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| Full name | Qingdao Hainiu Football Club 青岛海牛足球俱乐部 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Hainiu (Sea Bull, 海牛) | ||
| Founded | 1990 (as Shandong Economic and Trade Commission F.C.) 31 December 1993 (as Qingdao Hainiu F.C.) | ||
| Ground | Qingdao Youth Football Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 50,000 | ||
| Owner | Qingdao Jonoon Group | ||
| Chairman | Qiao Weiguang | ||
| Manager | Yasen Petrov | ||
| League | Chinese Super League | ||
| 2024 | Chinese Super League, 13th of 16 | ||
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Qingdao Hainiu Football Club (Chinese: 青岛海牛足球俱乐部; pinyin: Qīngdǎo Hǎiniú Zúqiú Jùlèbù; lit. 'Qingdao Sea Bull F.C.') is a Chinese professional football club based in Qingdao, Shandong, that competes in the Chinese Super League, the top tier of Chinese football. Qingdao Hainiu plays its home matches at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium, located within Chengyang District. Their current owners are the privately owned cable manufacturers Qingdao Jonoon Group.
The club was founded as Shandong Economic and Trade Commission Football Club in 1990 and started at the bottom of the Chinese football league pyramid in the third tier. On December 31, 1993, they became the first professional club in Qingdao and changed its name to Qingdao Manatee. They went on to establish themselves as a top-tier club and won their first major trophy in 2002 by winning the Chinese FA Cup on November 16, 2002, when they beat Liaoning Bird. In the mid-2010s the club started to decline and fell down two leagues, being relegated twice in 4 seasons.