Zhejiang Greentown F.C.

Zhejiang Professional Football Club (), commonly referred to as Zhejiang FC or simply Zhejiang and currently known as Zhejiang F.C. Greentown () for sponsorship reasons, is a Chinese professional football club based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, that competes in . Zhejiang plays its home matches at the Huanglong Sports Center, located within Xihu District. The club's main investors are the Zhejiang-based Greentown China Holdings Limited company and the Zhejiang Energy Group.

The club was founded on January 14, 1998, as Zhejiang Green Town, making their debut in the third tier of China's football league pyramid in the 1999 league season. On November 23, 2000, the club bought the playing right for Chinese Football Association Jia League as well as 32 players from first team of Jilin Aodong for 25 million Yuan. They have subsequently won promotion to the top tier after finishing runners-up in the 2006 league season and the highest position they have ever finished is third in the 2022, 2023 Chinese Super League seasons.

History

Zhejiang Green Town Football Club Co., Ltd. was officially established on January 14, 1998, with a capital of 16,000,000 Yuan and Zeng Leming was appointed as their general manager. Greentown Real Estate Company, Hangzhou Qiantang Real Estate Company, Zhejiang University and Zhejiang Provincial Football Association all participated in the creation as well as the registration of the club. The company would go on to form a youth team before finally creating a senior team on January 22, 1999, to take part in the third tier with Bao Yingfu as their first head coach. They wouldn't wait long to show their ambition when they would make the play-offs in 2000 before losing to Tianjin Lifei. Still determined to win promotion the club decided to buy the playing right for Chinese Football Association Jia League as well as 32 players from first team of Yanbian (Then Jilin Aodong) on November 23, 2000, for 25,000,000 Yuan, in time for the beginning of the 2001 league season. Under the new general manager Shen Qiang the club brought in new sponsors and Gu Mingchang as the new head coach, however during this period the club couldn't win promotion to the top tier and the chairman Song Weiping expressed his disappointment of the team. Song Weiping would soon discover that the reason for his club's disappointing results when it was discovered that several of his players and coaches were taking bribes, with a 6–0 defeat against Changchun Yatai in the 2001 league season being highlighted, which saw the offending participants banned for a year while the club had three months to reform and re-apply for a CFA playing license. This would see the club would go through several management changes as well as a significant ownership shift, which saw Song Weiping's company Greentown China Holdings Limited take a 96% share of the team for 20,000,000 Yuan in 2005 while Zhejiang University held on to 4%.

Hangzhou Greentown

In 2009, The club renamed itself to Hangzhou Greentown Football Club.

Under Wang Zheng as their head coach the team would start to generally push for promotion, eventually achieving it at the end of the 2006 league season when they came second in the division. The club often found themselves fighting off relegation and would bring in several managers to alleviate the problem, however this wasn't enough during the 2009 league season and the club found themselves in the relegation zone at the end of the season. Surprisingly the club were allowed to stay within the 2010 CFA Super League after it was discovered that Chengdu Blades and Guangzhou GPC were guilty of match-fixing.

AFC Champions League debut

After gaining a reprieve from relegation the club went on a spending spree by signing several established Chinese internationals such as Du Wei, Li Yan and Wang Song. The signings seemed to work and the club's results significantly improved throughout the 2010 league campaign, which saw the club achieve their best ever finish of fourth and a chance to play within the 2011 AFC Champions League for the first time.

This club is known for its outstanding football academy and youth training facilities. However, they were relegated to the 2017 China League One after getting second-to-last place in the 2016 Chinese Super League because of their bad performances for the season with only 8 wins in 30 games.

Aimed to take the crown in the football competition of 2017 National Games of China, Hangzhou Greentown adopted a risky youngster-first policy which was more radical than ever. But good wishes were all vain. In 2017, the team struggled near the relegation zone in their first season of China League while the youngsters who formed the Team Zhejiang watched the championship slip away in the final. Young trainer Xu Lei filled in manager Hong Myung-bo's shoes and the team finally ranked 9th in the league. Meanwhile, former player and veteran Jiao Fengbo also returned as the new general manager.

Zhejiang Greentown

On 14 January 2018, the club changed their name to Zhejiang Greentown Football Club for the 20th anniversary of the club. The same season they reached third place in the China League, one place away from returning to the CFA Super League.

Zhejiang Energy Greentown

In September 2020, the team changed their name to Zhejiang Energy Greentown Football Club, as Zhejiang Energy Group stepped in as one of the major shareholders, while Song Weiping officially quit the club.

Rebrand to Zhejiang

On 26 February 2021, According to the requirements of non-corporate change of club name by the Chinese Football Association, after several rounds of discussion and reported to the relevant provincial departments and the Chinese Football Association for review and approval, the club's name changed to Zhejiang Professional Football Club.

Return to the AFC Champions League

Zhejiang finished third in the 2022 Chinese Super League season, which is their highest position they have ever finished in the top tier of the Chinese league saw them qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage after 12 years.

On 20 June 2024, AFC confirmed Zhejiang will participate in the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two group stage. Zhejiang is then drawn in Group F alongside Thailand club Port FC, Singaporean club Lion City Sailors and Indonesian club Persib Bandung.

Name history

Crest history

File:Zhejiang Professional F.C.1998.svg, Zhejiang Green Town logo used between 1998 and 2000
File:Zhejiang Professional F.C.2001.svg, Zhejiang Green Town logo used between 2001 and 2002
File:Zhejiang Professional F.C.2003.svg, Hangzhou Greentown logo used between 2003 and 2018
File:Zhejiang Professional F.C.2019.svg, Zhejiang Greentown logo used between 2019 and 2021
File:Zhejiang Professional F.C.svg, Zhejiang Professional logo used since 2022

Current squad

First team

Reserve team

Out on loan

Notable players

''Players who have played for Zhejiang and represented their nations at senior level.''

* John Jairo Trellez (2001–04)
* Bertin Tomou (2002–03, 2005)
* Argel Fuchs (2007)
* Ng Wai Chiu (2009–10)
* Luis Ramírez (2010–11)
* Kim Dong-jin (2012–13)
* Masashi Oguro (2013)
* Chen Po-liang (2015–19)
* Matthew Spiranovic (2015–17)
* Tim Cahill (2016)
* Roda Antar (2016)
* Sammir (2016)
* Dino Ndlovu (2018–20)
* Nyasha Mushekwi (2019–23)
* Leung Nok Hang (2021–)
* Franko Andrijašević (2021–)
* Jean Evrard Kouassi (2023–)
* Aaron Boupendza (2025)

Coaching staff

''As of 21 February 2025''

Óscar Cano

Managerial history

* Bao Yingfu (22 Jan 1999 – Dec 1999) ''(general coach)''
* Zhu Haibo (May 1999 – Dec 1999)
* Wu Tingrui (Dec 1999 – Jul 2000)
* Zhang Jingtian (18 Jan 2000 – 2000) ''(general coach)''
* Zhou Chenggui (Jul 2000 – Oct 2000)
* Gu Mingchang (23 Dec 2001 – 7 Jul 2001)
* Wang Changtai (8 Jul 2001 – 21 Jul 2001) ''(caretaker)''
* Goran Kalušević (24 Jul 2001 – 28 Aug 2001)
* Wang Changtai (28 Aug 2001 – 6 Oct 2001) ''(caretaker)''
* Bobby Houghton (Jan 2002 – 21 Jul 2003)
* Li Bing (21 Jul 2003 – Dec 2003)
* Wang Zheng (Dec 2003 – 15 May 2007)
* Zhou Suian (15 May 2007 – Dec 2007)
* Sun Wei (Dec 2007 – 21 Apr 2008)
* Zhou Suian (21 Apr 2008 – 21 Sept 2009)
* Wu Jingui (21Sept 2009 – Nov 2011)
*Team Committee (16 Oct 2011 – Nov 2011)
* Takeshi Okada (15 Dec 2011 – 5 Nov 2013)
* Yang Ji (6 Nov 2013 – 4 Nov 2014)
* Philippe Troussier (2 Dec 2014 – 1 Jul 2015)
* Yang Ji (1 Jul 2015 – Nov 2015)
* Hong Myung-bo (17 Dec 2015 – 25 May 2017)
* Zdravko Zdravkov (25 May 25, 2017 – Nov 2017) ''(caretaker)''
* Sergi Barjuán (26 Nov 2017 – 3 July 2019)
* Zheng Xiong (3 July 2019 – 31 Dec 2020)
* Jordi Vinyals (1 Jan 2021 – 31 December 2024)
* Raúl Caneda (29 Jan 2025 – )

Grounds

Records

* Most league points in a season: 74 (China League, season 2021)
* Record victory: 6–0 v Tianjin Lifei (Jia B, 21 April 2001)
* Record defeat: 0–6 v Changchun Yatai (Jia B, 6 October 2001)
* Record attendance: 48,000 v Shanghai Zhongyuan (Jia B, 19 May 2001)
* Most league appearances: Cao Xuan (221)
* Top scorer: Nyasha Mushekwi (43 goals)
* Top league scorer: Nyasha Mushekwi (42 goals)
* Most league goals scored by a player in a season: Nyasha Mushekwi (23 goals, China League, season 2021)

Honours

Major

League

* Chinese Super League
** Third: 2022, 2023
* China League One
**Runners-up: 2006, 2020
**Third: 2005, 2018, 2021

Cup

* CFA Cup
**Runners-up: 2022
**Third: 2002 (shared), 2006 (shared)

Minor / Reserve / Youth

* CSL Reserve League
** Third: 2014
* CSL Elite League (U19)
** Champion: 2015
* China League Reserve League
** Runners-up: 2017
* National Games of China
**Champions: 2021 (U20)
**Runners-up: 2017 (U20), 2013 (U18)
**Third: 2013 (U20)

Results

All-time League rankings

''As of the end of 2024 season.''
Bought the first team of Jilin Aodong as well as their position in second tier.

Two CSL clubs were involved in match-fixing scandal and relegated to China League, so Hangzhou Greentown could stay at top level.

Failed to achieve promotion in the play-off.

Promotion was achieved via the play-off.

''Key''

* Pld = Played
* W = Games won
* D = Games drawn
* L = Games lost
* F = Goals for
* A = Goals against
* Pts = Points
* Pos = Final position

* DNQ = Did not qualify
* DNE = Did not enter
* NH = Not Held
* â€“ = Does Not Exist
* R1 = Round 1
* R2 = Round 2
* R3 = Round 3
* R4 = Round 4

* F = Final
* SF = Semi-finals
* QF = Quarter-finals
* R16 = Round of 16
* Group = Group stage
* GS2 = Second Group stage
* QR1 = First Qualifying Round
* QR2 = Second Qualifying Round
* QR3 = Third Qualifying Round

Feeder teams

* Hangzhou Luyuan (1999–2003) outh team of Zhejiang Green Town FC** 2000, 2001 Chinese Yi League
* Ningbo Huaao (2006) outh team of Zhejiang Green Town FC** 2006 China D2 League
* Wenzhou Provenza (2011) 19 team of Hangzhou Greentown FC** 2011 China D2 League

International friendlies

* On 26 July 2009, Manchester United visited the Huanglong Stadium and played a friendly against Hangzhou Greentown as part of their pre-season Asian tour. Manchester United won by 8 goals to 2.
* On 16 July 2011, Arsenal visited the Meihu Stadium and played a friendly against Hangzhou Greentown as part of their pre-season Asian tour. The game was drawn 1–1.
* Zhejiang Greentown also played two friendly games at the Mini Estadi in 2017 and 2019, against FC Barcelona B with the Spanish side won 1-0 and 3-1 respectively.

Continental results

Kit history

Rivals

Because there are not many football clubs based on Zhejiang in history, Zhejiang FC has rarely been able to have a rival in the province for a long time. In 2017, after being relegated to China League, Hangzhou Greentown briefly had a 2-seasons Zhejiang derby with Zhejiang Yiteng but only won 1 out of 4 matches. More often than not, Zhejiang FC has a stronger rivalry with other teams of the same level in the Wu Chinese region, particularly Shanghai Shenhua, and Shanghai Zhongyuan historically.

References

External links

*

{{Chinese Super League

Football clubs in China
Association football clubs established in 1998
1998 establishments in China
Sport in Hangzhou
Football clubs in Hangzhou
Football clubs in Zhejiang
Chinese Super League clubs
China League One clubs