UMass Dartmouth Hosts Azores Soccer Club During Visit to U.S.
UMass Dartmouth is playing host to the Azores' F.C. Madalena this week during the club's visit to the U.S. for games and events throughout the region. The team will tour UMass Dartmouth's Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives today, June 13, 2014, at 9:45 a.m. The archives hold the largest collection of historical material documenting the experience of Portuguese immigrants and their descendants in the United States.
"I want to thank UMass Dartmouth for hosting F.C. Madalena this week. Making the Club's visit possible is just one example of the University's on-going commitment to the Portuguese community on the SouthCoast and beyond, a commitment that includes its Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture and UMass Dartmouth's stewardship of the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives. These institutions promote the contributions of the Portuguese-speaking communities in the arts, education, business, health, and politics and the deserve our continued support," said Rep. Antonio F.D. Cabral (D-New Bedford).
In addition to the tour of the Archives, the team will hold practices on the UMass Dartmouth campus. The club is scheduled to play Seleção Portuguesa de Futebol June 14, 2014, at 1:00 p.m., at Paul Walsh Field in New Bedford. Following the game an event will be held with the club at Irmandade do Pico (Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Spirit of Pico) in New Bedford.
The Azores, with a population around 250,000, became an Autonomous Region of Portugal in 1976. The government of the Autonomous Region of the Azores includes the Legislative Assembly, composed of 57 elected deputies, the Regional Government and Presidency, with parliamentary legitimacy, composed of a President, a Vice-President and seven Regional Secretaries responsible for the Regional Government executive operations. The Autonomous Region of the Azores is represented in the Council of Ministers of the Central Government by a representative appointed by the President of Portugal.
UMass Dartmouth's Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture is a multidisciplinary international studies and outreach unit dedicated to the study of the language, literatures and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world. The Center promotes outreach efforts in the arts, education, economic development, health, and politics related to the Portuguese-speaking communities of the United States. UMass Dartmouth is also home to the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives, named for the pioneer Portuguese-language radio and newspaper personality, Affonso Gil Mendes Ferreira.