{"id":109,"date":"2025-12-08T21:55:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testesjps.pt\/?page_id=109"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:47:08","slug":"historia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/historia\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"

A century of rowing with a sense of identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Founded in Valbom, Gondomar, Portugal, on 4 July 1925, INFANTE was born from the determination of a group of local residents to create an organisation connected to the river, sport, and personal development. Over the course of one hundred years, it has helped shape the territory and the community, becoming an unquestionable reference in Portuguese rowing<\/strong>, while never losing its deep connection to its local roots, its people, and the Douro River on whose banks it was founded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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INFANTE\u2019s history cannot be understood without Valbom or the Douro River. Before becoming a setting for training and competition, the Douro was a source of livelihood, transport, and identity for the riverside communities. Valbom\u2019s nautical and fishing tradition, shaped by the valboeiro boats, life in Ribeira de Abade, and a close relationship with the water, created the perfect context for the emergence of an organisation like INFANTE. The Club was therefore born not as an isolated reality, but as a natural extension of local culture, Valbom\u2019s tradition of community association, and Gondomar\u2019s nautical vocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The foundation: from a local dream to a lasting legacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Accounts Journal of the Infante D. Henrique Naval School, 4 July 1925 to 31 December 1927 (INFANTE Archive)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Historical documentation confirms 4 July 1925<\/strong> as the founding date of the club, initially under the name Escola Naval (Naval School) Infante D. Henrique<\/strong>. The first governing bodies and official entities later formally validated this origin. Among the names associated with the founding core are Manuel dos Santos Almeida Bessa, Am\u00e9rico Pereira, Joaquim Gon\u00e7alves de Castro and Serafim de Almeida Ramos, along with other figures from the early years who helped consolidate the project. What began as the initiative of \u201chalf a dozen enthusiasts\u201d, gathered within Valbom\u2019s community association environment, quickly gained substance and ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its early years, the Club was organised with modest means, but with great energy<\/strong>. As early as 1927, the local press reported the efforts of the administrative committee to develop an association dedicated \u201cto all sports\u201d, with particular emphasis on rowing and swimming<\/strong>. The Escola Dram\u00e1tica e Musical Valboense provided space for meetings, members were called upon to collaborate, and the launch of the first boat was seen as a unifying goal. In 1929, INFANTE presented itself publicly with its first fleet, made up of four boats, in a moment that marked its emergence before the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. From Naval School to Naval Club<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Fleet of the Clube Naval Infante D. Henrique, 1932 (INFANTE Archive)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rowers from the Clube Naval Infante D. Henrique, undated (INFANTE Archive)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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D\u00e2maso Faria and Jos\u00e9 Vitorino, rowers for Infante, 1960s. (Infante Archive)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The consolidation of the project also brought institutional development. In the early 1930s, the name \u201cEscola Naval\u201d (Naval School) gradually began to give way to \u201cClube Naval<\/strong>\u201d (Naval Club), reflecting a more established identity and a more stable structure<\/strong>. At the same time, concerns grew around securing permanent premises, space for boats, better training conditions, and competitive recognition. INFANTE was no longer merely a local promise, but was becoming a club with sporting ambition and a vision for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout its history, the Club has hosted several sports<\/strong>, including swimming, water polo, basketball, sport fishing, and table tennis. Even so, it was rowing<\/strong> that ultimately prevailed and most clearly defined its path. From the 1960s onwards, INFANTE began to establish itself more consistently on the national stage, embarking on a journey of growing recognition, titles, and prestige.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. A club dedicated to competition, hard work and overcoming challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

INFANTE\u2019s sporting history was built step by step, often in difficult conditions, but always with an extraordinary capacity to overcome challenges. For decades, the club operated between modest boathouses, river stations exposed to the flooding of the Douro, and material limitations that demanded ingenuity, dedication, and a spirit of sacrifice<\/strong>. Even so, it was from this context that one of the great powers of Portuguese rowing emerged. The victory in its first Senior National Long Distance Championship symbolically marked this step up to a new competitive level, paving the way for decades of sustained growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Infante\u2019s Under-8s team at the last Regional Championship in Ger\u00eas in the 1980s<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Winning team of the 2006 Portuguese Cup<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This growth became particularly visible from the 1970s onwards and was consolidated in the decades that followed. The club went on to accumulate national titles, victories in major regattas, and a strong presence across several categories. In 2013, INFANTE was crowned National Club Champion for the third consecutive year, with outstanding results in both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s categories. In the 2024\/25 season, it secured its 14th national title<\/strong>, won the Overall National Ranking, the National Indoor Rowing Ranking, the National Junior Rowing Ranking, and the National Para-Rowing Ranking, confirming its position at the top of Portuguese rowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. A Pioneers Club: in Women\u2019s Rowing and Adaptive Rowing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reducing INFANTE to a list of achievements would always be unfair. The Club has been, and continues to be, a true school of life, where sport is closely linked to discipline, teamwork, resilience, a sense of belonging, and personal development<\/strong>. Across generations, many young people have found there not only a place to train, but also a home, a support network, and a place for human growth. This community dimension is one of the strongest hallmarks of INFANTE\u2019s identity. disciplina, ao trabalho em equipa, \u00e0 resili\u00eancia, ao sentido de perten\u00e7a e \u00e0 forma\u00e7\u00e3o de pessoas<\/strong>. Ao longo de gera\u00e7\u00f5es, muitos jovens encontraram ali n\u00e3o apenas um espa\u00e7o para treinar, mas uma casa, uma rede de apoio e um lugar de crescimento humano. Essa dimens\u00e3o comunit\u00e1ria \u00e9 uma das marcas mais fortes da identidade henriquina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cNational champions to represent Portugal in France\u201d, (caption from a 1972 news article). Colour restoration of the original photograph. (INFANTE Archive)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Adaptative Rowing (Para-rowing) at INFANTE, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

INFANTE also stood out for its pioneering role in women\u2019s rowing and adaptive sport. In 1971, its women\u2019s crew became regional and national champions in the coxed four, at a time when women\u2019s rowing<\/strong> was still taking important steps forward in Portugal. Shortly afterwards, athletes from the club represented the country with distinction in Cognac, France, contributing to the international recognition of Portuguese women\u2019s rowing. remo feminino<\/strong> ainda dava passos importantes em Portugal. Pouco depois, atletas do clube representaram com honra o pa\u00eds em Cognac, em Fran\u00e7a, contribuindo para a proje\u00e7\u00e3o internacional do remo feminino portugu\u00eas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1994, an agreement with the Areosa Rehabilitation Centre paved the way for the practice of adaptive rowing (para-rowing)<\/strong> at the Club, with the regular use of its facilities by people with disabilities and the creation of concrete conditions for a more inclusive practice. pr\u00e1tica de remo adaptado (pararremo)<\/strong> no Clube, com utiliza\u00e7\u00e3o regular das instala\u00e7\u00f5es por pessoas com defici\u00eancia e cria\u00e7\u00e3o de condi\u00e7\u00f5es concretas para uma pr\u00e1tica mais inclusiva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. From makeshift facilities to a centre of excellence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

INFANTE\u2019s evolution can also be told through its facilities. From garages, warehouses, and improvised structures<\/strong>, the Club gradually built better conditions over the decades to accommodate athletes, boats, and regular activity. In 1960, it inaugurated its social headquarters in the centre of Valbom. After the 1962 floods, new solutions emerged for the boathouse<\/strong>, with particular note of the generosity of Rosa Branca Moutinho, who donated land for the expansion of the facilities. In 1986, a second boathouse<\/strong> was inaugurated, strengthening the Club\u2019s operational capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo from Jornal de Not\u00edcias, undated (INFANTE Archive)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Extension of the INFANTE Boathouse, 1973<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Boathouse with the western jetty during high water (1976) (Arch. INFANTE)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hangar 1 of the former Boathouse<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The major leap came in the 21st century. Within the framework of the Polis Programme<\/strong> and the waterfront redevelopment of Gramido, the former boathouse and hangars gave way to the new Nautical Sports Centre<\/strong>, inaugurated in 2009. The facility came to include a boathouse, gym, rowing tanks, changing rooms, social spaces, and better support conditions for sporting activity. The new facilities made a decisive contribution to the club\u2019s growth and to its greater public visibility, consolidating INFANTE as a national reference not only for its results, but also for the quality of its working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c\u2019Infante\u2019 showcases works from the Nautical Sports Centre\u201d (Rep\u00f3rter de Gondomar, 2006)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Gramido Nautical Sports Centre, INFANTE boathouse (c. 2015)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Unveiling of the Rio Arch, a sculpture by Zulmiro de Carvalho, in 2025 to mark the club\u2019s centenary celebrations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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6. A century on, INFANTE continues to row ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Jo\u00e3o Santos (INFANTE athlete) and Andr\u00e9 Ferreira (Galitos), European U23 BLM Champions, in Turkey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Reaching 100 years of age with vitality, prestige, and ambition is no coincidence. It is the result of generations of athletes, coaches, directors, staff, members, families, and supporters<\/strong> who made INFANTE far more than a sports club. They made it an institution with memory, identity, and a future. A club capable of honouring tradition while also renewing itself; of cultivating competitive excellence without giving up its educational and social mission; of looking to the Douro as its origin, but also as its horizon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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To be INFANTE is, ultimately, exactly that: to belong to a centenary history of hard work, courage, and vision. A history made of strokes, challenges overcome, titles won, and, above all, people. A history that began in 1925, in Valbom, and that continues today with the same determination to do things well: o Talant de Bien Faire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Participation in 19\u00ba Abierto Internacional Andalucia, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Um s\u00e9culo a remar com identidade Fundado em Valbom, Gondomar, a 4 de julho de 1925, o INFANTE nasceu da vontade de um grupo de valboenses de criar uma coletividade ligada ao rio, ao desporto e \u00e0 forma\u00e7\u00e3o humana. Ao longo de cem anos, ajudou a definir o territ\u00f3rio e […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":119,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-109","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6392,"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/109\/revisions\/6392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cninfante.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}