Sporting Clube de Braga of Toronto – Arsenal do Minho
The no. 1 affiliate of Sporting Club de Braga
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| Founding Date: | October 5, 1986 |
| Address: | 3404-A Dundas Street West Toronto, Ontario M6S 2S1 |
| Telephone: | 416-532-2328 |
Brief History
Audio Version:
In 1986, a group of minhotos gathered in order to form a soccer team under the nickname “Sporting Clube de Braga of Toronto” and with the subtitle of “Arsenal do Minho”. Its first soccer game took place on September 1st of the same year, an event that served to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the restaurant Leão d’Ouro. Arsenal won it. On October 5th, it won again, this time against the Lions of Kitchener, an event that marked the organization’s official founding date.
On April 10, 1987, José Correia was elected the first President of the Executive, João Azeredo the first President of the Assembly, and Jaime Silva became the first Head of the Soccer Department. If the association arose out of soccer, it had to be with soccer that it would leave its most significant mark.
SC Braga of Toronto joined the Luso-Canadian Football League under coach José Roriz. The first season ended up exceeding all expectations. Although it finished 5th in the league table, it won the League Cup, the Super Cup, and the League’s Tenth Anniversary Tournament. This unexpected success aroused the interest of the minhotos and soon the number of members rose to 400, which forced the association to open its own headquarters and, consequently, to create new incentives to captivate those less interested in soccer and more connected to the cultural aspect.
If 1987 had become unforgettable, what happened the following year remains in the history books of the soccer scene not only of the Portuguese community but also of Ontario and Canada. Now under coach José Simões da Rosa, Arsenal had put together a great team that eventually won the Peniche Tournament and the Portuguese-Canadian League Championship. It also became the first ever Portuguese-Canadian team to win the Ontario Cup, a feat only repeated by London Portuguese in 2003. Arsenal do Minho also became the first club in the Toronto Metropolitan Area to ever lift the trophy.
In 1995, the folklore dance group was formed under the direction of Eduardo Azeredo while Firmino Morais (Martinho) became the first instructor. The Minho Cultural Association sponsored the group. In 1996, the group released its first record with popular songs from the Province of Minho, which it used as musical accompaniment for the dancers. The children’s group was created shortly thereafter, in 1997. Currently, the two groups have close to 100 members, including musicians and dancers.
The annual picnic of Arsenal do Minho is already one of the brands of the association, during which it promotes the traditions and culture of Minho. At the picnic, traditional and soccer games are played, in addition to performances by various community folklore groups.
Relations with Sporting Clube de Braga, in Portugal, are excellent but soccer is a long gone activity promoted by Arsenal do Minho, although an old-timers’ team was created at the turn of the millennium to compete in a local league.
The organization was located on Dundas Street, in the heart of Little Portugal, for nearly three decades, but recently moved to a new hall in the Junction area of the city.
| With files from Luso-Ontario Magazine, 2008 |
| If you notice errors or misrepresentations in the article, please e-mail contact@lusocanada.com |
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