at the time there was a well-established samba school in the island, the união da ilha, which was also its sole representative in the rio de janeiro's samba school parades.

the boi's leadership decided that there was space for another school in the island, and so they decided to convert the bloc into one.

the g. r. e. s. boi da ilha do governador was made into an official samba school in 1988, becoming a standing participant in the third and forth divisions with an honorable presence in the second during the first years of the 2000s.