It’s been decades since he left Ribeira Grande, on the island of Sao Miguel, the Azores. But Fernando Larguinha is still proud of his home land, and Westport is proud of him.

Earlier this month, Larguinha and 19 other Massachusetts residents of Portuguese heritage were honored at the State House in Boston for their cultural and other contributions to Massachusetts, in a program run by Sen. Michael Rodrigues of Westport and Antonio Cabral of New Bedford.

Larguinha is well-known across town as a soccer coach and booster, and if you grew up playing soccer in the 90s through the present, or know someone who did, Larguinha helped make it possible.

Now in his 60s, Larquinha immigrated to the United States as a six-year-old and grew up in Fall River, moving to Westport in 1987.

As a father of two young children in the 1990s, he started coaching in the Westport United Youth Soccer Association (WUYSA), and kept at it. While many sport parents step aside from volunteering once their children are grown, Larguinha never did. He was elected president of the organization in 2000 and expanded his reach, serving on the board of directors of the South Coast Youth Soccer League, composed of teams from across the South Coast to the Cape and islands. He also served for 10 years on the Westport Youth Athletic Association.

He’s also put substantial sweat equity into his work. In 2010, he and WUYSA volunteers cleared land on Sanford Road that would eventually see a host of fields, a large parking area and a concession stand.

Today, the association serves about 400 young players in the fall, and some 270 in the spring and summer. During the fall season, it’s not uncommon to see as many as 1,500 peple on the fields during weekend matches.