Calabar Rovers FC are a

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

soccer team based in

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and cre ...

. They play their games at U. J. Esuene Stadium.

History

The club was founded in 1977. They were one of the original members of the Nigerian Second Division which was established in 1979. Under Brazilian coach Paulo Luiz Campos, they adopted a fast-paced style and were promoted after finishing second in 1981. They stayed in the top flight for about a decade before being relegated to the lower leagues in 1993. During that time, they made the semifinals of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

twice but never won any major accolades. Their last game however was the controversial 13–0 loss to

Akwa United Akwa United Football Club is a Nigerian football club based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. They play in the Nigeria Professional Football League, the first division of Nigerian football. The Godswill Akpabio International Stadium is the club's home stadium. ...

on August 12, 2006. Already doomed to relegation to the

Nigeria Amateur League National Nationwide League Division One (formerly known as Nigerian Amateur League) is the third level of club football in Nigeria. Every year, up to eight teams are promoted to the Professional Division One. Starting in 2012, the league changed ...

, Rovers had three players sent off in the blowout which allowed Akwa to be promoted to the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

by a goal differential of one. Rovers, on the other hand, disbanded after the game.

Return to Nigerian League

In May 2008, the

Cross River State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Cross River.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Cross River State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint ...

government announced plans to bring the team back from hiatus and with corporate sponsorship. With the help of United Cement Company (UNICEM), they entered into a player share agreement with newly promoted Dankat FC of Kano for 12 million

naira The naira (sign: ₦; code: NGN) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 ''kobo''. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It controls the volume ...

, and will play in the

Nigeria National League The Nigerian National League (formerly known as ''National Division 1'') is the second tier of club football in Nigeria. History From 1997-2011, the league has been split into 1A for Northern teams and 1B for southern teams. The top two f ...

in 2008–09. Since the team also acquired Dankat's league slot, they played their first season back in the mostly-northern division A. The team was run for the next five seasons by UNICEM. For part of the 2009 season they played at the

Uyo Township Stadium Uyo Township Stadium is a multi-use stadium located in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Akwa United F.C. of the Nigerian Premier League. It is also a center for social ...

while Esuene stadium was renovated for the

2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the thirteenth tournament of the FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Nigeria from 24 October to 15 November 2009. The tournament was won by Switzerland, beating the host team and holders, Nigeria. The Golden Ball to the Be ...

Managers

* Dorian Marin (2017–19) * Bob Osim (2019–)

References

External links

Paulo Campos Official website
(archived 17 April 2008)
Calabar Rovers plan comeback
(archived 31 August 2021)
Rovers FC resurrects as Unicem-Rovers FCRovers will bounce back, says Osim"We deserved the point"-Rovers
(archived 22 February 2013)
UNICEM Rovers defeat Mighty Jets
Association football clubs established in 1977 Football clubs in Nigeria Calabar 1977 establishments in Nigeria Sports clubs and teams in Nigeria {{Nigeria-footyclub-stub