Estádio da Várzea is a multi-purpose stadium in Praia, Cape Verde just west of the city center's plateau in the subdivision of Várzea and on Avenida Cidade de Lisboa on its east side. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 8,000 people. The stadium is owned by the city of Praia and is operated by the Santiago South Regional Football Association and serves its headquarters of the association. The other stadium operated by the association in the south of the island is Calabaceira. The entrance is on the west side of the stadium where most of the seat is. The stadium has seat rows in the left and right sides, 200 meters east is the Plateau of Praia. Its size is 108 by 69 m, the longest part of the field goes north to south with a 15 degree angle facing east at the top. Its elevation is about 4 meters above sea level. A smaller practice field lies due south. The stadium is home to the four best football clubs in Cape Verde, Sporting, CD Travadores, Académica and Boavista FC the Santiago Island first division alongside Vitória FC, one of the region's best, it also home of Desportivo da Praia which is a military club and the lesser club Benfica Praia. Other teams that base in another part include ADESBA located in the nearby neighborhood of Craveiro Lopes some hundreds of meters north but play in the stadium.
Sporting Clube da Praia, short form: Sporting Praia is a professional football club that plays in the Santiago South Premier Division in Cape Verde. It is based in the capital city of Praia in the island of Santiago, one of the unrelegated clubs in the south of the island along with three of the city's four historically mightiest clubs including Académica, Boavista and CD Travadores. Along with Académcia, Boavista, Desportivo, Travadores and Vitória, it is one of several teams that share the same ground, Estádio da Várzea, which has a capacity of 8,000. Sporting has won six championships since independence and a few before independence. The first title was won in the summer of 1962 before independence. Sporting recently won the 2017 national title. Its current president is Carlos Daniel Caetano and its manager is Lito, who once played for Portuguese clubs as footballer.
Associação Académica do Mindelo is a football club that had played in the Premier division and the São Vicente Island League in Cape Verde. It is based in the city of Mindelo on the island of São Vicente and plays in a stadium with a capacity of 5,000. The club is an affiliate of the Portuguese club Académica de Coimbra. It is one of the first teams ever to win a provincial title before independence, in 1953, a year later. There was no further competition until 1956. Académica won their first title since independence in 1989. Other titles includes four for the island including their recent 2006/07 season win and two opening tournaments along with their recent win.
Boavista Futebol Clube is a football club that had played in the Premier division and plays in the Santiago Island South Zone League in Cape Verde. It is based in the city of Praia in the island of Santiago. The team has only reached a few of these games before and after independence. Its current president is Luis Manuel Semedo who once coached Boa Vista's Académica Operária. and its manager is Nelito Antunes.
The Cape Verdean Football Championship or the Campeonato Caboverdiano de Futebol is a football competition that was created in 1976 in Cape Verde. A local championship was founded in 1953 before independence, when the islands were still part of the Portuguese Empire.
The Santiago South Premier Division is a regional championship played in Santiago Island, Cape Verde and is a part of the Santiago South Zone Football Association. The winner of the championship plays in Cape Verdean football Championships of each season while the last two placed clubs relegates in the following season. In 2007 and 2013 when Sporting Praia automatically qualified in the championships as they won their national titles in the previous season, a second place club qualified to the national championships. The division features 12 clubs in the premier division for the second time, Varanda and Delta were relegated into the Second Division, Tchadense and Benfica were promoted last season.
The Santiago Island League was a regional championship played in all of Santiago Island until 2002 when it was broken up into two present divisions, the North and the South zones, Cape Verde. It formed a part of the Santiago Regional Football Association The winner of the championship had played in Cape Verdean football Championships of each season.
Desportivo da Praia is a football club that currently plays in the Premier division and the Santiago Island League (South) in Cape Verde. It is based in the capital city of Praia in the island of Santiago. It is the military team of Cape Verde. Its nickname is militares. The team won the first and only regional opening tournament in 2014.
The 2000 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 21st of the competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. The competition started on 13 August and finished on 10 September, it started and finished later due to the 2000 Amílcar Cabral Cup that took place at Estádio da Várzea from May 4 to 14. The tournament was organized by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. FC Derby won their second title and later participated in the 2001 CAF Champions League the following year. Sporting Clube da Praia would be the only time that a non-participant would participate in the 2000 CAF Winners Cup, the criteria for qualification was not continued.
The 2016–17 Santiago South Premier Division season was the 15th second tier football competition in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, from 4 November 2016 to 30 April 2017. The tournament was organized by the Santiago South Regional Football Association. All the matches were played at Estádio da Várzea. Sporting Praia won their next title in three years which was their 10th title and participated in the 2017 Cape Verdean Football Championships and played in Group C that includes Sporting Brava, Sporting Praia had 55 points and made it a club record, overall of any regional tier 2 championship competitions, it was third behind of the clubs of the island's North Zone, GD Varandinha with 63 and Scorpion Vermelho with 61. Also Sporting Praia qualified in the 2017 Santiago South Super Cup and faced Os Garridos, runner up in the regional cup competitions as Sporting was also cup winner, Sporting would win that title.
The 2016–17 Sporting Clube da Praia season were in the island division of football (soccer). The club won the island's 9th regional and later the 10th national title, their next in five years.
The football rivalry between Sporting and Boavista FC is considered the hugest rivalry in both Cape Verde and the island of Santiago and the city Praia, it is known as the. One of the largest rivalries in the nation and the region before the Mindelo derby or Mindelense and Derby which is also the longest rivalry. It forms one of the rivalry being called the Capital Derby, one of the Praia Derby.
1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s – 1950s – 1960s – 1970s – 1980s – 1990s – 2000s
The 2016-17 Santiago South Cup season was the competition of the regional football cup in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. The season started on 25 November and finished on 7 May. The cup competition was organized by the Santiago South Regional Football Association. All the matches are played at Estádio da Várzea. Sporting Clube da Praia won their recent cup title. As Sporting Praia were also 2016-17 champions on April 8, Garridos achieved qualification into the upcoming 2017 Santiago South Super Cup, its qualification status was runner-up.
The 2017 Santiago South Cup final was the final of the 2016–17 Santiago South Cup.
The 2017 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 38th beginner level competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. It started on 13 May and finished on 27 August, it started a days later than last season. Originally to finish on 15 July, instead, it was rescheduled to 27 August. The championship was governed by the Cape Verdean Football Federation.
The 2017–18 Sporting Clube da Praia season are in the island division of football (soccer). Even though they were national champions last season, Sporting Praia did not appear in the qualification stage of the 2018 CAF Champions League, which made it one of the few countries that a club was absent and the 10th straight time in Cape Verde to do so.
