Operario dos Acores

Clube Operario Desportivo (known as CD Operario, Operario dos Acores or just Operario), is a Portuguese football club based in Lagoa in the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores.

History

Clube Operario Desportivo was founded on 2 January 1948 by Joao do Rego Lopes, the Factory Foreman at Alcool da Lagoa. The Board of the Factory agreed to authorise a Works senior football team. It was at first known as “Fabrica do Alcool” before later becoming “Operario” and for many years was known as “Pica-Ferrugem”.

The closure of two existing clubs in Lagoa, “Os Leoes” and “Os Vermelhos”, resulted in an influx of new players to Operario including Fernando Reis (goalkeeper) Jacinto Machado, Nazare, Raul Brum and Antonio Amaral. The club began to grow and moved out of the Factory to a small house in Rua da Fabrica which was later acquired by the club and is still deployed by the club as their headquarters.

In 1994 the club's Executive Committee, under chairman Jose Eduardo Martins Mota, undertook a major project to provide new stadium facilities. The project was initiated in 1995 and was completed in 2005. It was undertaken in two phases and has endowed the club with a lasting legacy of excellent facilities.

In terms of success on the pitch the club won their first official competition in the 1968/69 season by winning the AF Ponta Delgada 1ª Divisao championship and the AF Ponta Delgada Taca (District Cup). The following season Operario were the champions of the Azores. The club made significant progress in 1990/91 by again winning the AF Ponta Delgada 1ª Divisao championship and the Azores championship. This time they gained promotion to the Terceira Divisao, national Third Division and in their first season in 1991/92 they competed against mainland teams in Serie E, finishing in tenth place. They remained at this level until 1997/98 when they won Serie Acores and gained promotion to Segunda Divisao, the national Second Division (third tier). Over the last 14 seasons they have spent all but one i