Alcochete

Alcochete (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐlkuˈʃet(ɨ)] (listen)) is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,569,[1] in an area of 128.36 km².[2] The municipality is composed of three parishes and is located in Setúbal District.

Alcochete
Municipality
View of the old part of the city of Alcochete.
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 38°45′N 8°58′W
Country	Portugal
Region	Lisboa
Metropolitan area	Lisbon
District	Setúbal
Parishes	3
Government
• President	Luís Franco (CDU)
Area
• Total	128.36 km2 (49.56 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	17,569
• Density	140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC±00:00 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Local holiday	Saint John June 24
Website	http://www.cm-alcochete.pt

Alcochete is known for its bullfighting tradition and its proximity to the second-longest bridge in Europe, the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

The actual site of present-day Alcochete was already occupied during Roman times with a clay production facility. Its name is thought to derive from the Arabic word for oven for reasons not yet understood. It became a vacation site preferred by the Portuguese royalty and the future king D. Manuel I was born in the village. It has experienced major development due to the construction of the Vasco da Gama Bridge.

On January 10, 2008, Portuguese prime minister José Sócrates announced that Alcochete had been selected as the site of the new airport serving Lisbon, Portugal's capital.[3] The existing Portela Airport, which is located within the city of Lisbon itself, has become too small to handle demand. This preliminary decision will be finalised after public consultation. The location of Alcochete as the construction site of the future Lisbon Airport was confirmed by the Portuguese Government on May 8, 2008.[4]

Sporting Clube de Portugal has a football training facility (Academia Sporting in Alcochete), which accommodated Portugal during the Euro 2004 competition. Famous for its football youth academy system which features a range of well-equipped facilities and is one of the most renowned in the world, Sporting has continuously developed many world class footballers, such as Ballon d'Or recipients Cristiano Ronaldo and Luís Figo. The current squad for the 2015-2016 season has 11 players graduated from their youth ranks, including Rui Patrício, William Carvalho, João Mário, Adrien Silva, André Martins, Rúben Semedo, Carlos Mané, Ricardo Esgaio, Tobias Figueiredo, Gelson Martins and Matheus Pereira.