new leaders, Boavista had their best finish ever, coming in fourth place in the 1974-1975 championship. They also won the Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup) for the first time, beating Benfica 2–1 in the final.
A year later, the club finished second in the league, just two points behind S.L. Benfica. They also won the Portuguese Cup again, beating Vitória de Guimarães 2–1 in the 1976 final. After this success, manager Pedroto left to join Porto.
Experienced English manager Jimmy Hagan helped the club win its third Portuguese Cup in five years. They beat Sporting CP 1–0 in a replay of the 1979 final. At the start of the next season, Porto and Boavista played in the first ever Portuguese Supercup. This match is played between the league champions and the cup winners. Boavista, with their new manager Mário Lino, beat Porto 2–1.
From Challengers to Champions and European Adventures (1980–2003)
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In 1997, Valentim Loureiro's son, João, became the new president. At 34, he was the youngest president in the league. Also, former Portugal player Jaime Pacheco became the manager. He led the club to finish second in 1999 and fourth in 2000.
In the 2000–01 season, Boavista won the league title. This was only the second time a team from outside the "Big Three" had won the league. Pacheco's team was very strong in defense, letting in only 22 goals in 34 games. They lost only one home game that season. Key players included goalkeeper Ricardo, midfielder Petit, Bolivian player Erwin Sánchez, and Brazilian striker Elpídio Silva, who scored 11 goals.
After finishing second again a year later, many players left the team. For example, Petit went to Benfica and Pedro Emanuel joined Porto. Both players became captains at their new clubs. Boavista rebuilt the Estádio do Bessa for UEFA Euro 2004, which caused some financial problems for the club. Manager Pacheco left in 2003, but he returned a few times later.
Boavista often played in European competitions in the 1990s and early 2000s. In the 2002–03 UEFA Cup, they reached the semi-finals. They lost 2–1 to Celtic after a late goal from Henrik Larsson. If they had won, they would have played against Porto in the final.
Challenges and Return to the Top League (2008–Present)
In June 2008, Boavista was sent down to a lower league because of its part in a match-fixing scandal from the 2003–04 season. A year later, the club was relegated again. They had to leave the second division because of money problems.
In January 2013, João Loureiro was voted president again after many club members asked him to return. After a long legal fight, Boavista was allowed to come back to the Primeira Liga in June 2013. Also, the club managed to cut its large debt in half. After being away for six years, Boavista returned to the Primeira Liga in the 2014–15 season. The team was coached by Petit, who had been a player in the 2001 title-winning team.
In October 2020, Boavista's members agreed to get money from Gérard Lopez, a businessman from Spain and Luxembourg. He also owned the French club Lille OSC. Petit returned as manager again. He led the club to reach the semi-finals of the Taça da Liga (League Cup) for the first time in 2021–22.
Boavista's Achievements
Boavista has won several important trophies in Portuguese football:
- Primeira Liga (Top League)
- Winners (1): 2000–01
- 2nd place (3): 1975–76, 1998–99, 2001–02
- Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup)
- Winners (5): 1974–75, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1991–92, 1996–97
- Runners-up (1): 1992–93
- Supertaça de Portugal (Portuguese Super Cup)
- Winners (3): 1979, 1992, 1997
- Runners-up (1): 2001
- Segunda Divisão (Second Division)
- Winners (2): 1936–37, 1949–50
- Campeonato do Porto (Porto Championship)
- Winners (1): 1913–14
Boavista in European Competitions
Boavista has played in European football tournaments many times.
| Competition | Appearances | Matches | Best Result |
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| UEFA Champions League | 3 | 24 (7W 8D 9L) | Second Group Stage/Last 16 (2001–02) |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 5 | 18 (6W 7D 5L) | Last 16 (1975–76,1976–77,1979–80,1992–93) |
| UEFA Europa League | 12 | 58 (25W 9D 24L) | Semi-final (2002–03) |
| Total | 20 | 100 (38W 25D 38L) |
- Biggest win: Boavista 8–0 Sliema Wanderers (from Malta), on October 5, 1979, in Porto.
- Biggest defeat: Lazio (from Italy) 5–0 Boavista, on September 28, 1977, in Rome.
- Players with most European appearances: Erwin Sánchez and Ricardo, both with 35 matches.
- Top scorers in European competitions: Elpídio Silva, with 11 goals.
Current Players
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Retired Numbers
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Club Officials
| Position | Staff |
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| Sporting Director |  Rafael Bracali |
| Head Coach |  Cristiano Bacci |
| Assistant Head Coach | Ferruccio Bonvini |
| Assistant Head Coach |  Gil Andrade |
| Assistant Head Coach | Ricardo Paiva |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Pedro Miranda |
| Scout | António Caetano |
Coaches of Boavista
Many coaches have led Boavista since 1970. Here are some of them:
- Fernando Caiado (1970–71)
- Joaquim Meirim (1971)
- Jaime Garcia (caretaker manager) (1971)
- António Teixeira (1971–72)
- Jaime Garcia (caretaker manager) (1972)
Dante Bianchi (1972)- Aymoré Moreira (1972–1974)
- José Maria Pedroto (1974–1976)
- Mário Wilson (1976–1977)
- Fernando Caiado (1977)
Jimmy Hagan (1978)- José Carlos (1978)
- Jimmy Hagan (1978–1979)
- Mário Lino (1979–1980)
- António Teixeira (1980)
- Henrique Calisto (1981)
- Mário Lino (1981–1982)
- Álvaro Carolino (1982)
Hermann Stessl (1982)- Joaquim Meirim (1982)
- Ferdinand Smetana (1982–1983)
- Manuel Barbosa (1983)
- Henrique Calisto (1983–1984)
- Mário Wilson (1984)
- João Alves (1984–1986)
- José Torres (1987)
- Pepe (1987–1988)
- Raul Águas (1988–1989)
- Manuel Barbosa (1989–1990)
- João Alves (1990)
- Raul Águas (1990–1991)
- Manuel José (1991–1996)
- João Alves (1996–1997)
Zoran Filipović (1997)- Rui Casaca (1997)
- Mário Reis (1997–1998)
- Jaime Pacheco (1998–2004)
Erwin Sánchez (2004)- Jaime Pacheco (2004)
- Pedro Barny (2005)
- Carlos Brito (2005–2006)
- Jesualdo Ferreira (2006)
- Pedro Barny (caretaker manager) (2006)
- Željko Petrović (2006)
- Jaime Pacheco (2006–08)
- Rui Bento (2008–2009)
- Jorge Madureira (2009)
- Vítor Paneira (2009–2010)
- Rui Ferreira (2010–11)
- Filipe Gouveia (2011)
- Mário Silva (2011)
- Rui Amorim (caretaker manager) (2011)
- Ferreirinha (2011–2012)
- Amândio Barreiras (2012)
- Petit (2012–2015)
- Erwin Sánchez (2015–2016)
- Miguel Leal (2016–2017)
- Jorge Simão (2017–2019)
Lito Vidigal (2019)- Daniel Ramos (2019–2020)
- Vasco Seabra (2020)
- Jesualdo Ferreira (2021)
- João Pedro Sousa (2021)
- Petit (2021–2023)
- Ricardo Paiva (2023–2024)
- Jorge Simão (2024)
- Cristiano Bacci (2024–)
Boavista's Home Stadium
The Estádio do Bessa is Boavista's home stadium. It is used for football games and sometimes for music concerts. The stadium was first used in 1911 and was known as 'Campo do Bessa'.
The stadium has been renovated several times. Between 1967 and 1972, grass was put in and lights were added. For the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament, the stadium was rebuilt. This was done by building new stands on top of the old ones, one section at a time. This allowed Boavista to keep playing there during construction. The rebuilding cost about €45 million, with some money coming from the Portuguese government. The stadium can hold 28,263 fans. Plans to improve the stadium were already in place before Portugal was chosen to host Euro 2004 in 1999. The stadium was designed by Grupo 3 Arquitectura.
The stadium has also hosted several matches for the Portuguese national team.
Boavista's Colours and Kits
Boavista's famous black-and-white chequered shirt was introduced by Artur Oliveira Valença, who was a journalist and club president. He got the idea from a French team he had seen play.
How the Kits Changed Over Time
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Boavista Women's Team
The women's team is one of the strongest in Portugal. They won many titles in a row during the 1990s. Their youth teams (U-19, U-17, U-15, and U-13) also won all national championships. These teams helped many talented players become famous international players.
More About Boavista
In Spanish: Boavista Futebol Clube para niños
- Boavista (cycling team)
- Boavista (futsal)
- Boavista FC (women)
Images for kids
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Boavista in June 1923, wearing their older all-black shirts.
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The panther is the club's symbol and nickname.
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Outside view of Estádio do Bessa.
