C.f. União

União da Madeira

Full name	Clube de Futebol União
Nickname(s)	União da Bola (Union of the ball) Unionistas (Unionists)
Founded	1 November 1913; 110 years ago (1913-11-01) (as União Futebol Clube)
Dissolved	23 November 2021; 2 years ago (2021-11-23)
Ground	Campo do Adelino Rodrigues, Funchal
Capacity	3,000
Home colours Away colours

The club was originally founded on 1 November 1913, thus being one of the oldest football clubs in Portugal, and maintained a strong local rivalry with neighbours Marítimo and Nacional da Madeira throughout much of its history. After building mounting debts, and failing to fulfil consecutive matches leading to disqualification from competing in the Campeonato de Portugal – the country's fourth-tier league – União da Madeira were forcibly dissolved on 23 November 2021.

As a sports club, União da Madeira had sports departments for Basketball, Fencing, Football, handball, Roller Hockey, Rugby and Volleyball. The professional football team were notably sponsored by the Museu CR7, the local museum dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born in Funchal.

A new phoenix club, União da Bola Futebol Clube was founded in 2022, with the aim of "honouring the legacy" of the demised club. The club entered a senior football team into the 1ª Divisão of the Madeira Football Association.

The club was founded on 1 November 1913 initially as União Futebol Clube by, among others, César da Silva, João Fernandes Rosa, Alexandre Vasconcelos, José Anastácio do Nascimento and José Fernandes. The founding members shortly after its establishment decided to change the club's name to Clube de Futebol União in 1916.

Shortly after Ângelo Olim Marote was appointed as the very first chairman of the club. A few years later the club was a founding member of the Madeira Football Association which it is still a part of today as well as competing in its annual AF Madeira Cup.

União won the third-tier championship in 2010–11, thereby returning to the professional leagues after seven years away. In 2014–15, managed by promotion specialist Vítor Oliveira, the club came runners-up in Segunda Liga behind C.D. Tondela and reached the Primeira Liga for the first time in two decades.

The club's spell in the top flight lasted only one season, and União were relegated in 2016. Two years later, they fell into the third tier again, with two games left to play of the season. In 2020–21, the club and fellow Madeirans A.D. Camacha and CSD Câmara de Lobos withdrew at the halfway point due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, but were not relegated. União da Madeira were forcibly dissolved and the club officially closed on 23 November 2021.

 

União's most recent home ground was the Campo do Adelino Rodrigues. The club led a nomadic existence since leaving the Estádio dos Barreiros in 2008 when the stadium was purchased by joint tenants and local rivals Marítimo from the local municipality.

They played at the Campo do Adelino Rodrigues for a short period before winning promotion back to the Segunda Liga in 2011 rendered that stadium as inadequate. União returned to Barreiros for the 2011–12 season before relocating to the 3,300-capacity municipal stadium in Machico for the 2012–13 campaign and then again to the Centro Desportivo da Madeira at Ribeira Brava in 2014. Whilst remaining at the modest 2,500-seat venue after winning promotion to the Primeira Liga in 2015, the club had an agreement with top division rivals Nacional to play its high-profile home games at their larger stadium, the Estádio da Madeira. The stadium previously hosted several cup matches. In 2018, União were relegated from the Segunda Liga and in December 2018, they returned to Campo do Adelino Rodrigues.

Updated 27 September 2017

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   POR Edgar Mendonça 3 DF   CGO Dorvel Dibékou 6 MF   BDI Christophe Nduwarugira (on loan from Chibuto) 7 FW   BRA Danilo Dias 8 MF   SEN Pathé Ciss 9 FW   GNB Flávio 10 MF   POR Mica 11 FW   POR Betinho 13 DF   SEN Alhassane Sylla 15 DF   CIV Romaric 17 FW   CPV Júnior 19 MF   SEN Nestor Mendy 20 DF   POR Tiago Moreira 22 MF   BRA Bruno Morais 24 DF   CPV Tiago Almeida

No. Pos. Nation Player 30 DF   POR Nuno Lopes 33 DF   POR Paulo Vasconcelos 44 DF   POR Miguel Lourenço 52 MF   CPV Rudy 70 FW   BRA Moicano 72 FW   BRA Rodrigo Henrique 77 MF   POR André Carvalhas 83 DF   BRA Rafael Donato 91 FW   NGA Bolaji Oyetii 93 DF   BRA Laércio 94 GK   BRA Raví 98 MF   BRA Peterson 99 GK   VEN Mário Pellicer

National

• Portuguese Second Division: 3
  • 1988–89, 2001–02, 2010–11

Regional

• AF Madeira Championship (tier 4): 16
  • 1920–21, 1927–28, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1937–38, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1979–80
• AF Madeira Cup: 17
  • 1945–46, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2002–03, 2004–05