Full name | Gil Vicente Futebol Clube |
---|---|
Nickname(s) |
Gilistas (Gilistas) Galos (Roosters) |
Founded | 1924 |
Ground | Estádio Cidade de Barcelos |
Capacity | 12,504 |
Chairman | António Fiúza |
Manager | Nandinho |
League | LigaPro |
2014–15 | Primeira Liga, 17th (relegated) |
Gil Vicente Futebol Clube (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒiɫ viˈsẽt(ɨ)]), commonly known as Gil Vicente, founded in 1924, is a Portuguese football club that plays in Barcelos. It competes in the second-tier LigaPro, and is named after the Portuguese playwright of the same name. The best season for the team was in 1999–2000, when it finished fifth in the Liga.
Gil Vicente Futebol Clube was founded on 3 May 1924, after the creation of other clubs in Barcelos, such as Barcelos Sporting Club and União Football Club Barcelense. The idea to found a new club came from a group of friends that every afternoon played football near the city's theater, named Gil Vicente, after the Portuguese playwright. The initial name for the team was Gil Vicente Football Barcelense.
The first struggles of the young team were mainly about finding a pitch to play. Back then, the team would play in the Campo da Estação, which belonged to another club, Triunfo Sport Club. On 3 May 1933, Gil Vicente played in its first field, Campo da Granja, with a capacity for 5,012 spectators, and later renamed Adelino Ribeiro Novo, after a Gil Vicente goalkeeper who died there during a match on 16 September 1946.
The team first got promoted to the top Portuguese division, then called First Division in 1990. In 1997, it got relegated to the Liga de Honra and came back two years later by winning it. The best position was in the first year back in the Liga, when it finished fifth, led by manager Álvaro Magalhães, a former Benfica player.
Gil Vicente played in the Estádio Adelino Ribeiro Novo until the 2003–04 season. From 2004–05 on, the team plays in the new Estádio Cidade de Barcelos. Estádio Adelino Ribeiro Novo is now used by the young squads of the club. The new stadium, with a capacity of 12,374, belongs to the municipality and received two UEFA Under-21 European Championship 2006 matches: Serbia and Montenegro 0–1 Germany [1] and Portugal 0–2 Serbia and Montenegro [2].