AD Ribeira Grande

Associação Desportivo de Ribeira Grande or as Ribeira Grande de Santiago (Capeverdean Crioulo, ALUPEC or ALUPEK as well as Badiu: Ribêra Grandi di Santiagu) is a football club that again will play in the Premier League of the Santiago Island South Zone League in Cape Verde. It is based in the city of Cidade Velha, capital of Ribeira Grande de Santiago and the nation's oldest city located in the south of the island of Santiago and serves the whole municipality.

Logo

Its logo has a point shield on the bottom and are colored white and blue. On top is a blue label and reads the first name of the club AD (Associação Desportivo), in the bottom is another blue part and is titled Ribeira Grande where the club is based, the municipality. On the bottom of the club name is one of Cidade Velha's famous landmark and the famous monument known as the Pelourinho, the Pillory.

History

The club became registered in 2005 and started to compete in the revived regional Second Division after seasons of cancellations due to financial problems. The club was first place in the 2007 Second Division and qualified into the Premier Division where they remained up to the 2013 season, in 2013, they never won a match and had five points, all of them in draws, they lost 13 matches, they scored 15 goals and conceded 43 goals, the most in the region at the time.

The club was 6th in 2012 and was last place in 2013 and participated in the Second Division. The club was second place in that division behind Os Garridos and headed to play two division decisional matches against Varanda, 9th in the Premier Division, Ribeira Grande lost all the two matches and had to spend the next three seasons in the Second Division. In the shortened 2016 season, the club was 3rd place and failed to quality into the Premier Division as they were behind the promotion zone as two new clubs competed in the following season. In the re-extended 2016-17 Second Division, the club was climbing in positions and reached the number two spot in the middle of the season and kicked out Unidos do Norte from that position. Ribeira Grande later superseded Varanda in the number one spot and finished as the 2016-17 Second Division champions. After four years, Ribeira Grande will once again return to the Premier Division in the following season. In the 2016-17 regional cup, the club started at the First Round, they reached up to the semis and lost to the almighty Sporting 1-0 and prevented Ribeira Grande from competing in the cup final.

AD Ribeira Grande was surprised they attempt to be a non-Praia club at the top six position in the 2017-18 season, that had been withstood as they lost the first two matches including the almighty Sporting, a draw with Benfica was made, then made two more losses to two other almighty clubs of Académica and Boavista Praia and currently the club is last placed and kept their chances of being in the Premier Division. Ribeira Grande finally got a win in the division, they defeated Eugénio Lima FC 1-3 on December 15, and put that club to last place, the club is now 8th with 4 points and four goals.

Stadium

Ribeira Grande has a small field in the area of Cidade Velha, they also play in the area of Calabaceira. Ribeira Grande's matches are played at Estádio da Várzea, a multi-use stadium in Praia, Cape Verde. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 8,000. The stadium has seat rows in the left and right sides and a small hill and a plateau lies to the west. The stadium is home to the three best football clubs in Cape Verde and the island's six best, Sporting, CD Travadores, Boavista FC, Académica, Desportivo and Vitória, all in the Santiago South Championships. Also while they were in the Second Division, they played some matches at Calabaceira.

The club practices at Várzea and Calabaceira.

Achievements

Secondary achievements

• Santiago South Second Division: 2

2006/07, 2016/17

League and cup history

Island/Regional Championship

Statistics

• Best position at a cup competition: Finalist
• Appearances at the championships: 13
  • Regional Premier Division (Tier 2): 7
  • Regional Second Division (Tier 3): 6
• Appearances at a regional cup competitions: 12

Players

Current squad

External links

• AD Ribeira Grande at Sports Mídia