Alpha United Football Club is a
Guyanese 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 ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Providence. 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
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic B ...
, the top league of football in Guyana. They were league champions in the 2009–10,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, 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 Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...
, 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
The Caribbean Club Championship, also known as the CFU Club Championship or CFU Club Champions' Cup, was an annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). ...
, 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, becoming the first club from Guyana to play in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...
. 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
The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional association football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. They played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the Nort ...
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. 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
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, 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 Fo ...
in their 1st Round home and away tie. In
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, they were eliminated by Trinidad and Tobago's
San Juan Jabloteh 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
The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (''RSSSF'') is an international organisation dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an exhaustive archive of football-related information from around ...
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 GFF Elite League, 2015–16 season.
The league used regional qualifying tournaments to de ...
and gaining subsequent entry into the
CFU Club Championship
The Caribbean Club Championship, also known as the CFU Club Championship or CFU Club Champions' Cup, was an annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). ...
.
Alpha United gained attention across the continent in 2011, when the club defeated the
TT Pro League
The TT Premier Football League (formerly known as the TT Pro 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 an ...
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
The Caribbean Club Championship, also known as the CFU Club Championship or CFU Club Champions' Cup, was an annual international football competition held amongst association football clubs that are members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). ...
[RSSSF]
** Third Place (1):
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
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 GFF Elite League, 2015–16 season.
The league used regional qualifying tournaments to de ...
** 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
The 2009 CFU Club Championship was the 11th 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 Football ...
::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 Football ...
::First round v.
Elite
In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...
– w/o
::First round v.
WBC – 1:1
::First round v.
Defence Force – 3:1
::Second round v.
San Juan Jabloteh – 0:2
::Second round v.
River Plate PR – 1:1
*
2011 CFU Club Championship
::Elimination stage 1 v.
Bassa – w/o
::Elimination stage 2 v.
River Plate PR – 0:0, 3:2
::Semifinals v.
Puerto Rico Islanders
The Puerto Rico Islanders were a professional association football team based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. They played in several different leagues from 2004 to 2012, when they suspended operations. In their last two seasons they played in the Nort ...
– 1:3 (
a.e.t)
::Third Place Playoff v.
Defence Force – 1:1 (4:3
pen.)
*
2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League
::Preliminary round v.
Herediano – 2:2, 0:8
*
2014 CFU Club Championship
::Group Stage v.
Defence Force – 2:0
::Group Stage v.
Harbour View – 1:0
::Semifinals v.
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
– Cancelled
*
2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League
::Group Stage v.
Olimpia – 0:1, 0:6
::Group Stage v.
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...
– 1:4, 0:6
See also
*
Football in Guyana
The sport of football (soccer), football in the country of Guyana is run by the Guyana Football Federation. Football is the second most popular sport of Guyana, after cricket. The association administers the Guyana national football team, nation ...
*
GFF Elite League
The Elite League, often referred to as GFF Elite League, is the top level of the football system in Guyana
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic B ...
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