The Esporte Clube Pinheiros is a sports and social club located in the Brazilian metropolis São Paulo, founded in 1899 as Sport Club Germânia by German immigrants. It has around 35,000 members and its terrain comprises 170,000 m² in the well regarded quarter of Jardim Europa. The club's assets are valued to be in excess of R$ 350 million.
SC Germânia was one of the clubs which established football in Brazil and was one of the clubs which participated 1899 in the first inter-club match and 1902 in the first championship match of the country. Germânia was twice winner of the state championship of São Paulo, the Campeonato Paulista. The eminent player of the early days of the club was Hermann Friese, considered the first football player personality of Brazil. Arthur Friedenreich, the first great star of Brazilian football and widely acknowledged as one of the all time greats of the sport, commenced his career at Germânia in 1909.
After abandoning football in the early 1930s due to the professionalisation of the game, the club successfully transformed itself to a universal sports club. Already in 1932 the water sports department sent its first representative to Olympic Games. Many more athletes from the club since represented Brazil in major international sports events, and swimmers like Gustavo Borges and César Cielo are amongst the club's Olympic medal winners. The basketball and volleyball teams play in the national top divisions, and the swimmers continue their dominance in Brazil. Beyond this, Pinheiros has departments for many more kinds of sports, such as judo, gymnastics and tennis.
Since its merger with the Gesellschaft Germania, a social club of German immigrants, in the early 1940s to form the Esporte Clube Pinheiros, named after the river Rio Pinheiros flowing close by its seat, the club has also developed as a meeting place and venue for cultural events. These days, thousands of visitors pass daily through the club's restaurants, bars and other facilities. Top stars of the Brazilian entertainment industry like Daniela Mercury and Jorge Ben Jor perform in the club's auditorium, which at its opening in 1957 was the largest of its kind in South America. Also classical music and theatrical plays are regularly on the agenda. Further facilities of the club include a kindergarten, library and the Centro Pró-Memória Hans Nobiling, which comprises a museum displaying trophies and other memorabilia from the club's rich history as well as the archives.
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In 2006 EC Pinheiros participated for the first time in the professional first division of Brazilian basketball, but then failed to qualify for the single league that resulted from the merging of the conferences. In 2010 Pinheiros rejoined the league, called Novo Basquete Brasil, under they sponsored name Pinheiros/Sky.[1] The team plays at the Ginásio Poliesportivo Henrique Villaboim on the club's grounds in Jardim Europa.
| 6 | Shamell Stallworth | Forward | |
| 7 | Juan Pablo Figueroa | Guard | |
| 8 | Leonardo Morro | Center | |
| 11 | Marquinhos | Forward | |
| 12 | Josuel | Center | |
| 16 | Olivinha | Forward | |
| 17 | Thomas Gehrke | Forward/Center | |
| 18 | Tiaguinho | Guard | |
| 25 | Bruno Mortari | Forward | |
| 21 | Bruno Fiorotto | Center | |
| 40 | André Goes | Guard/Forward | |
| TBD | Rafael Mineiro | ||
| TBD | Renato | ||
| Coach | Cláudio Mortari / João Marcelo Leite |
Roster updated 07-22-2010
Brazil is a leading country in volleyball and the ladies as well of the men of Pinheiros' volleyball department are playing in Brazil's first division, the Superleague. In 2010 the men played with their sponsored name as Pinheiros/Sky. The ladies formed a union with Mackenzie University and therefore played as Pinheiros/Mackenzie.[2]
Water polo has been played at EC Pinheiros since 1949. Soon players from the club were also selected to play in the national team and represent Brazil at Olympic Games and many more international events, such as the Panamerican Games 1963 which were won by Brazil. After Pinheiros won the Brazilian Cup in 2004 Pinheiros also won the first edition of the national league Liga Nacional de Pólo Aquático in 2008.[3]