Sporting Clube de Portugal ( ) (Euronext: SCP), also known as Sporting CP , Sporting , and often referred to mistakenly in the English speaking world as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese sports club based in Portugal's capital city of Lisbon. The club is particularly renowned for its football department. With more than 100,000 registered club members, its teams, athletes and supporters are often nicknamed Leões (English: The Lions ) by its fans and Lagartos (English: The Lizards ) by fans of rival teams.
During the first century of the club's existence, the teams and the athletes of Sporting won 50 Olympic gold medals (Continental and Global), as well as many silver and gold medals and thousands of national and district titles. Few clubs in the world can boast such success, with there being no other at national level. Sporting is, after Barcelona, the club with more European titles across all of the disciplines in which the club competes.
During the founding period (1906), José Alvalade made known his wish to transform Sporting into a "....big Club, as big as the biggest in Europe." Today, one century later, the extraordinary record that Sporting boasts is the manifestation of José Alvalade's, as well as the other founders of the club's, principles, values, winning ethic and ambitious spirit of sportsmanship. Daring to clear pathways in a time when, in Portugal, sports were still activities in their developmental stages and having mainly elitist characteristics, the first "Sportinguistas" managed to found a powerful collective that projects itself onto the global level in the form of the present day Sporting Clube de Portugal. As well as the many titles achieved by the club, Sporting Clube de Portugal also boasts more than three million fans spanning all continents: with up to 300 Supporters clubs, offices and delegations, as well as more than 150 affiliates. This dynamic and successful environment speaks for itself.
History
Pre-Sporting
It started as a romantic idealisation during the turbulent times of the beginning of the 20th century (1902), when a group of holidaymakers in Belas, which was then a distant suburb of Lisbon, decided to found a club and hold a game of foot-ball (as it was called back then) in Seteais: integrated as part of the popular festival held in Sintra. It was a very lively game, and was considered as being apart from the festival, - with members of the royal family being present - contested between Sport Club de Belas and a group from Sintra. Belas claimed a fine 3-0 victory, in a game where the Gavazzo brothers, Franciso and José Maria, along with other sportsman on display, where described as "elements of good families". The daily news reported that more than four thousand people attended in what was a busy and animated compact circle full of interest.
Sports Club de Belas was a summer dream that gathered dust with the end of the holiday period. A dream however, that did not die. The game in Sintra, held on the 26th of August 1902, left a unique and living mark that motivated the players. The young holidaymakers, who where little more than adolescents, returned to Lisbon, dreaming of the status of sports abroad, principally in France and England, and maintained contact with each other as many lived in the same residential area in Campo Grande. The young men frequently met in Pastelaria Bijou that still exists today on Avenida da Liberdade and it was there that, two years after the experience in Belas, in 1904, the young men decided to return to their great love, sports, and found the Campo Grande Football Club. Other attendees of the events the 26th of August 1902 also followed their passion for sports and founded the Clube Internacional de Futebol (CIF). The historical CIF is now situated in Monsanto.
The headquarters of the Campo Grande Football Club where situated on the second floor of the Pinto da Cunha's Manor house, a building that continues to define the corner between Alameda das Linhas de Torres and Campo Grande. Amongst others, the Gavazzo brothers participated in the founding meeting, along with the young men José Holtreman Roquette (José Alvalade), José Stromp and other sporting enthusiasts. Visconde de Alvalade, José Alfredo Holtreman, grandfather of José Alvalade, who was nearing 70 years old and was the patriarch of the family, was appointed the President for his unselfish support and natural ability to understand and encourage the spirit and incentives of his grandson as well as his friends.
Football, fencing, tennis, running, jumping, social parties and picnics where the main activities that allowed the new club to gain momentum in its first two years of existence.
Foundation
In 1906, the atmosphere in the club blurred as a division widened between members that defended the existence of the collective on the basis of social events and gatherings and others that defended the existence of the collective on the basis of dedication to the club's sporting aspects. Júlio de Araújo, who would later become the president of Sporting, a keen historian of the founding process of Sporting, noted that "day to day, two trends where emphasised: that of the boys of Lisbon that claimed the current headquarters and that of the boys of Campo Grande that also laid claim to that spot, as was fair and advisable." Furthermore, Júlio de Araújo also notes that "the disagreement was not solely in regard to location, but also in regard to the objective of the club – with contrast between Campo Grande and those interested in the social aspects of the club rather than the sporting aspects."
This period of turbulence would eventually result in a split between the two parties. José Gavazzo was amongst the first to resign from the original club, accompanied by around two dozen other members: one of which was José Alvalade, who proclaimed that "I am going to have my grandfather with me and he will give me the money to make another club."
The determination shown by these disgruntled players did indeed bear fruit. Visconde de Alvalade granted the creation of the new club and placed in its hands a notable quantity of money, made available a playing field in one of his farms – Sporting continues to exist in the same place till this day - and became the chairman of the board as an "associate protector" of the new club. It was largely due to this that the young José Alvalade, shining as a ray of enthusiasm due to the success of his initiatives, delivered his famous quote: "We want this Club to be a great club, as great as the greatest in Europe," well known by all Sporting supporters.
On 14 April 1906, the newly created collective adopted the provisionary name of Campo Grande Sporting Club . On 1 July of the same year, it was suggested by António Félix da Costa Júnior that the club adopt the name Sporting Clube de Portugal . In July 1920, as proposed by Nuno Soares Júnior, the General Assembly of the Club adopted the 1st of July 1906 as the official founding date of Sporting. It was these original 18 members that made that fateful decision that has now celebrated its Centenary.
Team colors
Kit evolution
Jerseys
The badges
Since its formation, on 1 July 1906, Sporting has had six badges, all of which have had as part of them the colour green and the lion.
First years
The routes of the footballing tradition of Sporting can clearly be traced back to the founding period of 1906. However this was also an eclectic period for the multiple disciplines of athletics followed by the founders of the club. The f