The Campeonato de Futebol Amador de São Paulo (in English: Amateur Football Championship of São Paulo), also known as the Campeonato de Futebol Varzeano de São Paulo, is the main official competition for amateur football association based in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.
History In the early 1940s, the federal government directly intervened in the organization of Brazilian football to resolve the intense disputes between amateurism and professionalism in the country. As a result, there was a complete separation between amateur and professional teams/athletes – a unique characteristic of Brazilian – and the government mandated that each federative units of Brazil should have only one governing body for controlling football at the state level. This led to the creation of the Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF), which became the sole recognized organization to manage football throughout the state of São Paulo.
The FPF reorganized state football by establishing distinct and exclusive departments to manage football for amateurs and professionals, each with their own statutes and regulations within the federation. In the case of amateur football, numerous local leagues were established in cities to accommodate the numerous existing teams that chose to remain amateur, while others opted for professionalism and could participate in the league system of this category.
In São Paulo City, there was even a separation within amateurism itself, with three autonomous leagues. The Campeonato Amador da Capital (Capital Amateur Championship) brought together a select group of non-classist amateur clubs from São Paulo. The Campeonato Varzeano (São Paulo Varzeano Championship) was the largest in terms of participants, consisting of dozens of district sub-leagues from the city of São Paulo, whose winners competed for the street champion title of the season. Finally, there were "classist leagues" exclusively composed of teams formed by employees of specific sectors of the industry, commerce, and services, as well as public employees, such as the Commerce League (ACEA) and the Industrial League (LECI). At the end of the season, there was a competition known as the Torneio dos Campeões Amadores da Capital (Tournament of Amateur Champions of the Capital of São Paulo) to determine the city's representative in the final of the São Paulo State Amateur Football Championship.
In the 1970s, the FPF stopped directly organizing competitions for amateur team from São Paulo. It then fell to the Municipal Department of Sports and Leisure (SEME) of the São Paulo City Hall to take on the responsibility of organizing an official competition, the Campeonato Varzeano da SEME (São Paulo SEME Varzeano Championship).
The FPF briefly resumed the management of the municipal championship between 1985 and 1992, only to lose interest in its direct organization again. With the structural support of the FPF and sponsorship from Kaiser company, the SEME created the Copa Kaiser/SEME de Futebol Amador (Kaiser/SEME Amateur Football Cup), which had its first edition in 1995. Over the years, the tournament became a success in the city's amateur football scene and grew to the point of having two divisions with promotion and relegation.
The Copa Kaiser/SEME was discontinued shortly after its 2004 edition, replaced by the Copa Metropolitana (Metropolitan Cup), a competition conceived by the then Department of Youth, Sport, and Leisure (SELJ) of the São Paulo state government. It featured teams from São Paulo and its surrounding cities.
In 2007, the Copa Kaiser/SEME was revived. However, in 2014, the brewery company announced the end of its sponsorship. Another local beer brand, Itaipava, was announced as the new sponsor of the amateur competition, but the tournament was canceled a few weeks before its scheduled start on July 26, 2015.
Champions FPF (1941–1975) YearWinnerRunner-upIdentityRef1942A.A. Light & PowerLapeaninho F.C. da LapaCampeonato Amador da CapitalA.A. GuaraniC.E. Juventus da PenhaCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1943C.E. AméricaUnião Vasco da Gama F.C. da MoocaCampeonato Amador da CapitalPortuguesa Paulista F.C. do BrooklinCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1944União Vasco da Gama F.C. da MoocaÍcaro A.C.Campeonato Amador da CapitalPortuguesa Paulista F.C. do BrooklinCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1945São Cristóvão F.C. do Itaim BibiÍcaro A.C.Campeonato Amador da CapitalR União Vila Esperança F.C.Campeonato Varzeano da Capital1946Santo Amaro F.C.Lapeaninho F.C. da LapaCampeonato Amador da CapitalPortuguesa Paulista F.C. do BrooklinCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1947E.C. União Silva Teles do PariA.A. Açucena do LimãoCampeonato Amador da CapitalA.A.R. Vila DeodoroCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1948A.A.R. Vila DeodoroCampeonato Amador da CapitalCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1949R União Vila Esperança F.C.Campeonato Amador da CapitalEstrela da Saúde F.C.Campeonato Varzeano da Capital1950A.C. Flor da Vila IpojucaCampeonato Amador da CapitalLausanne Paulista F.C.Campeonato Varzeano da Capital1951A.A. Açucena do LimãoCampeonato Amador da CapitalJardim Europa F.C.E.C. Ordem e Progresso do Bom RetiroCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1952A.A. Açucena do LimãoCampeonato Amador da CapitalSete de Setembro F.C. de PinheirosCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1953A.A. Açucena do LimãoCampeonato Amador da CapitalSete de Setembro F.C. de PinheirosSão Cristóvão F.C. do Itaim BibiCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1954A.A. União TatuapéCampeonato Amador da CapitalE.C. Sampaio Moreira do TatuapéC.D.R. Carlos Gomes da Barra FundaCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1955Vila Primavera F.C. do TatuapéCampeonato Amador da CapitalS.E.R. Sete de Setembro F.C. da Freguesia do ÓCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1956Vila Primavera F.C. do TatuapéCampeonato Amador da CapitalE.C. Sampaio Moreira do TatuapéGrêmio Maranhense do TatuapéCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1957União Tietê F.C. de GuarulhosCampeonato Amador da CapitalE.C. Sampaio Moreira do TatuapéA.A.R. Nacional do Bom RetiroCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1958E.C. Sampaio Moreira do TatuapéA.A. União Tatuapé do TatuapéCampeonato Amador da CapitalLestinho F.C. da Água RasaC.D.R. Carlos Gomes da Barra FundaCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1959E.C. Sampaio Moreira do TatuapéC.C.A.A. Guapira do JaçanãCampeonato Amador da CapitalDemocráticos F.C. do IpirangaCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1960E.C. Sampaio Moreira do TatuapéC.C.A.A. Guapira do JaçanãCampeonato Amador da CapitalE.C. Estrela do IpirangaC.R. Vasco da Gama da Vila MatildeCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1961A.A. Açucena do LimãoE.C. Sampaio Moreira do TatuapéCampeonato Amador da CapitalA.A. Caramuru de IndianópolisCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1962(not held or unfinished)Campeonato Amador da CapitalA.A. Caramuru de IndianópolisCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1963(not held or unfinished)Campeonato Amador da CapitalC.R. Vasco da Gama da Vila MatildeCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1964C.C.A.A. Guapira do JaçanãCampeonato Amador da CapitalSaib F.C. de Chora MeninoCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1965A.A. Açucena do LimãoCampeonato Amador da Capital(not held or unfinished)Campeonato Varzeano da Capital1966Clube Acco da LapaCampeonato Amador da CapitalCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1967(not held)Campeonato Amador da CapitalCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1968(not held)Campeonato Amador da CapitalCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1969C.A. Parque da Mooca Campeonato Amador da Capital1970-1975(unknown or not held) Campeonato Amador da Capital
SEME (1976–1984) YearWinnerRunner-upIdentityRef1976E.C. Corinthians da Vila PiauíE.C. São José de ParelheirosCampeonato Varzeano da Capital1977A.E.R. Ford de São Bernardo do CampoE.C. Corinthians da Vila Piauí1978Nacional Clube da Vila MarianaE.C. Noroeste da Vila Formosa1979Paulista Clube da Vila CarrãoFlor do Parque da Lapa F.C.1980Real Madrid Clube de OsascoEstrela Caçula F.C. da Vila Sabrina1981Luzitano F.C. da Vila ManchesterSociedade Unidos de Pirituba1982-1984(unknown or not held)
FPF (1985–1992) YearWinnerRunner-upIdentityRef1985Ressaca Clube do TatuapéComercial F.C. de PiritubaCampeonato Varzeano da FPF1986XI Primos F.C. da Vila CariocaGrêmio Botafogo F.C. de Guaianases1987C.A. Paulistano do Jardim CoimbraS.E. Corinthians do Jardim Aricanduva1988(not held)1989Grêmio Botafogo F.C. de GuaianasesG.R. Michelle da Vila Sabrina1990Grêmio Botafogo F.C. de GuaianasesC.A. Paulistano do Jardim Coimbra1991G.R. Michelle da Vila SabrinaGrêmio Botafogo F.C. de Guaianases1992Ajax F.C. da Vila RicaA.A. Pery Novo da Vila Nova Cachoeirinha1993-1994(not held)
SEME (1995–2004) YearWinnerRunner-upIdentityRef1995C.A. Paulistano do Jardim CoimbraConfiança F.C. de SapopembaCopa Kaiser/SEME1996A.A. Boa Esperança de São MateusG.R. Michelle da Vila Sabrina1997Grêmio Botafogo F.C. de GuaianasesMAC F.C. de Cidade Tiradentes1998A.A. Cruz Credo da Vila FormosaA.A. Boa Esperança de São Mateus1999Lausanne Paulista F.C.Botafogo F.S. do JaçanãCopa Antarctica/SEME2000A.A. Boa Esperança de São Mateus100 Mizéria F.S. do Parque GuaraniCopa Kaiser/SEME2001S.C. XI Garotos de Ermelino MatarazzoMella Pé F.S. da Vila Mazzei2002E.C. Napoli da Vila IndustrialE.C. Riachuelo do Jardim Brasil2003E.C. Riachuelo do Jardim BrasilAG Madeiras do Brás2004AG Madeiras do BrásA.A. Boa Esperança de São Mateus
SELJ (2004–2006) YearWinnerRunner-upIdentityRef2004E.C. Água Santa de DiademaGrêmio Botafogo F.C. de GuaianasesCopa Metropolitana2005Leões da Geolândia da Vila MedeirosPânico F.R. de Cajamar2006Grêmio Botafogo F.C. de GuaianasesHooligans D-2 de Ferraz de Vasconcelos
SEME (2007–2014) YearWinnerRunner-upIdentityRef2007G.D.R. Danúbio da Freguesia do ÓE.C. Napoli da Vila IndustrialCopa Kaiser/SEME2008A.E. Nós Travamos do Jardim TupiE.C. Vida Loka da Vila Brasilândia2009E.C. Vida Loka da Vila BrasilândiaAjax F.C. da Vila Rica2010E.C. Pioneer da Vila GuacuriA.E. Sedex da Cidade Tiradentes2011E.C. Classe A da Barra FundaG.R. Turma do Baffô do Jardim Clímax2012Ajax F.C. da Vila RicaG.R. Turma do Baffô do Jardim Clímax2013Leões da Geolândia da Vila MedeirosA.A. Família 100 Valor do Jaraguá2014Nove de Julho F.C. da Casa Verde AltaLeões da Geolândia da Vila Medeiros2015-2023(not held)
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