Sporting Lisbon Museum & Tour, Lisbon - World of Sporting Museum
The World of Sporting Museum, at Estádio José Alvalade, in Lisbon is a decidedly old school museum.
This is so when compared with its high tech rivals in the shape of the Museu Benfica Cosme Damião (Benfica Museum) and the Museu Futebol Clube do Porto (FC Porto Museum), at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.
However the museum is of interest to fans of Portuguese football in general and Sporting fans in particular.
Exhibits
The World of Sporting Museum is dedicated not just to the football team but a total of 32 different sports teams that represent the Sporting name.
The museum is divided into eight areas including exhibits on the founding of the club by José Alvalade aka José Alfredo Holtreman Roquette (1885-1918). Other sections include the early history of the club and its various stadia across Lisbon and the many trophies won by the different sporting disciplines of Sporting.
A further section is dedicated to the many stars of Sporting including Cristiano Ronaldo, who played for Sporting before his transfer to Manchester United.
Other Sporting greats include José Travassos, Luis Figo and Alberto Acosta.
Visitors can opt to visit just the museum or take a joint tour of the stadium along with the museum afterwards.
The US$89 million Estádio José Alvalade was inaugurated in 2003 is part of a larger development in Lisbon, called Alvalade XXI, incorporating a shopping complex, a bowling alley, a multiplex cinema and numerous restaurants.
Estádio José Alvalade was designed by Portuguese architect Tomás Taveira, who also designed Leiria Stadium and Aveiro Stadium. The stadium design incorporates Taveira's trademark bold and vivid color schemes, in this case the green and white of Sporting.
The museum has some interactive exhibits but mostly consists of trophies and football memorabilia such as shirts, boots, programmes, newspapers and posters in large glass cabinets.
Nonetheless the museum is well curatored and an interesting insight in to one of the largest sports institutions in Portugal.
Getting to Estádio José Alvalade
Estádio José Alvalade is at Campo Grande Station on the Lisbon metro next to the large Campo Grande bus station.
Lisbon buses #1, #3, #7, #36, #47, #77, #101, #106 and #108 all stop at the Campo Grande bus station.
Hotels Near Campo Grande
The nearest hotels to Campo Grande, which is not the most salubrious area of Lisbon, include the recommended Radisson Blu Lisboa.
Sporting Lisbon Museum & Tour (www.sporting.pt)
Rua Professor Fernando da Fonseca
1501-806 Lisboa
Tel: +217 516 523
Tickets for the museum cost 8 Euros and a combined ticket for the museum and tour is 10 Euros. The stadium tour alone costs 7 Euros.
Tours are available at 11.30 am, 2.30 pm and 4 pm. On match days the tour is only available at 11.30 am. There are no tours on the day after match days. The museum is open every day from 11 am-6 pm. On match days the museum closes 3 hours prior to kick off.
Nearby are several Lisbon museums. The Museu de Lisboa, the Museu Bordalo Pinheiro as well as the University of Lisbon Alameda Campus.
Several hotels are also within close proximity. Recommended in this area of Lisbon are are the four-star VIP Executive Entrecampos Hotel & Conference, the Hotel NH Lisboa Campo Grande, and the Le Jardin guest house. The Radisson Blu is an upmarket but reasonably-priced accommodation near Campo Grande.
