Sport London e Benfica is a football club based in London, England. Affiliated with Sport Lisboa e Benfica of Portugal, they are currently members of the Middlesex County League Premier Division and play at Spratleys Meadow in Amersham.
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| Full name | Sport London e Benfica Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | As Águias (The Eagles) Os Encarnados (The Reds) | |||
| Founded | 15 May 1981 | |||
| Ground | Spratleys Meadow, Amersham | |||
| Owner | Andre Raposo | |||
| Chairman | Andre Raposo | |||
| Manager | Ricky Nelson | |||
| League | Middlesex County League Premier Division | |||
| 2023–24 | Middlesex County League Division One South & West, 1st of 11 (promoted) | |||
| Website | https://slbfc.com | |||
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History
editFounded on 15 May 1981,[1] the club joined the Camden Sunday League, where they remained until joining the Chiswick & District League in 1986. In 1990 they joined the Marathon Sunday League, going on to win Division Three in 1995–96 and Division Two in 1997–98. After finishing as runners-up in Division One in 1998–99, the club were promoted to the Premier Division. In 2000 they became members of the Hayes & District Sunday League, winning the Premier Division in 2002–03. The following season they won the league's Premier Cup and President Cup.
In 2005 the club switched from Sunday league football to Saturday football, joining Division One of the Middlesex County Football League. The club won the division at the first attempt, earning promotion to the Premier Division. The following season the club won the Premier Division, earning promotion to Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League.[2]
In 2007–08 the club finished eighth in Division One. The following season they dropped to eighteenth place, and played in the FA Vase for the first time, reaching the second round.[2] In 2009–10 they finished twentieth in a 21-club division. During the following season the club's groundshare with Hanwell Town ended and they moved to Haringey Borough's Coles Park in Tottenham. As a result, the club resigned from the league midway through the season.[2]
The club continued to run youth teams, also creating a futsal team that entered the Middlesex FA Futsal fives, which they went won in consecutive seasons. They subsequently re-entered the Middlesex County League in 2017, joining Division Two. Howeverm, after finishing second-from-bottom in the division in 2017–18, they were relegated to the Saturday Combination. In 2022–23 the club won the Middlesex County Junior Trophy (defeating CB Hounslow United's third team 6–0 in the final) and the Jeff Nardin & Combination Cup, beating LPFC Old Boys 3–1 in the final. However, the club played a suspended player in the Jeff Nardin & Combination Cup final, resulting in the cup being awarded to LPFC Old Boys. The season also saw them finish as runners-up in the Saturday Combination, earning promotion to Division One South & West. In 2023–24 the club secured back-to-back promotions by winning the Division One South & West title resulting in promotion to the Premier Division, as well as winning the Jim Rogers President's Division One Cup (beating London Cheetahs 4–1 in the final) and the Middlesex County Junior Cup (beating Norseman 5–1 in the final).
Ground
editIn the 2022–23 and 2023–24 the club played at Springwest Academy in London. In 2024 the club relocated to Spratleys Meadow in Amersham, although the reserve and youth teams remained at the Springwest Academy.
Management team
edit| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Ricky Nelson |
| Assistant Manager | Joao Ribeiro |
| First Team Goalkeeping Coach | Luis Silva |
| First Team Physiotherapist | Joao Dos Santos |
| Media Team | Alex Corda |
Last updated: 1 August 2024
Source: Sport London e Benfica
Honours
edit- Middlesex County League
- Division One South & West champions 2023–24
- Premier Division champions 2006–07
- Division One champions 2005–06
- Jim Rogers President's Division One Cup winners 2023–24
- Middlesex County Junior Cup
- Winners 2023–24
- Middlesex County Junior Trophy
- Winners 2022–23
- Hayes & District Sunday League
- Premier Division champions 2002–03
- Premier Cup winners 2003–04
- President's Cup winners 2003–04
- Marathon Sunday League
- Division Two champions 1997–98
- Division Three champions 1995–96
Records
editReferences
edit- ^ Sports London e Benfica Brent Council
- ^ a b c d Sport London E Benfica at the Football Club History Database
