Académica do Sal

Logo and uniform

The logo and the uniform as well as other teams with the name Académica and Académico in Cape Verde is identical to Académica de Coimbra.

Its current uniform feature a blue-yellow striped t-shirt with yellow in its edges and blue sleeves along with blue shorts and socks used during home matches and the uniform used during away matches remains white.

Its former uniform colours were black for home matches and white for away matches.

History

The club was founded on August 3, 1963 in Espargos (then a newly founded town) and is also the second oldest club in Espargos. The club serves the whole island. Three years later, another club affiliate to Académica would be founded in Sal and is Académico do Aeroporto do Sal and serves Espargos, Palmeira, Pedra de Lume and Terra Boa.

The club celebrated its 25th annversary in 1988 and the 50th anniversary in 2013.

At the regional competitions, the club has won about 6 championship titles, 5 opening tournament titles and four cup titles.

One of the club's recent national appearance were in 2001 and in 2005, the first finished with 13 points and had 4 wins. Their next was in 2005 and had the same number of wins, goals and points as they did four years earlier, but was slightly more successful with no loss and only four goals conceded, the club headed to the semis and lost to FC Derby 4-1 in the first match, the second match was scoreless and the club was out of the competition.

Académica Sal's first opening tournament title was won in 2002, their next was in 2008 and their recent was in 2016.

Académica's first cup title was win in around 2005, their second was in 2007, their third was in 2008 and their recent was in 2011.

Académica do Sal was Sal's first cup winner to appear in the first Cape Verdean Cup in the summer of 2007 and did not appear in the finals. They were one of four teams that participated in the national level.

In recent years, Académica do Sal was runner up in the 2013-14 season with 19 points and 6 wins. A year later, the club suffered which ended up at last place and finished with 2 points and had no wins, this was the last time that a club finished last and remains in the championships. Académica Sal did better in the four match extended season with two new clubs added, Académica Sal saw their next win in 11 matches defeating Palmeira 2-1 on February 6. On March 5, the club challenged Florença for the first time and defeated that club based in Santa Maria. On March 17, the club met for the first time with ASGUI and defeated that newly entered club 0-1. Académica Sal was once more a runner up in the 2015-16 season with 27 points and scored 24 goals.

Playoff participation

Académica challenged against FC Derby in the 1984 finals and lost to Derby 3–2 on penalties, they would win their first and only national title in 1993 after beating Boavista from Praia, they were tied 2 in the first match, they won 2–1 over Boavista, it is the only club from the island to win a national title.

Continental competition

After their 1993 win, they participated in the 1994 African Cup of Champions Clubs (now the Champions League) and faced Mauritania's Sonader and lost to that club. It is the only appearance of a club outside the islands of Santiago and São Vicente at a continental level, it does not include SC Atlético in 1992 as the club was disqualified as the federation did not name the entrant on time.

Académica Sal never scored a goal in the two matches against SONADER (or SONADER Ksar) which is now simply known as Ksar of Mauritania, the club lost 2-0 in one of two matches in Nouakchott Stadium. It is one of two Cape Verdean clubs that never scored a goal at a continental level.

Stadium

Estádio Marcelo Leitão is a multi-use stadium in Espargos, Cape Verde. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 8,000. The stadium has seat rows in the east side and is east-southeast of the city center and Monte Curral. The stadium is home to the two best football clubs on the island, the other being Académico do Aeroporto, other clubs based in Espargos includes Juventude which is based in Morro Curral and the stadium is being located inside the neighborhood. Other clubs based in Espargos but a neighborhood includes the newly established clubs of Gaviões and Chã de Matias. Clubs playing the stadium but based on other parts of the island include Santa Maria, SC Verdun Pedra de Lume, Palmeira de Santa Maria and ASGUI, Florença.

Rivalry

Académico do Aeroporto do Sal is the club's only rival and is called the Airport Derby (Clássico da Ilha do Aeroprto, Derby of the Island of the Airport), where Espargos was founded upon, sometimes, it is known as the Derby of the Académicas of Sal or the Sal Island Derby, the only derby on the island.

Honours

Statistics

Managers

Other sports

Handball is Académica do Sal other sports club.