- Source: S.F. Damaiense
Sport Futebol Damaiense is a women's association football club based in Amadora, Portugal. It competes in Liga BPI, the top tier of women's football in Portugal.
History
= 2019–20
=Damaiense qualified for the promotion phase in the 2019–20 season, slated to compete in the southern zone, by finishing second in Series G. Manager Nuno Gomes did not consider Damaiense to be favorites due to its smaller budget compared to Paio Pires, Amora, and Torrense, calling both his team, Lordemão FC, and Atlético CP "outsiders" by comparison. However, the promotion qualification phase was cancelled in April due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports.
As a compromise to the promotion series's cancellation, the Portuguese Football Federation announced in May 2020 that the winners of each 2019–20 series would be promoted to Liga BPI, increasing the top division's size from 12 teams to 20, and an additional relegation stage would be added to the league to relegate enough teams to rebalance the leagues. Although Atlético CP finished first in Series G over Damaiense, Damaiense was invited for promotion. Manager Nuno Gomes had left the team to take on a management role with Damaiense's lower-division men's side in April 2020, with former C.F. Benfica under-19 manager João Videira replacing him.
= 2020–21
=Damaiense was the youngest club in the 2020–21 Liga BPI season, with an average player age of 20.4 years and including 17-year-old goalkeeper Adriana Rocha on loan from C.F. Benfica. Its first lineup of the season featured nine teenagers out of 11 starting players. Videra set maintenance as the club's goal for the season. The club's board supported the team's promotion by replacing its artificial-turf grounds with grass, 16 player signings led by Carolina Santana from C.F. Benfica, and new kits.
The club made its top-flight debut on 26 September 2020 with a 3–1 upset victory over C.F. Benfica followed by another victory over A-dos-Francos. The club also signed former Mexican international defender Paulina Solís on 4 October.
Damaiense ultimately finished the first series in 6th place, then failed to qualify for automatic maintenance by finishing 4th in the maintenance series, and then lost the relegation play-off 4–5 on aggregate to Gil Vicente to return to the Second Division. The club struggled with a lack of stable home grounds, playing at four different venues during the course of the season, leading manager Videira to suggest the team had never truly played a home match during the season. Videira resigned on 6 May 2021, and Damaiense appointed former Amora manager Ademar Colaço to serve as interim manager.
= 2021–22
=Damaiense appointed men's team captain Filipe Costa, son of S.L. Benfica president Rui Costa, as the women's team coordinator after the end of the 2020–21 season. Costa resigned from agency KSirius to focus on the role, his first in women's football. The club retained Colaço as manager and expanded its youth programs, adding an under-19 women's team and recruiting for under-15 and under-17 sides.
The club won the 2021–22 Campeonato Nacional II Divisão in the final round, earning promotion back to Liga BPI for the 2022–23 season.
On 4 March 2022, the club appointed Tomás Tengarrinha as its new manager.
= 2022–23
=Damaiense reinforced its roster for its return to the top flight with the signings of Beatriz Cameirão, Marta Ferreira, Raquel Ferreira, Melany Fortes, and Catarina Carmo, along with the return of Daniela Santos. The club also acquired American players Summer Green and Jorian Baucom, both previously of the National Women's Soccer League.
Damaiense opened the 2022–23 season with a win and a draw in its first two rounds, and a quarter-finals appearance in its first Taça da Liga Feminina campaign. It ended the season in fifth place to continue in Liga BPI, with Green leading the team in goals scored with 6.
Roster
As of 15 May 2023.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Records
= Year-by-year
=References
External links
Club website
zerozero.pt profile