"We've given up a lot in our personal lives"
They look after the safety of the city of Lisbon and save lives during working hours, but outside of working hours there's still time to play soccer.
In 2021, the Social Services Association of the Lisbon Fire Brigade Regiment created an 11-a-side soccer team and has since taken part in various tournaments.
Reconciling training with professional commitments "isn't always easy", it's necessary to "manage the shifts", explains one of the team members, Miguel Santos. "We give up a lot in our personal lives" in order to be able to continue the project, adds the coach of the RSB soccer team, André Fernandes.
But the passion for soccer is not new. Miguel Branco, also a player, says that informally it was already common for some members to get together to play soccer and even take part in some tournaments.
In 2021, motivated by their participation in the INATEL championship, they brought together firefighters from various fire stations and "it was relatively easy" to make a team. He believes they have "a funny little group".
In the field
Both in training and in matches, there's a "very competitive and fierce spirit", says Miguel Branco, and to make sure that losses on the pitch don't leave the pitch, there's the habit of having a get-together at the end.
André Fernandes, who has been in charge of the team since its inception, says he has "an excellent group" where "everyone gets on well". When they take on the role of footballers, the firefighters are "driven by adrenaline, emotion, the desire to win", but in the end everything is experienced "more calmly" and it's also this conviviality "that keeps us going", he assures.
Work had already brought many of the team members together, but it was soccer that allowed them to get to know each other better. This soccer team has brought about a "friendship", says Miguel Santos, which, together with the love of soccer, is reason enough to dedicate themselves to the team. Good results give them even more strength.
Keeping the city safe or the goal?
Keeping the ball away from the RSB team's goal isn't always easy, so says goalkeeper Ricardo Adro.
However, when asked what would be easier, keeping the city safe or keeping the goal, Ricardo Adro doesn't hesitate in his response: "keeping the net for our soccer team". And it's not because the opponents aren't up to it, but because "we have a good team that makes the job easier", he guarantees.
The soccer team further highlights what should be the spirit of the firefighting profession: "fostering a spirit of unity and camaraderie, being just one within a group," says Diogo Lourenço, also a member of the team.
Among the competitive side, there are also "healthy bickering matches to get the better of our colleagues", but nothing is left unresolved, as this team is not lacking in "conviviality and group spirit".
The team currently has 24 members, all of them firefighters. It was the RSB's Social Services that challenged Sérgio Balão to create the team, "and then I proposed it to some colleagues who I already knew played 11-a-side soccer".
And he doesn't regret it: the "group spirit is stronger" and that's largely down to "all the socializing we do after the game", says Sérgio Balão.