 | |||
| Full name | Alpha United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hammer | ||
| Founded | 1994 | ||
| Ground | Bourda Cricket Ground | ||
| Capacity | 10,000 | ||
| President | Odinga Lumumba | ||
| Head Coach | Wayne Dover | ||
| League | GFF Elite League | ||
| 2019 | 1st | ||
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Alpha United Football Club is a Guyanese football club based in Providence. The club competes in the GFF Elite League, the top league of football in Guyana. They were league champions in the 2009–10, 2010, 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, 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, which they earned a berth into through winning the National Super League.[1]
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.[2] 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.[3]
In their previous match, Alpha United met with the Puerto Rico Islanders 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.[4]
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, The Hammer lost to Haiti's Tempête FC in their 1st Round home and away tie. In 2010, they were eliminated by Trinidad and Tobago's San Juan Jabloteh in the 2nd Round Group Stage.
- ^ "2011 CFU-CC: Alpha United & Guyana Defence Force to represent Guyana". Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
- ^ 2011 CFU-CC: Guyana's Alpha grabs next-to-last CCL spot Archived 2011-06-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "2011 CFU-CC: Historic Alpha United advance to CONCACAF Champions League playoff". Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
- ^ "2011 CFU-CC: Alpha United hammered by The Islanders". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-05-29.