02:09:08 Tuesday, 19th March

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Sports hold a prominent place in Portuguese culture, football being the most popular. And when speaking of Porto, it is impossible not to mention FC Porto or Boavista FC, the city’s two largest football teams.

However, there are other teams from cities in the district of Porto that also rank high in the football premier league, such as the Futebol Clube de Paços de Ferreira (Paços de Ferreira), Rio Ave Futebol Clube (Vila do Conde) or the Futebol Clube de Penafiel (Penafiel).

FC Porto has other sports, including roller hockey, basketball, billiards, boxing, disabled sports and swimming. Boavista FC has rugby, women’s football, indoor football, volleyball, handball, roller hockey, cycling, gymnastics, boxing, chess or boccia.

Given the potential of the Douro River, canoeing is another sport that is very popular in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. In the sea, there is also surfing. There is even the North Surf Circuit (Circuito Surf do Norte), which comprises five stages (Viana do Castelo, Porto, Espinho, Aveiro and Figueira da Foz) and is organized by five independent entities that are responsible for organising each of the stages.

In Porto, this stage takes place in the Praia Internacional do Porto beach, near the Parque da Cidade. Many surf academies give lessons on this urban beach that is a very popular venue for practicing open air sports.

In Porto, you will also find the country’s oldest golf club, the Oporto Golf Club. The golf course is 5668 metres long. There are other golf courses in the Porto district, including the Estela Golf Club in Póvoa de Varzim, the Miramar Golf Club at Quinta do Fojo and the golf course situated in the Quinta da Deveza in Amarante.