Al-Yarmouk Sporting Club () is a

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

i professional sports club located in the district of Mishref. It was established on 28 February 1965 in

Failaka Island Failaka Island ( '' / ''; Kuwaiti Arabic:فيلچه ) 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 ancient Greek – ' " ...

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

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

, 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 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. The other 2 trophy achievements were the Second Division titles won in 1968 and 1989. Al Yarmouk sports club went through a renovation project since 2006, as part of a 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

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 Summ ...

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

and

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

.https://www.instagram.com/alyarmoukclub_judo/

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

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 part of Failaka Island's culture. The logo represents ancient

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

ruins located in Failaka Island, also known as '

Ikaros IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) experimental spacecraft. The spacecraft was launched on 20 May 2010, aboard an H-IIA rocket, together with the ''Akatsuki'' (V ...

' during the times of

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

. 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.

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 Islamic Battle of Al Yarmouk, which took place near the

Yarmouk River The Yarmuk River (, ; Greek: Ἱερομύκης, ; or ''Heromicas''; sometimes spelled Yarmouk) is the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It runs in Jordan, Syria and Israel, and drains much of the Hauran plateau. Its main tributaries are ...

, now the border between

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, 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 known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

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.

Honours

Football

Kuwait Emir Cup The Kuwait Amir/Emir Cup () is a Kuwaiti football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ...

: 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 Pre ...

: 4 *:1967–68, 1988–89, 2018–19, 2023–24 *

Kuwait Federation Cup The Kuwaiti Federation Cup () is a competition organised by the Kuwait Football Association, and has been played in its current format since 2008. The first edition of the Federation Cup was played in the 1969–70 season, although not much is kn ...

: 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

References

External links