Lisbon Upgrades Athletic Venues, Transforming Training for Thousands of Students

Work crews started resurfacing the 400-meter track at Escola Secundária Padre António Vieira in Alvalade on July 8, the first step in a Lisbon municipal plan to refresh three high school athletics sites before the September term.

The timing aligns with a sharp rise in student sign-ups for track and field events after schools returned to full schedules following earlier disruptions, forcing coaches to book slots weeks in advance at the limited number of public venues.

Named Sites and Shared Use

Students from three Alvalade-area schools now share the upgraded oval with the local athletics club that trains on adjacent fields along Avenida de Roma. Further west, teams at Escola Secundária de Benfica use the grass pitches and weight room inside the Complexo Desportivo da Quinta da Cabrela, where the city installed new floodlights in March 2025 to extend evening sessions.

Both locations fall under the oversight of the Lisbon Sports Directorate, which coordinates bookings through an online portal that opened for fall requests on July 1.

A June 2026 audit by the same directorate recorded 2,180 registered high school athletes across Lisbon public schools, up from 1,650 in 2023, while average daily facility occupancy reached 82 percent during the spring season.

Maintenance and lighting upgrades at the two sites alone accounted for 875,000 euros in the 2025 budget line, according to documents released by the city finance office.

Registration and Access Details

Coaches advise families to submit forms by August 10 through the municipal portal to secure spots on the renovated Alvalade track or the Benfica pitches, with priority given to schools within a 2-kilometer radius of each venue.

Those who miss the deadline can still join late sessions at the smaller field behind the Olivais secondary school, which remains available on a first-come basis starting September 2.