Desportivo O Moscavide (Portugal)

Clube Desportivo dos Olivais e Moscavide, or Desportivo O Moscavide as they are more commonly known since their restructuring, is an amateur football club who play on the border of the Lisbon neighbourhoods of Santa Maria dos Olivais and Moscavide in the north east of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The club was formed in 1912.

The team started out playing in Lisbon regional football. In 1931-32 the club lifted the title of the third tier Lisbon Regional League. The team were promoted and remained in the second tier of Lisbon football for seven years.

In 1938-39 Olivais e Moscavide, as they were known, went back down before returning in 1952-53 and then reaching the top tier of Lisbon football for the 1957-58 season. In 1971-72 the team went back down to the second tier but they bounced straight back at the first attempt.

In 1976-77 the club won promotion to play in the Terceira Divisão Portuguesa, which was the old third division of national football in Portugal. After finishing as runners-up in 1983-84 Olivais e Moscavide went up to the Segunda Divisão Portuguesa, but their spell lasted just one season.

The club returned to the national second tier for the 1988-89 campaign and ended in ninth place; their highest ever finish. However, the club were relegated once again at the completion of the 1989-90 season. The 1990-91 season saw another relegation, this time from the third tier Segunda Divisão down to the newly formed national fourth tier Terceira Divisão.

The team lifted the Série E title in 1991-92 and promotion back to the Segunda Divisão Portuguesa, where the team competed in Zona Sul until they went back down to Terceira Divisão in 1996-97. Olivais e Moscavide collected the Terceira Divisão – Série E title once again in 2000-01 and promotion back to the third tier of Portuguese football.

By 2005-06 the third tier had been retitled the Segunda Divisão. Olivais e Moscavide had put in some good finishes in previous seasons before lifting the Série D title and promotion to the second tier Liga de Honra after prevailing in the play-offs by defeating UD Oliveirense and then CD Trofense in the final.

However, the clubs spell in the second level lasted just one season. They reached the semi final of the play-offs the following season, but went out on penalties in the semi-final to Sporting da Covilhã. It would start a period of decline at Olivais e Moscavide.

In 2008-09 the club went down to the fourth tier Terceira Divisão Portuguesa. In 2101-11 Moscavide went down to Lisbon District Football. However, because of mounting debts reaching back to the Liga de Honra days meant that the club could not compete.

The club was reformed on the 25^th May 2012 with José Augusto Borralho in charge of a new managerial committee, allowing Desportivo O Moscavide to play football once again in district football.

The restructured club ended bottom of the sixth tier AF Lisboa 2ª Divisão Série 2, otherwise known as AFL Primeira Divisão in 2012-13 before being switched to Serie 4 where an improved fifth place was achieved. It was back to Serie 2 for 2014-15 and another bottom place.

There was a slight improvement twelve months later prior to a mid-table berth in Serie 3 in 2016-17 which was backed up with third place the following season. The performance was repeated in the Serie 2 2018-19 campaign.

Moscavide ended the 2019-20 season in eighth place when it was ended early owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Desportivo O Moscavide will play in AF Lisboa 2ª, Primeira Divisão Série 2 in the 2020-21 season.

My visit

Friday 12^th February 2016

My flight from Stansted had arrived on time and I was in the mood for adventure and educating myself on a four day visit to Lisbon. My destination later in the evening was the enthralling clash between SL Benfica and FC Porto. However, I still had time to kill before the main event.

Once I got through customs I purchased a Viva Viagem card, which would serve me well on local transport over my time around the city. I loaded it with €25. Although I loaded another €5 on my final day, that took care of all my journeys to the sights and football.

Moscavide was just two stops on the metro from the airport, so it seemed an obvious choice to have a look once I’d discovered the venue via Google maps. I was immediately taken by the pavements made up of thousands of small stones as soon as I emerged from the station. The walls of the Estádio Alfredo Marques Augusto were straight in front of me. I just had to find a way in.

Sometimes this can be a frustrating job, and so it proved. I tried along R Padre Joaquim Alves Correira but all I could find was a car wash, with a slight view of the ground beyond. There was no way through all the way around. I was about to call it a day and head off to my next venue, when I walked further down R João Pinto Rebeiro.

Sure enough, there was the open gate to the venue. There just had to be a main entrance and I’d walked all the way around it! I’m glad I found it as the Estádio Alfredo Marques Augusto was a decent old school ground. There is often an element of surprise when groundhopping, particularly overseas, and this was just what the doctor ordered.

The nearside was made up of club buildings and changing rooms and then an all weather pitch. The near entrance end was a car park with high fencing in place to stop stray balls landing on the road beyond. 

The final two sides were excellent. Both had steep open steps that could be used for standing or sitting. In the centre opposite was a covered section at the rear for VIP’s and media. It had seen better days, but I could imagine plenty of passionate afternoons in the stadium.

I was pretty pleased with myself as I headed off to walk through the cobbled tight streets of Moscavide towards my next call; the home of SG Sacavenense.