Sporting Clube da Covilhã, commonly known as just Sporting da Covilhã or Sp. Covilhã, is a Portuguese football club from the city of Covilhã that plays in the third-tier Liga 3. The club was founded on 2 June 1923 and became the branch number 8 of Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting CP).[1] Their nickname is the Leões da Serra, meaning "Lions of the Mountain Range," due to Covilhã's location in the Serra de Estrela, the highest mountains in Portugal.

Sporting da Covilhã
Full nameSporting Clube da Covilhã
Nickname(s)Leões da Serra
(Lions of the Mountain)
Founded2 June 1923; 101 years ago (1923-06-02)
GroundEstádio Municipal José dos Santos Pinto, Covilhã
Capacity2,055
ChairmanMarco Peba
ManagerAlex
LeagueLiga 3
2023–24Liga 3, 8th (Promotion play-off)

Their home ground is Estádio Municipal José dos Santos Pinto, located at approximately 900 m of altitude. However, the team plays also at the newer stadium of Complexo Desportivo da Covilhã, also in Covilhã, which holds a capacity of 3,000 spectators. Their current chairman is Marco Peba and current manager is Francisco Chaló. They have won five Second Division in 1948, 1969, 1987 (second-tier), 2002, and 2005 (third-tier).

Players

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Current squad

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As of 8 August 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   POR Igor Araújo
4 DF   BRA Tiago Caveira
5 DF   POR José Simão
6 MF   POR Filipe Maio
7 FW   POR Balelo
9 FW   POR Paulinho
10 MF   POR Luís Salgado
11 FW   BRA Dener
13 DF   POR Pedro Ribeiro
14 FW   POR Pedro Brito
15 FW   POR Nico
16 MF   POR Diogo Cornélio
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF   POR Luís Oliveira
19 FW   BRA Lucas Duarte
20 MF   POR Rodrigo Ferreira
44 DF   BRA David Santos
53 GK   POR Rafa
55 DF   POR Filipe Garcia
70 DF   POR Rafael Peixoto
71 GK   POR João Gonçalo
77 MF   POR Diogo Ramalho
79 MF   POR Vasco Cunha
91 MF   POR Guilherme Paula

Former notable players

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Honours

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Managerial history

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  •   Vieira Nunes (1985–1988)
  •   Vieira Nunes (1995–1996)
  •   António Jasus (1996–1997)
  •   Vieira Nunes (1997)
  •   António Jasus (1999–2000)
  •   Henrique Nunes (2000–2001)
  •   João Cavalero (2002–2004)
  •   Fernando Pirze (2004–2005)
  •   José Dinize (2005–2006)
  •   João Salcedaze (2006)
  •   Vítor Quiunha (2006–2007)
  •   Rui França (2007–2008)
  •   Álvaro Magalhães (2008)
  •   Hélio Sousa (2008–2009)
  •   João Eusébio (2009)
  •   Nicolau Vaquero (2009–2010)
  •   João Salcedaze (2010)
  •   João Pinto (2010–2011)
  •   Tulipa (2011–2012)
  •   Nascimento (2012)
  •   Filipe Morera (2012–)
  •   Filó (2021)
  •   Leonel Pontes (2021–2022)
  •   Alex (2022–)

Club anthem

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De verde e branco, Um dia te embriagaram;
De verde engalanaram, Os teus pés.
O branco escorreu-te, Das feições,
Onde moras, E onde mostras o que és! e Entre os maiores
Te sentes piqueno, Mas és na Beira
Rico em tradições, Agarra que te vem
De seres leão, Já tem feito tremer
Os aldeões!

Pelos anos contados, És velhinho, Mas continuas sempre
A ser um jovenzinho; D`esperança
Traçaram teu carinho, Força e coragem
O que te moem, O ar que te embriaga
Puro e leve, Te inspira e te dá fecundidade?
Que seja lema teu, Por toda a vila
A grandeza, leite Gresso, A humidade

League and cup history

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Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup League Cup Notes
1948–49 1D 11 26 9 2 15 50 59 20 Semi Finals
1949–50 1D 6 26 10 5 11 55 70 25
1950–51 1D 6 26 13 0 13 62 53 26 Round 1
1951–52 1D 6 26 10 5 11 35 52 25 Quarter Finals
1952–53 1D 10 26 7 6 13 38 54 20 Quarter Finals
1953–54 1D 7 26 10 8 8 43 39 28 Round 1
1954–55 1D 12 26 8 4 14 32 53 20 Round 1
1955–56 1D 5 26 11 7 8 52 44 29 Round 1
1956–57 1D 13 26 7 4 15 33 62 18 Runners-up Relegated
1958–59 1D 8 26 9 4 13 43 65 22 Round 1
1959–60 1D 9 26 8 6 12 32 49 22 Round 3
1960–61 1D 9 26 8 5 13 27 55 21 Round 1
1961–62 1D 13 26 6 5 15 30 48 17 Round 1 Relegated
1985–86 1D 16 30 5 7 18 23 61 17 Round 2 Relegated
1986–87 2D 1 Round 6 Promoted
1987–88 1D 20 38 5 11 22 30 70 21 Round 5 Relegated
1989–90 2DS 10 34 15 3 16 39 43 33 Round 2
1990–91 2DS 16 34 6 10 18 31 47 22 Round 2
1991–92 2DS 9 38 14 11 13 42 38 39 Round 3 Relegated
1992–93 3DS 2 34 21 7 6 53 19 49 Round 2 Promoted
1993–94 2DS 16 34 6 14 14 35 48 26 Round 2 Relegated
1994–95 3DS 2 34 22 7 5 62 22 51 Round 2 Promoted
1995–96 2DS 1 34 22 7 5 53 24 73 Round 3 Promoted
1996–97 2H 16 34 9 11 14 30 41 38 Round 3 Relegated
1997–98 2DS 2 34 20 7 7 67 26 67 Round 2
1998–99 2DS 1 34 19 10 5 49 27 67 Round 4 Promoted
1999–00 2H 18 34 5 10 19 23 48 25 Round 5 Relegated
2000–01 2DS 2 36 23 9 4 68 23 78 Round 3
2001–02 2DS 1 38 23 11 4 64 26 80 Round 2 Promoted
2002–03 2H 11 34 11 12 11 37 33 45 Round 6
2003–04 2H 17 34 8 5 21 39 55 29 Round 4 Relegated
2004–05 2DS 1 36 19 12 5 61 32 69 Round 3 Promoted
2005–06 2H 14 34 10 12 12 37 42 42 Round 5 Relegated
2006–07 2DS 4 26 12 7 7 48 25 43 Round 4
2007–08 2DS 1 26 17 4 5 49 20 55 Round 3 Promoted
2008–09 2H 7 30 10 10 10 42 42 40 Round 3 First Group Stage
2009–10 2H 14 30 7 9 14 35 49 30 Round 3 First Group Stage
2010–11 2H 14 30 9 5 16 32 48 32 Round 2 First Group Stage
2011–12 2H 15 30 7 11 12 22 29 32 Round 4 First Group Stage
[A]
A. ^A Despite finishing in a relegation position, the club was not relegated due to União de Leiria of the Primeira Liga being relegated to the non-professional tiers of Portugal due to there financial difficulties suffered during the 2011–12 Primeira Liga season.

Last updated: 22 July 2012
Div. = Division; 1D = Portuguese League; 2H = Liga de Honra; 2DS/2D = Portuguese Second Division; 3DS = Terceira Divisão
Pos. = Position; Pl = Match played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lost; GS = Goal scored; GA = Goal against; P = Points

References

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  1. ^ "Filiais do Sporting". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-02-29.
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