Leiria Football Association

File:Leiria Football Association headquarters.jpg

The association, commonly abbreviated as the AF Leiria, is the governing body for football in the Portuguese district of Leiria. The Football Association is based in Cruz de Areia in Leiria, close to Escola Secundária Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (Francisco Rodrigues Lobo Secondary School) and LeiriaShopping. The Association's President is Júlio Vieira.{{cite news|title=Associação Futebol Leiria - Dirigentes|url=http://afleiria.fpf.pt/Associa%C3%A7%C3%A3o/Org%C3%A3osSociais/Dirigentes.aspx}}

Established on 9 September 1925, known then as Federação Desportiva do Distrito de Leiria (Leiria District Sports Federation), this Federation however ceased to exist in May 1926, due to the trouble times of the politically unstable and financially chaotic years of the Portuguese First Republic. On 20 May 1929, Leiria Football Association was restarted, in his current name. New statutes and regulations was discussed and approved, and elected his first President, Acácio de Almeida Henriques. The founding clubs were: Sport Club Bombarralense, Caldas Sport Clube, Sporting Club das Caldas, Grupo Desportivo "Os Nazarenos", Sporting Club da Nazaré, Atlético Clube Marinhense, Sport Operário Marinhense, Leiria Gimnasio Club, Gimnasio Sportivo Lis e Associação Académica.{{cite web|title=Associação Futebol Leiria - História|url=http://afleiria.fpf.pt/Associa%C3%A7%C3%A3o/Hist%C3%B3ria.aspx}}

File:Leiria Football Association sign.jpg

Leiria clubs compete in the three national levels of the Portuguese football league system in competitions run by the Portuguese League for Professional Football (Primeira Liga and Liga de Honra) and Portuguese Football Federation (Campeonato Nacional de Seniores).

Caldas Sport Clube join the First National Division, where remained four seasons from 1955–56 to 1958–59. In 2012 União de Leiria were demoted to the Segunda Divisão after failing to meet the deadline to sign the team in Liga de Honra, Leiria was automatically relegated to the third level.[http://www.record.xl.pt/Futebol/Nacional/interior.aspx?content_id=758695 U.Leiria fora dos Campeonatos profissionais (U. Leiria out of professional competitions)]; Record, 25 May 2012 {{in lang|pt}} Ginásio Clube Alcobaça join the First National Division in 1982-83 for one season.{{cite web|title=Ginásio Alcobaça|url=http://www.zerozero.pt/equipa.php?id=2196&epoca_id=0}}

Below the Campeonato Nacional de Seniores (Portuguese Third Division) the competitions are organised at a district level (known in Portuguese as Distritais) with each District Association organising its competitions according to geographical and other factors. The AF Leiria runs to league competitions with the Liga de Honra (1ª division) being at the fourth level of the league system and 1ª Divisão (2ª division) at the fifth level. This second tier is divided into two groups on a geographical basis

In more general terms the AF Leiria currently organises District Championships for Soccer and Futsal for men and women for all age groups including Senior, Junior, Youth, Beginners, Infants and Schools.{{cite web |url= http://www.zerozero.pt/associacao.php?id=10 |title= Associação de Futebol do Leiria - zerozero.pt |work= zerozero.pt |access-date=2013-01-10 }}

==Notable clubs affiliated to AF Leiria 2023–24 season ==

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;Primeira Liga (tier 1)

• none

;Segunda Liga (tier 2)

• União de Leiria

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;Liga 3 (tier 3)

• Caldas Sport Clube

;Campeonato Nacional de Seniores (tier 4)

• Atlético Clube Marinhense
• Grupo Desportivo de Peniche

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;Distritais (tiers 5 & 6)

• Beneditense
• Ginásio Clube Alcobaça
• Sporting Clube de Pombal
• Associação Desportiva Portomosense

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{{Col-end}}{{cite web|title=AF Leiria Divisão Honra|url=http://www.zerozero.pt/competicao.php?id_comp=1584|work=Zerozero.pt}}

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;Footnote:

• 1-10 games in Portuguese Cup. *
• 11-100 games in Portuguese Cup. * *
• 101+ games in Portuguese Cup. * * *

• Portuguese District Football Associations
• Portuguese football competitions
• List of football clubs in Portugal

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130210155230/http://www.afleiria.com/Home.aspx A.F. Leiria] {{in lang|pt}}

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{{Football in Portugal}}

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Leiria

Category:Leiria

Category:Sport in Leiria

Category:1925 establishments in Portugal