São Vicente Island League

About the Island/Regional League

The area includes the northwest central part of Cape Verde (especially the three islands of Santa Luzia, Ilhéu Branco and Ilhéu Raso which are not populated today are included in area, though the name of other isles are not used, also there are no clubs in that area).

The island league was founded in 1938 and is the oldest and existing island league in Cape Verde. In the founding years, the league formerly included much of the Barlavento Islands, when more clubs were created even the other islands, it reduced the area to only the northwestern and then the northwestcentral part of the country. None of the clubs outside the island participated in the island division before their island divisions were created. In its first three seasons, only a single match existed, Académica and GD Amarantes were founded later and the number of clubs risen to four.

The two island competitions were the highest level local championship in Cape Verde. The island had the second largest championships in the country in 1953 which lasted to the late 2000s. The 1953 island champion who was Académica would compete in the first colonial championship and claimed the first colonial title. The only entrant was a club from the island of São Vicente up to the end of colonial rule. Some clubs were created years later including Castilho and Falcões do Norte in the 1960s and increased its clubs to six, the points system was introduced and featured a ten-match season that started in the early of the year. After Batuque was founded, the club number rise to eight and nine in around 1990 after Corinthians who was the first Brazilian based club on the island was founded in 1988, it started a sixteen match season and had a two-year season.

After Santiago Island League South or Fogo, it would be the next league to have a second division in 2008. Once the clubs were only around Mindelo and was the remaining one in Cape Verde, a few clubs were added and are based in other parts of the island including Calhau in the east, Salamansa in the north and São Pedro in the southwest.

Recently of club participations in the Premier Division, since May 8, 2016, only four are unrelegated and are Mindelense, Batuque, Derby and Falcões do Norte. Calhau, Corinthians and São Pedro are the only clubs who appeared only in the Second Division.

Between the late 2000s and 2015, the Championship had the third largest number of clubs, currently the League has the fourth most number of clubs in the country.

Title history

Mindelense won their first of the consecutive titles in the beginning of the league. Amarantes won their first in 1944 and their second in 1945 before Mindelense won two more in 1946 and 1947. Académica of Mindelo won their first in 1948, Mindelense would go on to win four consecutive titles after that. Académica broke Mindelense's fifth straight title change and won their second in 1953, Mindelense went to win seven consecutive titles, Amarantes broke Mindelense's eight straight title and claimed their third in 1961, Mindelense won again in 1962, Académica won two straight followed by FC Derby who won their very first title in 1965. Mindelense won another in 1966, Académica won another in 1967, Mindelense won eight consecutive titles between 1975 and 1982, one was in the final year of Portuguese colonial rule, the other seven was won after the nation became independent. Derby won four consecutive between 1983 and 1986, Mindelense won 6 consecutive between 1988 and 1994, though the 1990/91 season was cancelled. Académica broke Mindelense's change on having 7 consecutive for the second time in 1995. Mindelense continued to be island champions between 1996 and 1998, Amarante was the next winner in 1999, two consecutive champions was won by Derby and later by Batuque in 2002, the recent club to win their first title, Mindelense won titles every two years between 2009 and 2015 and recently won their second consecutive in 2016 and is the recent champion of the island.

CS Mindelense has the most number of island titles with 48 and the most of any of the island leagues in the country. Mindelense's percentage dominates around 61% of the regional total of 78. The second are Académica and Derby with 10 and the fewest with two titles is Castilho. Six clubs in the championships won titles.

Records and successes

CS Mindelense has 34 matches without any losses that started from March 29, 2014 with the loss to Derby and lasted up to April 16, 2016 with the loss Amarante, the longest was without any wins at home and numbered 18 which started from January 12, 2014 with the loss to Amarante to April 24, 2016 with the loss to Derby, the shortest was without any wins away (or away-alternative) that lasted from March 29, 2014 to April 16, 2016,, this was a regional record. Of any of the island leagues, it is second to Académica do Porto Novo of the nearby Santo Antão South Zone

Presidents

Champion's Cup

A new competition called the São Vicente Champion's Cup, equivalent to the newly created Champions' Trophy was introduced in 2016. The first edition took place on October 15, 2016 and featured a champion from the Premier and the Second Divisions. Mindelense and Ribeira Bote were the first club to participate.

Basketball

The island also has its own basketball championships. The champion of each season competes at the national level every year.

Teams

Winners