The
Associação Académica de Coimbra - Organismo
Autónomo de Futebol (A.A.C. - O.A.F.), also referred
to as Académica de Coimbra or simply Académica,
is an autonomous and professional football organization based
in Coimbra, Portugal. The team was created inside of the students'
union of the University of Coimbra - the Associação
Académica de Coimbra, during a period of changing in
the 1970s and 1980s, when football was professionalized in Portugal.
But its foundation as a students amateur sports association
backs to 1876, so it is effectively one of the oldest sports
institutions in Portugal. The club is claimed by its fans to
be the fourth in number of supporters (after Benfica, Sporting
Clube de Portugal and FC Porto) although this is arguable since
many other Portuguese clubs claim this as well. It is a sports
club emotionally and historically related to the university
life, so through generations, many students, even those born
in farther regions, became lifelong supporters of the team.
In general, the city's population identifies itself as Académicas's
fan or sympathizer. The main football team uses the Estádio
Cidade de Coimbra (specially rebuilt and modernized for the
Euro 2004) with 30.000 seats. In 1939, the football team of
the A. Académica de Coimbra became the first winner of
the Portuguese Football Cup.
The
Associação Académica de Coimbra - O.A.F.
has also a futsal department (Associação Académica
de Coimbra - O.A.F. (futsal).
The
Associação Académica de Coimbra, the mother
institution of the professionalized A.A.C. - O.A.F. autonomous
football organisation, has several sports branches performing
under the same AAC logo and using the same black colors, being
effectively one of the largest sports clubs of Portugal.
History
and tradition
Being today the most important sports club of Coimbra, Académica
was founded by students of the University of Coimbra in 1876,
when Clube Atlético de Coimbra (founded in 1861) and
Academia Dramática (founded in 1837) merged together.
The equipment used is black shirt, shorts and socks, due to
the relation to and origin in the local and famous University
of Coimbra where students wear a typical all-black suit. In
the beginning, Académica's footballers were all mostly
university students, and very talented players were discovered
in the pitch. This was the rule during many decades until the
1970s. Académica used to be a constant team in the Portuguese
main division before 1974. After the "25 de Abril"
revolution (1974) in Portugal, many changes took place in Portuguese
society and the team experienced many changes. Between 1974/75
and 1983/84 football seasons, Académica was present in
national competitions as C.A.C. - Clube Académico de
Coimbra and after a period of uncertainty and several relegations
to the Second Division, the Académica's football team
and staff, were gradually professionalized aiming to achieve
a stronger position in the modern times of fierce professional
competition (although some of its modern players continue being
higher education students, and among them, a few at the University
of Coimbra).
Coimbra
Stadium
The Estádio Cidade de Coimbra (Coimbra City Stadium)
is the home ground of Académica de Coimbra football team,
and belongs to Coimbra's municipality. The stadium has 30,210
seats, two-thirds of which are covered and offers several amenities
and services. Until 2003 it used to be called Estádio
Municipal de Coimbra (Coimbra's Municipality Stadium) or Estádio
do Calhabé (Stadium of Calhabé), after the name
of its location in Coimbra. It had a capacity of 15,000 seats,
all seated, but just one small covered area. Then it was rebuilt,
expanded and modernized to host some Euro 2004 matches. The
Estádio Cidade de Coimbra was inaugurated with a Rolling
Stones concert on 27 September 2003, attended by over 50,000
people. On 29 October 2003, Académica de Coimbra played
at home to SL Benfica, in the first official match in the remodelled
stadium.
Official
Song
O Hino Oficial da Académica é recente. Foi oficialmente
apresentado na Gala Comemorativa dos 120 Anos do clube, em Setembro
de 2008, no Casino Estoril. Em Coimbra foi dado a conhecer,
em Julho passado, no dia da apresentação oficial
da equipa para esta época. O Hino dos «estudantes»
é da autoria de Zé da Ponte e é interpretado
por Teresa Radamanto e Paulo Ramos. Oiça do Hino da Académica.
De
Santa Clara
Olha-se o mundo
E o tempo pára
Por um segundo
Quem
diz que o amor
É um estudante
Faz um doutor
De cada amante
Se
fores à Lapa
Hás-de encontrar
A minha capa
Pra te tapar
Apaixonado
Tenho sossego
Cantando o fado
Junto ao Mondego
Ai
de quem
Se detém
A escutar por
Uma vez o segredo
Que Dom Pedro
Só diz a Inês
Briosa,
Amor pra sempre
Amor que a gente
Sabe de cor
Briosa,
Amor imenso
Amor que eu penso
Ser o maior
Briosa,
Amor sofrido
Que dá sentido
À ilusão
Briosa,
Amor materno
Bater eterno
De um coração
Briosa,
Amor pra sempre
Que a gente sente
Ser o maior!
»
listen to the song now
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