Galícia Esporte Clube

Football club infobox
clubname = Galícia


fullname = Galícia Esporte Clube
nickname = "Azulino"
founded = 1933
ground = Parque Santiago, Salvador, Brazil
capacity = 8,000 | chairman = Raimundo Nonato Reis
manager = -
league = -
season = 2006
position = -
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pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=3D117B|socks2=3D117B

Galícia Esporte Clube is a Brazilian football club from Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, in Brazil's northeast region.

Galícia's chairmain (2007) is Raimundo Nonato Reis.

History

Galícia was founded on January 1, 1933 by immigrants from the autonomous region of Galicia, Spain. Its founder and first president was Mr. Eduardo Castro de la Iglesias.

Galícia was the first club to win the Bahia League Championship (Campeonato Baiano) three times in a row, quickly becoming one of the strongest teams in the state. In its first decade, the club won the League in 1937, 1941, 1942 and 1943, being runner-up another five times (1935, 1936, 1938, 1939 and 1940).

However, after this superb beginning, the club only managed to return to the top in 1968, with its fifth and last Bahia League title. Besides, it was runner-up in 1967, 1980, 1982 and 1995.

Galícia’s best regional performance was in 1969, when it was runner-up of the Northeast Zone of the North-Northeast Cup (Copa Norte-Nordeste). The club only played twice in the Brazilian League (Campeonato Brasileiro) First Division: 1981 and 1983.

In 1999, the team was relegated to Bahia League’s Second Division.

In 2001, Galícia occupied 54th place in the Brazilian Football Clubs Ranking of the prestigious "Placar" magazine.

Current squad

Professional team

"As of 7 November, 2007"

Technical staff

*Head Coach: Lula Mamão
*Fitness Coach: Geraldo Lanthyer
*Goalkeeping Coach: Luciano
*Guard clothes: Nerivaldo Ferreira
*Masseur: Gerson Macena
*Doctors: Carlos Alberto Araújo, Daniel Garcia and Fernando Barreiro
*Supervisor: Juracy Garrido
*General administrator: Jaime Porto

Youth team

"As of 7 November, 2007"

Stadiums

In its early years, Galícia played in the old "Campo da Graça" stadium. After its demolition, its home matches moved to Salvador's biggest stadium, Fonte Nova, and sometimes to Pituaçu Stadium. Nowadays, the club has its own stadium, the Parque Santiago, with a seating capacity of 8,000 fans.

Symbols

Galícia’s nicknames are "Demolidor de Campeões" ("Champions' Demolisher"), "Azulino" ("The Blue One") and "Granadeiro" ("grenadier").

Galícia's logo is white, with a blue diagonal strip featuring the letters "G", "E" and "C", and a Saint James Cross in the center, remembering its galicean heritage. The players wear blue shirts and white shorts and socks. The club anthem was composed by Francisco Icó da Silva.

Titles

Bahia League Championship (Campeonato Baiano)

"Champion"
*1937
*1941
*1942
*1943
*1968

"Runner-up"
*1935
*1936
*1938
*1939
*1940
*1967
*1980
*1982
*1995

Bahia League Championship Second Level (Campeonato Baiano Segunda Divisão)

"Champion"
*1985
*1988

"Runner-up"
*2007

Northeast Zone of the North-Northeast Cup (Copa Norte-Nordeste)

"Runner-up"
*1969

Idols

Some well-known Brazilian players started their careers in Galícia, like the defender Toninho and the center-forwards Washington and Oséas, all of which played in Brazil's National Team. Another great player who defended Galícia was Marinho Peres, Brazilian champion in 1976 with Internacional and defender of the "Seleção" in Germany World Cup - 1974.

One of Galícia’s most remarkable coaches was Aymoré Moreira, who led Brazil to its second World Championship in Chile-1962. With Mr. Moreira, Galícia was runner-up in the Bahia League in 1980.

External links

* [http://www.galiciaec.com.br GALÍCIA ESPORTE CLUBE - Official Site]
* [http://www.granadeiros.com Granadeiros Azulinos - Galícia Esporte Clube (Non-official site)]
* [http://www.granadeiros.com/files/hino_galicia.mp3 Galícia EC's Anthem]
* [http://planeta.terra.com.br/esporte/rsssfbrasil/historical.htm Brazilian Footbal Statistics at RSSSF]
* [http://planeta.terra.com.br/esporte/rsssfbrasil/tables/bacamp.htm Bahia State League List of Champions at RSSSF]