Al Ain Football Club

Founded in 1968 in Al Ain, Al Ain Football Club is the winner of the 2003 Asian Champions League and the first and only UAE club to win the AFC Champions League. It is also the 9-time champion of the UAE Pro League. HH General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, is the President of the club and Chairman of Honorary Board. In addition to Football, the club has later expanded to volleyball, handball, basketball, athletics and swimming, among others. Both the 15,000-seater Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium and Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium belong to Al Ain Football Club.

 

Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club was established in 1968 in Al Ain city, Abu Dhabi. It has evolved to become one of the most decorated sports club in the UAE. Football was the first activity offered by the club. However, as the popularity of the club grew it registered teams in volleyball, handball, basketball, athletics, swimming, and other competitions. In all endeavors the achievements of these teams upheld the club’s mission to be ranked one of the best sport clubs in the world.

With the advent of professionalism in sports, the club has taken on a new challenge to expand its administrative and commercial horizons to capitalize on the commercial interest in sports.

Al Ain Football Club

Al Ain Football Club, transliterated: Nady al-'Ayn

Sport in the United Arab Emirates is widely practiced by the people of the UAE. Football is the most popular sport in the UAE. Among the notable UAE sports achievements is the 2002–03 AFC Champions League won by Al Ain FC who also finished second in the 2005 AFC Champions League. The UAE qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals for the first and only time so far in 1990, the fourth Middle-Eastern country to have qualified for the World Cup after first Egypt ( qualified for Italy in 1934 ), then, Kuwait (qualified for Spain in 1982), and Iraq (qualified for Mexico again in 1986).

                                   

Football is the most popular sport in the UAE. The United Arab Emirates Football Association was first established in 1968 and since then has dedicated its time and effort to promoting the game, organizing youth programs and improving the abilities of not only its players, but of the officials and coaches involved with its regional teams. The UAE national football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1990 with Egypt. It was the third consecutive World Cup with two Arab nations qualifying after Kuwait and Algeria in 1982 and Iraq and Algeria again in 1986.

The UAE national team won the 2005 Kirin Cup, sharing the cup with Peru after a 1–0 victory over the host country Japan. The UAE team played a four-team friendly in Switzerland in July 2005, in which they beat both Qatar and Kuwait but lost 5–4 on penalties in the final against Egypt. In 2003, the UAE was the host nation of the FIFA U-20 World Cup between November and December 2003. In April, Dubai Holding agreed to provide the national team with Dh20 million (US$5.45 million) sponsorship money over the next four years. The fund will also go towards developing the sport.

The UAE also recently won the Gulf Cup of Nations held in Abu Dhabi in January 2007. The UAE are currently ranked 110th in the world according to the FIFA World Rankings. Abu Dhabi United Group have recently purchased Manchester City Football Club. A Dubai consortium known as DIC (Dubai International Capital) is also interested in buying the English Premier League club, Liverpool F.C. The UAE U-16 national football team qualified for the 2009 Youth World Cup which was held in Nigeria. The UAE U-19 national football team was also qualified for the World Youth Cup finals to be held in Egypt the year after.

H.H First General Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and

Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces

Al Ain Club President - Honorary Board President

                      H.H Sheikh Hazaa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

                                                                             Al Ain Club First Deputy President

H.H Sheikh Tahnon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Al Ain Club Second Deputy President

Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohd Bin Khaled Al Nehayan

Board Of Directors Chairman of Al Ain Club Football Company

H.E Rashed Mubarak Al Hajeri

Vice Chairman of Board of Directors of Al Ain Club Football Company