Athletic Newham Football Club have finally sat down and spoke about how we got to where we are now and WHY the badge and the color of the kits.

We had a chat with Zerozero about the history of the club and below has been translated into English if you would like to read the Zerozero version please click here

England hosts many emblems with rich and magnanimous histories in the king’s sport. Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are some of the examples associated with increased power, with a rich history, which certainly tends to increase with the progress of the carriage. Numerous teams aspire to their respective pedestal, while others dream, in the first instance, of the label of ‘professional team’.

Founded in 2015, Athletic Newham was formed under the thumb of a Portuguese man. Despite its short existence, the British team has been climbing divisions at breakneck speed. Among multiple transformations over the years, there was something that did not change: the institution’s own identity. The complex continues to be a shelter for athletes with Portuguese origins. An authentic launch pad for players who want to go far in the competitive paradigm.

Lopes Tavares FC: a purpose, a conception

Ulisses Lopes Tavares. A simple man who, like so many others, decided to pack his bags and head somewhere else. At the airport, Lisbon marked the departure location. England, London more specifically, was the destination on the flight chart. When he settled in British lands, our protagonist already had a structured idea in mind: creating a football club.

«When I arrived here from Portugal, as I work as an agent, I had the need to form this emblem to provide a showcase for my players to showcase themselves. At the same time, I wanted him to start gaining momentum in English football. As such, I inserted my surname, my personal trait, in the name of the institution», said, in the first instance, Ulisses.

«In bureaucratic terms, creating a club in England is much easier than in Portugal. The process was very quick. The problem is finding your own space to play and form the social body of the institution. However, it was something I achieved, thanks to the help of several Portuguese people who live in London. I ended up being the president, my brother was the secretary, then we got a treasurer, and so on, until we fulfilled a series of requirements that were proposed to us», he added.

This clear desire to give a platform to its agents led to the creation of Lopes Tavares FC in 2015. Without a doubt, a name that is notable for its strangeness, but which quickly generates curiosity about the history and origins of the organization. The truth is that the English paradigm is quite full, formed by multiple divisions that precede the reality of professional football.

As such, the respective team began to take its first steps in District Championships, with the games being held in a small park, every Saturday. However, the most Portuguese team in England climbed divisions with some regularity, through an excellent management model. However, Anderson Baró, the main reference of the London group over the years, highlighted another condiment for collective success.

«They taught me to fall in love with football again, I am very grateful»

Baró, after a short spell at Atlético Povoense, went after his dream in Sporting’s youth categories. The striker had the opportunity to grow alongside several famous names in Portuguese football, such as Thierry Correia and Daniel Bragança. Rúben Vinagre or Elves Baldé. However, the colleague who stood out most in this group is not surprising.

«Rafael Leão was at a more advanced level compared to everyone else. I was already waiting for you to get very far. At the time, he already had great speed and had many technical arguments. It was always very difficult for other teams to stop him», he guaranteed.

However, after failing to establish himself in the Leonine group, he went to Sacavenense, his last stop on Portuguese soil. At the age of 17, young Anderson left, together with his family, for the United Kingdom, in search of a better life. It was necessary to find a new refuge in an unknown area and, as expected, the task ended up not being easy: “I wanted to play for longer, but I didn’t know where to go. In the first phase, I went to train with Charlton Athletic’s under-23s. So I tried my luck at West Ham’s academy. They were very closed contexts for me to be able to enter. I started to give up on the idea of ​​playing football.”

However, when he least expected it, someone reached out to him: “A friend of mine invited me to go to Lopes Tavares FC for training. He was managed by Ulysses himself. I didn’t know him well, I had never spoken to him. However, after the session, he said ‘I like you, the way you are’. From then on, our relationship grew and I accompanied him on this adventure.»

«He gave me a place to demonstrate my quality. He is truly a person that I admire a lot. In fact, I cannot express my gratitude for everything the club’s owners did for me. They taught me to fall in love with football again. Even in financial terms, they always showed concern, especially at the beginning when I had several difficulties in supporting myself. They helped me search for a house, which is very difficult to find at a reasonable price here,” he said.

Richard Koné, from the yard to League One

It is not only through chance that players secure their place in the amateur team, especially with the drastic evolution of the squad over the years. zerozero’s extensive database ends up playing an important role in hiring policy. According to Ulisses Tavares, footballers who are interested in joining the exciting boat must send the link to their profiles on the website, so that managers and coaches can analyze their individual trajectories.