Al-Yarmouk is a

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

i professional sports club located in the district of

Mishref Mishref ( ar, مشرف) is a residential area in Kuwait City, Kuwait, within the Hawalli Governorate, south of Bayan and west of Salwa. Mishref has only 6 blocks (1,2,3,4,5 and 6), and all other blocks or extensions in West Mishref don't originall ...

. It was established on 28 February 1965 in

Failaka Island Failaka Island ( ar, فيلكا '' / ''; Kuwaiti Arabic: فيلچا ) is a Kuwaiti Island in the Persian Gulf. The island is 20 km off the coast of Kuwait City in the Persian Gulf. The name "Failaka" is thought to be derived from the ancie ...

and was the only Kuwaiti club to have been established outside mainland Kuwait at that time. The club was relocated to Kuwait after the 1990–1991

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, which resulted in the displacement of many inhabitants belonging to Failaka's island settlements. Therefore, due to inadequate facilities after the liberation of Kuwait, it was inevitable that the team had to move to a better and more sustainable location. Other reason for the relocation was due to insufficient means of transportation to Failaka Island for away matches during the regular season. Al Yarmouk is mostly famous for its football team, which gave rise to a plethora of talented Kuwaiti players during the course of its history. The club has only achieved 4 trophies since it was first established, 2 of which were the Prince Cups in 1970 and 1973, which is usually regarded as the most prestigious and important trophy in Kuwaiti football. The other 2 trophy achievements were the Second Division titles won in 1968 and 1989. Al Yarmouk sports club went through a major renovation project since 2006, as part of a grand scheme to regenerate interest within the local Mishref community. A new stadium was built, together with swimming facilities and an indoor arena for

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, handball,

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...

and

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

. A

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

team is also widely financed from the club's department. The club's main two colors are navy blue and white, representing the sea, which was a major part of Failaka Island's culture. The logo represents ancient

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

ruins located in Failaka Island, also known as ' Ikaros' during the times of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

. Al Yarmouk club has since used this logo and color as a representation of their potential strength to success. The club is not as popular as Kuwait's big five elite (Kuwait SC, Al-Arabi SC, Qadsia SC, Kazma SC and Salmiya SC), however, it is usually supported primarily by people in the surrounding area of the club's location. Prior to the Gulf War, it was supported by the local inhabitants of Failaka Island. After relocation, it shifted away from Failaka's fanbase and is now attracting fans mostly from the Mishref residential area, although it also attracts supporters from other nearby areas such as Salwa and Bayan.

Achievements

Kuwait Emir Cup The Kuwait Amir/Emir Cup ( ar, كأس أمير الكويت) is a Kuwaiti football competition created in 1962. The Emir Cup, is the last football competition held in the Kuwaiti football season. It is considered the most valuable cup. Al Arabi ...

: 2 *:1970, 1973 *

Kuwaiti Division One The Kuwaiti Division One is a second-tier professional Kuwaiti football league. Winners of the league are promoted to the Kuwait Premier League. Kuwaiti Division One was introduced for the 2006–07 season, when the bottom 6 clubs in the Premier ...

: 3 *:1967–68, 1988–89, 2018–19 *

Kuwait Federation Cup The Kuwaiti Federation Cup ( ar, كأس الاتحاد الكويتي) is a competition organised by the Kuwait Football Association, the Kuwaiti version of a League cup and has been played in its current format every year since 2008. The first e ...

: 1 *:2002–03 * Kuwait Joint League: 2 *:1972–73, 1973–74

Futsal

* Kuwaiti futsal league: 2 *:2009–10, 2010–11 * Kuwaiti Futsal Super Cup: 3 *:2010, 2011, 2014

Club history

The idea of initiating a club based in the island of Failaka began in 1963 when a group of local footballers wanted to officially join the Kuwaiti football association and start participating in its respective competitions. The club was to represent the local inhabitants of Failaka. The club was officially declared on 28 February 1965 and was formally conceived by the Kuwaiti FA board on 7 March 1965. The name of the club roots back to the legendary Islamic Battle of Al Yarmouk, which took place near the

Yarmouk River The Yarmuk River ( ar, نهر اليرموك, translit=Nahr al-Yarmūk, ; Greek: Ἱερομύκης, ; la, Hieromyces or ''Heromicas''; sometimes spelled Yarmouk), is the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It runs in Jordan, Syria and Israel ...

, now the border between

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and Syria, between Arab-Muslims and Byzantine-Christians. The reason why this name was chosen is that Al Yarmouk holds various Greek ruins, which reminded the local people of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and how strongly it influenced Northern Arabia before Islamic times. The club badge represents a reminder of Failaka's history as Ikarus, the name given to it by the ancient Macedonians during Alexander the Great's reign over this region, and his establishments in the island which is reflected today by the appearance of many old Greek ruins.

Current squad

( captain)

External links

Official site
{{Football in Kuwait Yarmouk Yarmouk Yarmouk Yarmouk