Associação Atlética Ponte Preta

Associação Atlética Ponte Preta (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [asosjaˈsɐ̃w aˈtlɛtʃikɐ ˈpõtʃi ˈpɾetɐ]), commonly referred to as Ponte Preta or just Ponte, is a Brazilian association football club based in Campinas, São Paulo state. Ponte currently plays in the Série C, the third tier of Brazilian football, as well as in the Campeonato Paulista Série A1, the top tier of the São Paulo state football league.

Founded on August 11, 1900, Ponte Preta is the second-oldest football club established in Brazil still in activity, with the oldest being Sport Club Rio Grande in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul. They are also one of the first to use black players, leading to their nickname Macaca (lit. [female] monkey).

Ponte's biggest rival is Guarani. Matches involving the two clubs, falling under the name Derby Campineiro and first played on March 24, 1912, are usually preceded by days of provocations and sometimes fights in Campinas.

History

Ponte Preta was founded on August 11, 1900, by Colégio Culto à Ciência students Miguel do Carmo (nicknamed "Migué"), Luiz Garibaldi Burghi, (nicknamed "Gigette") and Antonio de Oliveira (nicknamed "Tonico Campeão"), nearby a black painted wood railroad bridge, hence the name Ponte Preta (lit. "black bridge"). The team's first president was Pedro Vieira da Silva.