Leça Futebol Clube, better known as Leça FC or simply Leça, is a Portuguese football club located in the town of Leça da Palmeira,

Matosinhos Matosinhos, Porto, Portugal () is a city and a municipality in the northern Porto district of Portugal, bordered in the south by the city of Porto (8 km from the city centre). The population in 2011 was 175,478, and covered an area of approx ...

. Founded in 1912, it had a spell in the top-flight

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal ...

between 1995 and 1998, when it was relegated for financial irregularities. They currently play in the Campeonato de Portugal. The club currently play their home games at the ''Estádio do Leça FC'', which holds a capacity of 12,000 spectators. The current chairman is António Pinho and their current manager is João Crespo. The club's shirt and socks are white while their shorts are green.

History

Founded in 1912, Leca participated in the

Portuguese Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal ...

from 1995 to 1998 but a decision taken by the

Portuguese Football Federation The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) ( pt, Federação Portuguesa de Futebol; ) is the governing body of football in Portugal. The federation was formed in 1914 as Portuguese Football Union (UPF) by the three existing regional associations ...

based on past acts of corruption decided to relegate Leça to the Liga de Honra for 1998–99 season. The team was expected to fight for promotion but the efforts were not enough to bring the team to the top level again. In the upcoming years, the club was affected by financial problems that cut some of the desire of wanting the team back to the top. Because of the team's lower budget, new goals were set. The main goal was now to make the club financially secure and then try to put the team back on the first division. However, after a series of events of bad management of the financial status by the presidents, it has been related that some of the presidents stole money from the club to use for their own benefit, which was unpaid wages to the team professionals, unqualified team coaches and other sporting factors. Since then, they've been dubbed as strong candidates to promotion but never confirmed the expectations, finishing in mid-table and surprisingly sometimes near the bottom of the table.

Badge

The club's badge is in green and white, the club colours. The castle on top of it represents Leça da Palmeira, the city which the club was in on its foundation in 1912.

Stadium

Leça play their games at the ''Estádio do Leça FC''. The current stadium has played host to many matches down the years in the

or in the

Liga de Honra The Liga Portugal 2 (), also known as Liga Portugal 2 SABSEG for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system. At the end of each season, the two top-finishing teams are promoted to the top-tier Pri ...

. It currently has a capacity of 12,000 spectators and has two big stands in green and white which symbolizes the club's colours. The stands also feature the name of the club on both sides of the pitch. The club built the stadium in 1992 as Leça were ready to go into the top flight of Portuguese football.

Honours

* Segunda Liga :*Winners (1): 1994–95 *

Segunda Divisão The Segunda Divisão Portuguesa (English: ''Portuguese Second Division'') was a football league situated at the third level of the Portuguese football league system. The division had previously been the second level of the Portuguese pyramid but, w ...

:*Winners (1): 1940–41 *

Terceira Divisão The Terceira Divisão Portuguesa (in English: ''Portuguese Third Division'') was a football league in Portugal, situated at the fourth level of the Portuguese football league system. The Third Division was initially the third level of the Portug ...

:*Winners (1): 2006–07

League Cup and History

''As of April 14, 2009''

Current squad

Former players

* Wesley John - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines international who played in Portugal for 23 years, including for clubs Ribeira Brava and Porto da Cruz, both below the Portuguese fourth tier)

External links

Squad at Zerozero
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leca Fc Association football clubs established in 1912 Football clubs in Portugal 1912 establishments in Portugal Primeira Liga clubs Liga Portugal 2 clubs