Alpha United Football Club is a
Guyanese football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
. The club competes in the
GFF Elite League
The Elite League, often referred to as GFF Elite League is the top level of the football system in Guyana. Contested by 10 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation. Top level before GFF Elite League was GFF National Super Leagu ...
, the top league of football in Guyana. They were league champions in the 2009–10,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, 2012, 2012–13, and 2013–14 seasons.
In 2011, Alpha United gained recognition as being the first Guyanese football club to qualify for the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
, North America's premier continental club tournament. Alpha United earned berth into the Champions League by finishing in third place in the subcontinental tournament, the
CFU Club Championship, which they earned a berth into through winning the National Super League.
They finished third in the 2011 CFU-CC and qualified for the preliminary round of the
2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League is the 4th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 47th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North ...
, becoming the first club from Guyana to play in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
. In the playoff for third place, Alpha United created history by beating Trinidad and Tobago's
Defence Force on penalty kicks (4–3) after regulation and overtime failed to break the 1–1 deadlock.
In their previous match, Alpha United met with the
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
*El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
*Puerto Colombia, Colombia
*Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
*Puerto Galera, Orient ...
in the 2011 CFU-CC semifinals, but after another regular time 1–1 draw, The Hammer succumbed to the 2010 Defending CFU-CC Champions 3–1 in the 30-minute overtime.
In the Champions League, Alpha United traveled to Costa Rica to take on
Herediano
Club Sport Herediano (), commonly known as Herediano and nicknamed El Team, is a Costa Rican multisport club based in Heredia, Heredia province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Herediano is mostly known for its association ...
. In their first ever Champions League match, the side fell 8–0 managing only two shots on goal. The side fared better in the second leg, at one point taking a 2–0 lead before relinquishing the lead, and settling for a 2–2 draw and a subsequent elimination from the tournament, losing 2–10 on aggregates.
Alpha United also participated in the 2009 and 2010 CFU-CCs. In
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, The Hammer lost to Haiti's
Tempête FC
Tempête Football Club is a professional football club based in Saint-Marc, Haiti. The club was founded in 1970 and competes in Haiti's top league, Ligue Haïtienne.
They hold a fierce rivalry with local club Baltimore SC
History
Tempête Footba ...
in their 1st Round home and away tie. In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, they were eliminated by Trinidad and Tobago's
San Juan Jabloteh
San Juan Jabloteh Football Club is a football club located in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago that plays in the country's TT Pro League. The team plays its home games in Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Trinidad.
History
The club was founded ...
in the 2nd Round Group Stage.
History
The origins of Alpha United FC are unknown, as CONCACAF's records show their foundation date as "pending". According to
Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation it appears that the club has been playing in Guyanese football competitions since the early to mid-2000s mounting their success in the later half of the 2000s. In 2009, Alpha United earned their first ever league title winning the
Guyana National Football League
Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Super League was the top division in Guyana. It was replaced by the GFF Elite League beginning with the 2015–16 season.
The league used regional qualifying tournaments to determine participants. In ...
and gaining subsequent entry into the
CFU Club Championship.
Alpha United gained attention across the continent in 2011, when the club defeated the
TT Pro League
The TT Pro League (formerly known as the Professional Football League) is the Trinidad and Tobago professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division in the Trinidad ...
champions,
Defence Force in the consolation match to earn a preliminary round berth in the CONCACAF Champions League, being the first ever Guyanese club in Champions League history to earn a berth.
Colours and Badge
Alpha United's crest features a blue diamond with golden trim as the background. In front of the diamond is a hammer. Beneath the hammer, lies the club's motto, ''Unity With Strength''. Above the hammer lies the club's name and their nickname, "The Hammer".
Stadium
It is not known what stadium is Alpha United's permanent home, although
Providence Stadium
The Providence Stadium or Guyana National Stadium is a sports stadium in Guyana, replacing Bourda as the national stadium. The stadium was built specifically to host Super Eight matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup held in March and April 2007.
...
near
Georgetown is serving as the host venue for United in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Honors
Continental
*
CFU Club Championship[RSSSF]
** Third Place (1):
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
Domestic
League titles
*
Guyana National Football League
Guyana Football Federation (GFF) National Super League was the top division in Guyana. It was replaced by the GFF Elite League beginning with the 2015–16 season.
The league used regional qualifying tournaments to determine participants. In ...
** Winners (5): 2009, 2010, 2012, 2012–13, 2013–14
Cups
*
Guyana Mayors Cup
The Guyana Mayors Cup is a major knockout regional football tournament in Guyana. It was created in 1999.
It is an annual inter-ward/village Football Championship only open to invited teams. It takes place at the Georgetown Football Club ground, ...
** Winners (2): 2007–08, 2013
* GFF Super 8 Cup
** Winners (1): 2010
* Kashif & Shanghai Cup
** Runners-up (1): 2009–10
*NAMLICO Knock-out Tournament
** Winners (1): 2010
Performance in CONCACAF competitions
Alpha United's score listed first, as well as the home leg.
*
2009 CFU Club Championship
::First round v.
Tempête – 1:1, 0:2
*
2010 CFU Club Championship
The 2010 CFU Club Championship was the 12th edition of the CFU Club Championship, the annual international club football competition in the Caribbean region, held amongst clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Caribbean Footb ...
::First round v.
Elite
In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...
– w/o
::First round v.
WBC – 1:1
::First round v.
Defence Force – 3:1
::Second round v.
San Juan Jabloteh
San Juan Jabloteh Football Club is a football club located in San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago that plays in the country's TT Pro League. The team plays its home games in Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Trinidad.
History
The club was founded ...
– 0:2
::Second round v.
River Plate PR – 1:1
*
2011 CFU Club Championship
The 2011 CFU Club Champions’ Cup was the 13th edition of the CFU Club Championship, the annual international club football competition in the Caribbean region, held amongst clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Caribbean ...
::Elimination stage 1 v.
Bassa – w/o
::Elimination stage 2 v.
River Plate PR – 0:0, 3:2
::Semifinals v.
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
*El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
*Puerto Colombia, Colombia
*Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
*Puerto Galera, Orient ...
– 1:3 (
a.e.t)
::Third Place Playoff v.
Defence Force – 1:1 (4:3
pen.)
*
2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League is the 4th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 47th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North ...
::Preliminary round v.
Herediano
Club Sport Herediano (), commonly known as Herediano and nicknamed El Team, is a Costa Rican multisport club based in Heredia, Heredia province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Herediano is mostly known for its association ...
– 2:2, 0:8
*
2014 CFU Club Championship
The 2014 CFU Club Championship was the 16th edition of CFU Club Championship, the annual international club football competition in the Caribbean region, held amongst clubs whose football associations are affiliated with the Caribbean Football ...
::Group Stage v.
Defence Force – 2:0
::Group Stage v.
Harbour View – 1:0
::Semifinals v.
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
– Cancelled
*
2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2014–15 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons starting from 2015) was the 7th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 50th e ...
::Group Stage v.
Olimpia – 0:1, TBD
::Group Stage v.
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...
– 1:4, TBD
See also
*
Football in Guyana
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
*
GFF Elite League
The Elite League, often referred to as GFF Elite League is the top level of the football system in Guyana. Contested by 10 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation. Top level before GFF Elite League was GFF National Super Leagu ...
References
;General
*Club honors cited to:
;Footnotes
External links
Alpha United FC– profile on CONCACAF.com (archived 25 September 2011)
{{Guyana National Football League
Football clubs in Guyana