Gulf United FC

Gulf United FC
Full nameGulf United Football Club
Nickname(s)The Eagles
Founded2019; 5 years ago (2019)
GroundDubai Club
ManagerNeil Taylor
LeagueUAE First Division League
2023–2415th
Websitewww.gulfunitedfc.com
Current season

Gulf United Football Club (Arabic: نادي جلف يونايتد لكرة القدم) is an Emirati professional football club that started as an academy in Al Jaddaf, Dubai. They currently play in the UAE First Division League, after promotion from the UAE Second Division in the 2022–23 season.[1] The club is well known for nurturing young talent, playing exhibition matches against professional overseas teams and for being one of leading football brands in the Middle-East.[2][3][4]

History

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Founding

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In 2019, the Gulf United academy was founded by a group of English football coaches from Manchester, and has since become one of the market leaders.[5] The club has youth teams from ages 7–23 in the academy, as well as being a professional club. Gulf United brings expert coaches from all around the world to Dubai and describes itself as a club 'driven on player development'.[6]

UAE Third Division

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In the 2021–22 season, Gulf United entered the UAE Third Division, a league that allows privately owned clubs and academies to join the UAE Football Pyramid.[7] Soon after Steven Taylor was announced as the manager.[4][8][9]

The 2021-22 UAE Third Division Season was formatted as two groups, where the winner of each group would face the runner-up of the other group in a play-off for promotion. Gulf United went unbeaten in the group stages finishing first in Group A. They faced Abtal Al Khaeej in the semi-final's, which was in a home & away format. Gulf United lost the first leg 1–0, and won the second leg 2–0, officially securing promotion to the UAE Second Division.

Gulf United then faced Group B winners Fleetwood United in the UAE Third Division final and were crowned eventual champions of the Third Division after beating Fleetwood United, sister club of Fleetwood Town 3–1 in the final of the inaugural season, with 2 goals from Cédrick Nana and 1 from Bonet Bobai, cementing them as UAE Third Division Champions.[10][11]

UAE Second Division

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The 2022–23 season was the clubs first in the UAE Second Division. The squad was strengthened with signings such as Devonte Redmond, Soheil Varahram and Max Johnstone as well as further signings in the January transfer window with former Real Madrid player Mink Peeters and former Celtic & Norwich City striker Gary Hooper.

After drawing their first game, Gulf United went on to win 5 games in a row, going into the Christmas period at the top of the league.[12]

Gulf United went on to be crowned the champions of the 2022-23 UAE Second Division, and winning promotion to UAE First Division and making history by achieving the first ever back-to-back promotion in the history of UAE Football.[13]

International Friendlies

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The club regularly plays in exhibition matches against global opponents showcasing the clubs young talent. In January 2022, Gulf United played with 7-time Slovakian Super Liga winners MSK Zilina.[14] In February 2022, Gulf United played a friendly fixture against FC Riga,[15] a game in which Gulf United player Manyumow Achol was subsequently scouted and signed for FK Auda.[16][17]

Gulf United also played Premier League side Newcastle United in a friendly match at NAS Sports Complex on the 24 March 2022,[18] in which Newcastle won 5–0 with goals from Allan Saint-Maximin, Joelinton and Dwight Gayle.[19][20]

On 6 January 2023, Gulf United played a friendly against Al Ain FC, the 21-22 UAE Pro League defending champions, and who are widely recognised as being the most successful club in the UAE. The match ended 1–0 to Al Ain FC with a goal scored by UAE international Bandar Al-Ahbabi.[21]

Partnerships

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In September 2021, Gulf United signed a deal with Adidas,[22][23] making them the first grassroots football academy in the Middle East to partner with Adidas.[24] In November 2021, they built the regions' first ever floating football pitch at the #NoFilterDXB event in Dubai Harbour, Dubai[25][26][27] The event drew regional and global attention after featuring on a Sidemen video.[28]

In December 2021, Zinedine Zidane visited Gulf United to feature in an 'Impossible Is Nothing' campaign.[29]

Media

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'We are Gulf United' is a YouTube docuseries which followed the club in their first season in professional football during the 2021-22 UAE Third Division season. Debuted on the 1st April 2022, the series has amassed over 2,000,000 views.[30] With the final episode with gaining over 1,000,000 views, making it the single highest viewed YouTube video of any club in all the UAE Football Leagues.[24]

Current squad

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As of 23 October 2022[31]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Pakistan PAK Inayatullah Nawaz
4 DF New Zealand NZL James Bulkely U21
5 DF England ENG Jack Shiels (captain)
6 MF Ghana GHA Kofi Kissi
7 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Saif Al-Romaithi
8 MF England ENG Miles Fenton
9 MF Lebanon LBN Alaa Mezher
10 MF Algeria ALG Saphir Taïder
11 MF Cameroon CMR Cédrick Nana
12 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Ali Kazim Nakhid
15 GK Australia AUS Bayden D'Amico U21
18 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Rashed Oyoun
19 MF United States USA Ramzi Shaheen
20 MF Ivory Coast CIV Beni Amangoua
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 MF Canada CAN Keito Lipovschek U21
24 MF United Arab Emirates UAE Omran Hussain
25 FW Nigeria NGA Miracle Nwoagu
26 GK Sudan SDN Mohammed Osman
29 FW Egypt EGY Moatasem Yassin
30 FW Sudan SDN Abdalla Mahdi
33 MF Montserrat MSR Kaleem Simon
34 DF India IND Ayaan Shabbir U21
70 DF Kenya KEN Haroon Rashid
74 FW Mozambique MOZ Momede Ferreira
77 FW Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Christian Benkanga
94 DF United Arab Emirates UAE Mohammed Al Ali
96 FW United Arab Emirates UAE Khamis Nasser
— DF Italy ITA Gabriel Santini

Honours

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ جلف يوناتيد يُتوج بطلاُ للنسخة الأولى من دوري الدرجة الثالثة. UAE Football Association (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  2. ^ "DONE DEAL: Mohammad Abdullah commits to Wilmington". www.twitter.com. Instagram (Gulf United Football Club). 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ "🚨⚽️👏Congratulations to Soham Bhagawati on being called up to a training camp with the India Youth National Team". Facebook. Gulf United FC. 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b Rollo, Phillip (2022-01-28). "Former Phoenix captain Steven Taylor begins coaching career in the Middle East". Stuff. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  5. ^ "Gulf United FC Talks Scouting and Scholarships". Gulf Youth Sport. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  6. ^ "Gulf United win UAE Second Division title". gulfnews.com. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  7. ^ قطار "دوري الدرجة الثالثة" يصل محطة "الجولة 8". UAE Football Association (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  8. ^ English Players Abroad [@EnglishAbroad1] (23 January 2022). "🇦🇪 #NUFC stalwart Steven Taylor has been announced as the new first team manager of Gulf United FC. The club describe themselves as the "UAE's leading academy for young footballers." The men's team play in the 3rd tier. The moves comes after Taylor retired back in September. https://t.co/NPONl2wsnm" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Rollo, Phillip [@ByPhillipRollo] (22 January 2022). "Former Wellington Phoenix defender Steven Taylor has been announced as the manager of Gulf United, a top academy in the United Arab Emirates that is set to enter a team in the country's 3rd division this season" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ ""Gulf United" Is The Champion Of The First Edition Of The Third Division". thenewsglory.com. 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  11. ^ جلف يوناتيد بطل «دوري الثالثة». AD Sports (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  12. ^ UAE FA. "UAE FA Second Division Match Results".
  13. ^ "Gulf United win UAE Second Division title". gulfnews.com. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  14. ^ MSK, Zilina FC (23 January 2022). "In the second match on Sunday, the first win in preparation against the home Gulf FC". MSK Zilina Official.
  15. ^ "Third victory in Dubai – Riga Football Club". rigafc.lv. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  16. ^ Wellington Phoenix Academy [@WgtnPhoenixAcad] (15 March 2022). "The Academy is delighted to announce that graduate Manyumow Achol has signed his first professional contract with FK Auda in Latvia. This comes after a brief but successful stint with Gulf United in Dubai. Congratulations to Manny who has worked so hard for this opportunity. https://t.co/75DaVpI1Ix" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ UAE Football Media [@UAEfootMedia] (6 May 2022). "How is the @uaefa_ae 3rd Division competitive environment and Gulf United FC's toughest opponent this season? Steven Taylor - @NUFC & @England was on the @uaefootballshow and told us all about it https://t.co/CcCZxIDWf2 #UAEFootballShow Watch it here: https://t.co/C6dor7KpKk https://t.co/aOaautw7SW" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Dixon, Joe (2022-03-24). "Newcastle United end Dubai warm weather trip with five goal friendly win". NUFC The Mag. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  19. ^ Ryder, Lee (2022-03-24). "Newcastle end week in Dubai with rout of locals as Gayle and Saint-Maximin score". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  20. ^ "Newcastle win 5–0 against Gulf United in behind closed doors friendly". Geordie Boot Boys. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  21. ^ Al Ain FC [@alainfcae_en] (6 January 2023). "End of the Friendly Match @alainfcae 1 and Gulf United FC 0 Al Ain Goal Scored By @bandar_a70 #alainclub https://t.co/9zhlpkyhKn" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ "Gulf United F.C. on Instagram: "🚨 Thrilled to announce Gulf United FC x @adidasmena ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Big things coming… ⚽️⏳ #TheNextGen #ImpossibleIsNothing"". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  23. ^ "adidas MENA on Instagram: ". الجيل القادم جاهز للانطلاق. Next gen pending ⚽⏳ @gulfunitedfc"". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  24. ^ a b THE FINAL - ALL TO PLAY FOR - GULF UNITED vs FLEETWOOD - 'We are Gulf United' - Episode 13. Gulf United FC. 7 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ NOFILTERDXB [@NOFILTERDXB] (23 November 2021). "#NoFilterDXB x @adidas and Gulf United Football Club The region's first floating football pitch and so much more are coming your way at #NOFILTERDXB. Be there to witness amazing games, running tournaments with Gulf United Football Club and join in on all the fun. https://t.co/ZwBwPBjK5o" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ "What to expect at #NoFilterDXB this weekend". What's On. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  27. ^ uaenews247 (2021-10-27). "ADIDAS KICKS OFF DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE". UAE News 24/7. Archived from the original on 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2022-10-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ SIDEMEN $100,000 HOT VS COLD HOLIDAY. Sidemen. 12 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via YouTube.
  29. ^ "A football legend comes to Gulf United with Adidas DXB Play to change the game. Not just to win it. Zindine Zidane #ImpossibleIsNothing | By Gulf United | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  30. ^ "Gulf United FC - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  31. ^ "Gulf United". UAE Football Association.
  32. ^ "UAE Football Association: GULF UNITED CROWNED CHAMPION OF THE FIRST EDITION OF THE THIRD DIVISION". uaefa.ae. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  33. ^ البيان), (دبي- (27 May 2022). ""غلف يونايتد" بطل النسخة الأولى لدوري الدرجة الثالثة". albayan.ae (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-07-18.
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