Something old is new again - Febre Amarela is a family affair, founded by a father and re-established by a son. The “Yellow Fever” is currently top of the table in the BSSL Division 4, where they have to start out as a new side, but they are looking for promotion and growth! Read on to get to know more about this great small club from Massachusetts, give them a follow on the socials, and cheer them on as they move up the levels.

Tell us the origin story of Febre Amarela - when and how was it started?
The club was founded by my dad in the early 2000s to play in men’s leagues indoor and outdoor around the metro boston area. The team consisted of Brazilians who had recently immigrated to the US. Whether it was family, friends or friends of friends all were more than welcome to play and be an apart of the team. I grew up seeing Febre Amarela play a bunch, and was frequently featured in the starting 11 pictures as a child. The name came from my father; who said, at the time, the amount of Brazilians who were moving to the United States was a lot of people. Therefore it was known as a wave of “yellow fever” moving to the states, which is where our team name came from. Now the club consists of a bunch of friends from Medford high school where I went to school, a lot of guys from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a ton of Brazilian family and friends from near and far.

Tell us about your badge and colors – how does it connect to the community?
Our badge only came to be in 2025 when I club got revived by me and my group of friends. We wanted to keep the traditional yellow and black colors found in our old jerseys but wanted to add our own, new spin to it. So we decided on a toucan as our logo and mascot to represent us.

What league or leagues does your club participate in and why did you choose those to join?
Febre Amarela joined the Bay State Soccer League. Since we are a new team we had to start off in division 4 where we are currently sitting undefeated and top of the table. This fall we are also competing in the amateur cup state tournament.

Many clubs choose to sell hats, scarves or replica kits - how does your club keep the lights on and cover its league costs?
As our club is still very new the players manage the costs within itself. We are aiming to expand the social media and be able to receive some sponsorships in the future to make it cheaper and eventually free for players to play. If people are interested in our club they can support us by following us on Instagram and engaging with our posts!

How did you finish last year? What are the goals for this season?
Our goals ahead of this inaugural season was to achieve promotion into division 4. That has almost been solidified and will be done after our next league win. Our goals for next season is to win the Fricker Open cup in March - get promoted into division 2 - participate in Champions Cup over the summer and eventually qualify for a US Open.

How do you participate in, or give back to your community?
The ways we participate in the community are hosting weekly pick up sessions with the players and friends of the players to create a community around febre. With how small our outreach currently is we are very limited in what we can do. But eventually we would like to expand into the semi-professional space, create more teams and maybe expand into some youth programs.

If there were one or two teams, within a 100 miles of you, to play a friendly against – who would you play and why?
The two teams we would like to play against would be Vermont Green and Hearts of Pine. They are two very new and young teams with amazing fan bases which would be great to have that exposure and compete with some of the best USL teams in the area!

Follow Febre Amarela on Instagram HERE