The Portuguese Premier League is dominated by three teams, AKA the "Big Three". Two of the three are from Lisbon (Sporting and Benfica) and the third is from Porto (FC Porto). Together, they account for almost every league title going back decades. Lisbon is split between its two teams, although Benfica has the most support around the country. There are a few other teams scattered around the Lisbon area, but they just aren't very successful and attract many fewer fans.
So why pick Sporting? For me, there are two main reasons. One, when I made my first visit to Portugal in 2001, I was in Lisbon when Sporting won the title. It was quite the green-colored party in the city that night, and it just kind of stuck with me. Second, Sporting is the only first division Portuguese team to employ an American - and that American is Oguchi Onyewu, a beast of a defender for the national team and one of my favorite players, to boot. So, it seemed natural for me to support Sporting.
The game was good, Sporting won and pretty much dominated Paços de Ferreira, a relative minnow of a team, despite only getting one goal. The only sad part was Onyewu got hurt in the game and had to be subbed out in the first half! Bummer! I guess, looking on the bright side, at least I got to see him play a little bit before he got hurt. Also, as he was coming out of the game, the fans were singing his name, a sign of respect and appreciation. It was cool to see an American player receive that ovation from a European crowd, even if it is becoming more commonplace these days.
Anyway, on to the photos. First you'll see shots from the outside of the stadium. These were quite obviously not taken on game day, but some other day. That's ok, just imagine 30,000 green-clad people milling around outside, and darkness. Then, you'll see photos from the inside on game night.
This is what you might call the "official" entrance to the stadium, located on the north side.
Here's the club's crest rendered in tiles on the side of the stadium.
The stadium is located right next to the Campo Grande Metro station, which is also a major bus terminal. As you exit the station, you come right out to the west side of the stadium, as seen in the following two pictures.
If you're wondering, the stadium is more than a simple arena. Inside that large glassed off area is a shopping complex, restaurants, movie theater, and even a sports medicine clinic.
There are four of these large yellow structures, one in each corner of the stadium. They hold lights, but I think they are mostly decorative. They seem quite garish to me, but I'm not an architect, am I? This one is on the south of the stadium.
Here is the NE of the stadium.
Here's a peek inside, shot throught a grated door.
This is the eastern part of the stadium. What's important to remember about Sporting, like most football clubs in Europe, is that it's actually one division of a larger athletic club. So Sporting Clube also fields teams in sports like handball, basketball, futsal, etc., and sponsors individual athletes in sports like cycling, swimming, and track. Some of these teams are professionalized, and others are not. But they are also a general athletic club with a gym, and pool, and various courts, etc. In this entrance, behind all that glass, is the actual general athletic club of Sporting. It's attached right to stadium like a limpet.
Trophies!
More trophies! This display is inside the Loja Verde (Green Store), which is Sporting's official team shop (inside the aforementioned shopping center in the stadium).
Like all European football teams, Sporting has its various fan groups of "Ultras". If you aren't familiar with the ultra phenomenon, please follow that link. This group even has its own clubhouse located underneath the stadium! How cool is that? (They also have their own website).
OK, let's move on to the game. Just a caveat: because it was nighttime, and the vagaries of stadium lighting, some of these photos will be blurrier than normal. You're just gonna have to deal :-).
Here's Liz right after we entered. She's sporting a Sporting hat. Hahaha, wordplay. I know it looks closed off, but there was actually a much larger bank of doors just to her right that were wide open...
There's most of the Sporting team right before kick-off.
Gooch!
Here's a couple action shots that turned out pretty well.
It appears I can't add any more pictures to this post, so stay tuned and read Part 2 (which will be above this one on the blog)
So, you're not an architect, are you? Do you want to be one? Perhaps a sports photographer would be a better calling. Do they have classes for that in Lisbon?
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