Shaanxi Chang'an Union
The Shaanxi Chang'an Union F.C. club crest
Full nameShaanxi Chang'an Union Football Club
陕西长安联合足球俱乐部
Nickname(s)Northwest Wolves (西北狼)
Union
The People's Club (人民球队)
FoundedOctober 2013 (2013-10) (as Xi'an Huilong)
May 10, 2023 (2023-05-10) (as Shaanxi Chang'an Union)
GroundWeinan Sports Center Stadium
Capacity32,000
OwnerQin Ying Sports (65%)
Shaanxi Chang'an Union Supporters' Trust (35%)
ChairmanHuang Shenghua
ManagerÓscar Céspedes
LeagueChina League Two
2023CMCL, 3rd of 64 (promoted)
Shaanxi Chang'an Union
Simplified Chinese陕西长安联合
Traditional Chinese陝西長安聯合

Shaanxi Chang'an Union Football Club (Chinese: 陕西长安联合足球俱乐部; pinyin: Shǎnxī Cháng'ān Liánhé Zúqiú Jùlèbù) is a Chinese professional football club based in Xi'an, Shaanxi, that competes in China League Two, the third tier of Chinese football. Initially founded in 2013 as Xi'an Huilong Football Club and later Binzhou Huilong Football Club, Shaanxi Chang'an Union is the phoenix club of Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic, which dissolved in 2023.

History

Founded as Xi'an Huilong Football Club (Chinese: 西安辉龙足球俱乐部; pinyin: Xī'ān Huīlóng Zúqiú Jùlèbù) in October 2013, the club was based in Xi'an, Shaanxi, and had previously competed in various Shaanxi FA-sanctioned amateur leagues, competing as either Xi'an Huilong or Shaanxi Huilong.[1] In 2019, Xi'an Huilong competed in the 2019 Sina Golden Futsal League, a five-a-side football tournament.[2] The club moved to Binzhou, Shaanxi in March 2020, where they have used the name Binzhou Huilong.[3]

On 29 March 2023, Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic was dissolved after failing to register for the 2023 China League One. Subsequently, Athletic's phoenix club was founded as Binzhou Huilong, and several coaches and players of the former Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic squad joined the club.[4] The original Binzhou Huilong team that Shaanxi Chang'an Union took over then formed Xianyang Binzhou Huilong F.C., a new club that would still play in the Shaanxi National Super League.[5] In the 2023 Shaanxi National Super League season, Xianyang Binzhou Huilong finished fourth place.[6]

The club entered the 2023 CMCL, the Chinese fourth-tier, as a recommended team by the Shaanxi FA. Officially under the name Shaanxi Binzhou Huilong Football Club Everyday Chain Team[7] in a sponsorship with the Everyday Chain, the club were referred to simply as Binzhou Huilong. Under Union manager Huang Yong, who had most recently been a youth team executive at Chang'an Athletic,[8] they topped their respective group, finishing first overall in CMCL groups A and B, advancing them through to the final round. On 10 May 2023, the club was rebranded as Shaanxi Chang'an Union Football Club.[9][10]

On 22 July 2023, Shaanxi Chang'an Union played a friendly match against Uzbekistan Super League side FC Surkhon Termez,[11] in which Shaanxi lost 3–0.[12]

On 6 September 2023, it was announced that Huang Yong would no longer be the Shaanxi Chang'an Union manager.[13] The following day, former Athletic manager Óscar Céspedes was appointed as Union's new manager.[14]

Shaanxi Chang'an Union were winless for their first three matches in the 2023 CMCL final round, and the goal of promotion to the third-tier was looking unlikely for the Northwest Wolves. On 17 September, after a narrow 1–0 home loss to Guangzhou E-Power and clapping the 26,156 fans in attendance post-match, club captain Ding Jie kneeled down to the Shaanxi fans in apology.[15] On 14 October 2023, after all seven games in the 2023 CMCL final round group stage and four straight wins to adjust themselves back on track, Shaanxi Chang'an Union finished 4th in their group of 8, settling for play-offs. In the promotion play-offs, Shaanxi Chang'an Union defeated Changchun Shenhua on penalties after a 1–1 draw at the Weinan Sports Center Stadium, with Shaanxi goalkeeper Li Chen making two saves in the shoot-out to advance them to the final.[16] On 29 October 2023, Shaanxi went on to beat Guangzhou E-Power 2–1 away from home in the play-off final thanks to goals from Ma Yangyang and Pang Zhiquan, both former Athletic players, achieving promotion to China League Two.[17]

Club identity

Chang'an is a historical and traditional name that referred to the Xi'an area, and was one of the historical capitals of China, while Union refers to a hope that Union could "unite all forces".[18]

Historically, Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic bore a red shirt and navy shorts, which Shaanxi Chang'an Union inherited the colour scheme of. In June 2023, the official Weibo account of Shaanxi Chang'an Union conducted a poll, asking which colour the Chang'an Union home strip should be—the black option was the most popular amongst supporters at 47.6% of votes, red had 36.4%, and yellow had 16.0%.[19]

Nicknamed the Northwest Wolves,[3] clubs from Shaanxi have historically had good ties with the supporters of the club. A well-known Shaanxi chant is "Shaanxi Dui, Xibeilang!" (陕西队, 西北狼!),[20] where Shaanxi Dui is Chinese for "Team Shaanxi", and Xibeilang is the Chinese word for Northwest Wolves. In addition, Shaanxi Chang'an Union have also adopted the saying "the People's Club for the people" (人民球队为人民) as one of its mottos.[21]

During the Xi'an Huilong and Binzhou Huilong eras, the club had used two badges, both with a Chinese dragon represented, as Long is the Chinese word for "dragon", in reference to the club's name. In the 2023 CMCL season, Shaanxi Chang'an Union used a modified version of the former Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic badge,[3] with only the name and the creature on the badge different. In July 2023, the Shaanxi Chang'an Union's current badge was unveiled. Voted by fans, the badge depicts stylised letters S and C in red and black, which stand for Shaanxi and Chang'an respectively, as well as a Xibeilang at the centre of the badge. Atop the word "Union", the stylised S depicts battlements, which reference the fortifications of Xi'an.[22]

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit supplier Shirt Sponsor (chest) Shirt Sponsor (back)
2023 Li-Ning Everyday Chain (每一天) Sunfood (陕西粮农)
SWUT (山东外国语职业技术大学)
MLily (梦百合) E-Ming Eye Hospital (奕鸣眼科)
2023– Jin Gu Town (筋骨堂)

Stadium and training ground

In the 2023 season, Shaanxi Chang'an Union played its home matches at the Weinan Sports Center Stadium.[23] On 17 September 2023, in a home game against Guangzhou E-Power, Shaanxi Chang'an Union broke the attendance record of the Chinese fourth-tier, at 26,156 spectators.[24][25]

From 2023, Shaanxi Chang'an Union's training ground had been the Fengdong Football Park, located in the Chang'an District of Xi'an.[26]

Support

Shaanxi Province Stadium, the location of Union's flagship store

In January 2023, Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic launched a campaign to "save the club", by opening up to its supporters the purchase of club memberships, which included shares of the club and season tickets, in hopes that it would pay off Athletic's debt.[27] Within the first day, roughly 8,000 Shaanxi supporters bought memberships, raising close to ¥10 million for the club. Two months later, Chang'an Athletic were denied entry into the 2023 season by the Chinese FA and subsequently announced dissolution,[28] and every membership purchased was refunded by Athletic in full.[29] Upon the formation of Shaanxi Chang'an Union in May 2023, the club left its finances in the hands of Northwest Wolves fans a second time, transitioning into being a fan-owned club. Though the two clubs had little connection between each other, within the first 24 hours of Union's shares being public, over 5,200 Shaanxi supporters enrolled in the memberships.[30] In July 2023, Shaanxi Chang'an Union held a contest to decide its new club crest. The winner was voted by supporters, and all candidates were designed by supporters.[22] In August 2023, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai Northwest Wolves Supporters' Group funded a team bus to the club.[31] On 28 August 2023, Chang'an Union opened their official flagship store, located just outside Shaanxi Province Stadium.[32]

Also known as "the People's Club", noting the club's strong connections with its fans,[21][33] the club is sometimes compared in Chinese media to German side 1. FC Union Berlin, for the way the club is run and its fan-initiated self-revivals.[4]

Ownership

Upon founding the phoenix club, Shaanxi Chang'an Union had been fan-owned.[30] On 17 September 2023, Qin Ying Sports signed a contract to take over the club as its major shareholder, which had Qin Ying Sports own 65% of the club's equity, and the supporters accounted for 35%. On 26 September 2023, former Guangzhou City chairman Huang Shenghua was appointed as the Union chairman, meanwhile Zhang Wei, the former chairman and general manager, was dismissed.[34]

Records and statistics

The record for the most appearances for Shaanxi Chang'an Union is held by Ding Jie, with 13 appearances.[35] The record for the most goals scored for Shaanxi Chang'an Union is held by Pang Zhiquan, having scored 9 goals for the club.[35]

Shaanxi Chang'an Union's largest win was a 10–0 victory over Changle Jingangtui on 24 September 2023 in the CMCL.[36] The club's heaviest losses came from two 1–0 defeats against Langfang Glory City[37] and Guangzhou E-Power,[38] on 10 September 2023 and 17 September 2023 respectively.

Shaanxi Chang'an Union's highest home attendances are 26,156 against Guangzhou E-Power on 17 September 2023[38] and 25,956 against Dalian Huayi on 3 September 2023,[24] both in the CMCL.

The youngest player to make a first-team appearance for Shaanxi Chang'an Union is Yalqunjan Mamut at 20 years and 0 days old in the CMCL, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute in a 3–0 win over Yingkou Chaoyue on 1 May 2023.

Players

First-team squad

As of 22 August 2023[39]

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 China CHN Jia Xinyao
2 DF China CHN Wang Zihao
4 DF China CHN Wang Weipu
5 DF China CHN Zhou Jiahao
6 DF China CHN Ding Jie (captain)
7 MF China CHN Huang Pu
8 MF China CHN Wen Wubin
9 MF China CHN Fu Jie
10 FW China CHN Nan Yunqi
11 MF China CHN Wen Shuo
12 DF China CHN Zhao Shuhao
13 FW China CHN Ma Xiaolei
15 MF China CHN Su Shun
16 DF China CHN Ma Yangyang
17 MF China CHN Huang Zhaoyi
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF China CHN Zhang Yuxuan
20 MF China CHN Xu Zhaoji
21 MF China CHN Chen Xing
22 FW China CHN He Shaolin
23 MF China CHN Liu Hao
25 GK China CHN Li Chen
26 DF China CHN Sun Xiaobin
27 GK China CHN Bai Mingyu
28 FW China CHN Xi Zhenyun
29 DF China CHN Mi Haolun
30 DF China CHN Yalqunjan Mamut
31 DF China CHN Xu Chen
32 MF China CHN Xu Wu
33 MF China CHN Liu Tianyang
34 FW China CHN Pang Zhiquan

Coaching staff

Position Staff
Manager Spain Óscar Céspedes
Assistant coaches China Bao Wenjie[39]
China Wang Xiaolong[39]
First-team goalkeeping coach China Song Zhenyu[39]
First-team physios China He Yuejin[39]
China Bian Yongchu[39]
China Zeng Lingtao[39]
Physical performance South Africa Jantho Greyling

Managerial history

As of 29 October 2023
Key: M = matches; W = matches won; D = matches drawn; L = matches lost
Name Nation From To M W D L Win %
Huang Yong  China 1 January 2023 6 September 2023 6 4 2 0 066.7
Óscar Céspedes  Spain 7 September 2023 Present 8 6 0 2 075.0

Honours

League

Team record

All-time league rankings

As of end of the 2023 season.

Year Div Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos. FA Cup Super Cup AFC Att./G Stadium
202341282241536263[lower-alpha 1]DNQDNQDNQ22,646[lower-alpha 2]Weinan Sports Center Stadium
  1. ↑ Won 2–1 in the play-off final against Guangzhou E-Power.
  2. ↑ Neutral venues in Rizhao and promotional play-offs are not taken into account.

Key

Reference

  1. ↑ "彬州辉龙足球俱乐部前身是西安辉龙足球俱乐部，成立于2013年10月" (in Chinese). Weibo. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "西安辉龙代表陕西参加2019足金联赛总决赛" (in Chinese). Sohu. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "西北狼重生？德转：长安竞技多名球员加盟中冠彬州辉龙" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 "催泪弹！你不看足球，所以你不会知道柏林联合和长安联合的故事！_球迷_联赛_陕西". sports.sohu.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  5. ↑ "陕超联赛全面开赛 12支队伍展开角逐" (in Chinese). CN West. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "2022-2023陕超联赛收官 宝鸡这支球队获季军" (in Chinese). Baoji News. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "陕西彬州辉龙足球俱乐部每一天足球队全家福！" (in Chinese). Weibo. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "主教练冯峰离任后，青训总监黄勇已开始带陕西队训练" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  9. ↑ "延续陕西足球火种！彬州辉龙已改名为陕西长安联合足球俱乐部" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  10. ↑ "好消息！陕西长安联合足球俱乐部正式成立-要闻_华商网新闻". news.hsw.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  11. ↑ "官方：陕西长安联合将与乌兹别克斯坦顶级联赛球队进行友谊赛" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  12. ↑ "【[话筒]战报｜陕西长安联合0:3铁尔米兹苏尔航(FC Surkhon)】" (in Chinese). Weibo. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
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  14. ↑ "官方：前长安竞技主帅奥斯卡执教陕西长安联合" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "陕西队主场告负，队长丁捷赛后面向球迷看台下跪" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "中冠第一轮淘汰赛：三场点球大战，陕西、恒宸、日照晋级" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "西北狼归来！长安联合2-1客胜影豹，陕西足球重回职业联赛" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "你好，西北狼" (in Chinese). Weibo. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  19. ↑ "这几天大家对球衣和队徽颜色讨论非常热烈，我们可以先看看主色调大家最喜欢哪个" (in Chinese). Weibo. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  20. ↑ "陕西主帅奥斯卡中文接受采访：今天非常高兴，陕西队，西北狼" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  21. 1 2 "【#陕西长安联合冲乙#】" (in Chinese). Weibo. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  22. 1 2 "官方：陕西长安联合公布新队徽，包含古城墙、西北狼等元素" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
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  24. 1 2 "球市火爆！陕西队主场上座25696人破中冠纪录" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  25. ↑ "2023中冠联赛现场观众人数统计（总决赛第3轮）" (in Chinese). Weibo. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  26. ↑ "这是中冠球队？陕西长安联合队收假训练，上千名球迷观看" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  27. ↑ "陕西长安竞技发售23赛季套票和终身会员，最高10万元一位" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  28. ↑ "2023职业联赛准入名单：广州城、昆山、陕西未在列" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  29. ↑ "陕西队宣布解散：再见，西北狼；会员制款项原路退还给球迷" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  30. 1 2 "陕西长安联合官方：会员发售24小时内，已有超5200名会员加入" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  31. ↑ "死忠的力量！陕西长安联合球迷为球队捐献大巴" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  32. ↑ "【活动｜大巴车迎接暨旗舰店开业仪式邀你来】" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  33. ↑ "👌 陕西长安联合超话#陕西队西北狼#" (in Chinese). Weibo. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  34. ↑ "秦英体育助力西北狼冲乙中冠关键战 长安联合全力争胜 - 西部网（陕西新闻网）". m.cnwest.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  35. 1 2 "陕西长安联合2023赛季总结（1）" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  36. ↑ "陕西长安联合10-0客胜长乐金刚腿取中冠总决赛首胜，丁捷两球" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  37. ↑ "【战报｜#陕西长安联合vs廊坊荣耀之城# 】" (in Chinese). Weibo. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  38. 1 2 "广州影豹1-0客胜陕西长安联合，肖智制胜球" (in Chinese). Dongqiudi. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "【[话筒]陕西长安联合中冠总决赛阶段「全家福、大名单、个人照合集」出炉】" (in Chinese). Weibo. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
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