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Our story

Thirty years on the field

This is not an ordinary timeline. It is the story of how Time Forte created an entire market segment.

  1. 01 / 04

    1994 to 1999

    The first whistle

    It all starts with one academy. In 1994, the first Escola Time Forte opens its doors, and with it the conviction that still drives the company: education through sport. In those early years, the Time Forte teaching, athletic and management method takes shape, and it would become the foundation of everything that followed.

    • 1994 The first Escola Time Forte is founded
    • 1994 to 1999 Development of the proprietary teaching and management methodology
    • Early days of the first Escola Time Forte

      1994 · The first academy

  2. 02 / 04

    2000 to 2009

    The leap of trust

    In 2000, Flamengo, home of the world's largest fan base, entrusts its brand to Time Forte to create its official soccer academy network. It is the turning point: on top of running its own academies, the company starts operating and structuring a soccer academy network. In 2001 Copa Fla is born, the network's first official tournament, and the method becomes a replicable model.

    • 2000 First contract with Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
    • 2001 First official tournament of the official C.R. Flamengo academies
    • Signing of the first contract with Clube de Regatas do Flamengo

      2000 · First contract with Flamengo

    • First official tournament of the C.R. Flamengo official academies

      2001 · The network's first official tournament

  3. 03 / 04

    2010 to 2019

    All of Brazil takes the field

    The decade of scale. The official academy network multiplies across the country, tournaments reach national scope and, in 2018, Copa Fla arrives at the Maracanã. It is also the decade when the academy pipeline proves itself: in 2010, Vini Jr. joins Flamengo's youth ranks.

    • 2010 Vini Jr. joins the C.R. Flamengo youth academy
    • 2011 First edition of Copa Fla Brasil
    • 2015 Network reaches 150 official C.R. Flamengo academies
    • 2018 First Copa Fla Brasil at the Maracanã Stadium
    • Vini Jr. during his Flamengo youth academy days

      2010 · Vini Jr. joins Flamengo's academy

    • Athletes and coaches celebrating 150 official academies

      2015 · 150 official academies

    • Athletes with medals on the Maracanã pitch at the first Copa Fla held in the stadium

      2018 · The final reaches the Maracanã

  4. 04 / 04

    2020 to today

    International scale

    Time Forte passes the mark of 400 locations and 50 thousand athletes, new brands join the portfolio (Internacional, Sport Recife, Chelsea FC, Fundación Real Madrid), arenas expand the business model, and the experiences cross borders, from the international camp in the United States to the youth tournament on the Spanish coast.

    • 2021 Network reaches 200 official C.R. Flamengo academies
    • 2023 Time Forte expands its number of own units
    • 2024 First contract with Escola de Esportes Flamengo
    • 2024 First Flamengo Soccer Camp, the club's international camp in the USA
    • 2025 Network reaches 300 official C.R. Flamengo academies
    • 2025 Exclusive licensing contracts with Internacional and Sport Recife
    • 2025 First Arena Time Forte opens at Bangu Shopping (RJ)
    • 2025 Copa Fla Maraca brings the network to Gávea and the Maracanã
    • 2026 Chelsea Blues Academy Brasil and Fundación Real Madrid take the field
    • Celebration of 200 official C.R. Flamengo academies

      2021 · 200 official academies

    • First international C.R. Flamengo camp in the United States

      2024 · Flamengo Soccer Camp in the USA

    • Aerial view of the first Arena Time Forte at Bangu Shopping

      2025 · First Arena Time Forte

Who leads the game

Leadership and board

The story above was built, and is still being driven, by people who combine sports, management, and decades on the road.

  • José Martins

    Founder and Board Chairman

    José Martins

    Founder and chairman of the Board of Directors, former professional soccer player. Degree in Social Communication from FACHA (Rio de Janeiro).

  • Rafael Serra

    CEO

    Rafael Serra

    CEO and entrepreneur with 15 years of experience in sports marketing. Degree in Advertising from ESPM (Rio de Janeiro), with an MBA from IBMEC.

  • Cássio Lopes

    Commercial Director

    Cássio Lopes

    Commercial Director, former university professor, founder and former director of ABF (the Brazilian Franchising Association). Degree in Economics from UFRJ, with an MBA from PUC.

  • Luiz Carlos Lopes

    Commercial Board Member

    Luiz Carlos Lopes

    Member of the Board of Directors, former university professor, and business owner since 1974. Bachelor in Social Communication from ESPM (São Paulo).

The next chapter

The network keeps growing: new markets, new brands, new arenas, and international expansion underway. What comes next will be built the way it always has been: with method, the right partners, and love for the game.

Be part of what comes next