Zhejiang Professional F.C. (original) (raw)

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Association football club in China

Football club

Zhejiang Pro

Full name	Zhejiang Professional Football Club浙江职业足球俱乐部
Nickname(s)	Green Giants (绿巨人)[1]
Founded	14 January 1998; 26 years ago (1998-01-14) (as Zhejiang Green Town)
Ground	Huanglong Sports Center, Hangzhou
Capacity	51,971
Owner	Greentown China (50%) Zhejiang Energy Group (50%)
Chairman	Zhang Weidong
Head coach	Jordi Vinyals
League	Chinese Super League
2024	Chinese Super League, 7th of 16
Website	www.zhejiangfc1998.com
Home colours Away colours

Zhejiang Professional Football Club (Chinese: 浙江职业足球俱乐部; pinyin: Zhèjiāng Zhíyè Zúqiú Jùlèbù), commonly referred to as Zhejiang FC or simply Zhejiang, is a Chinese professional football club based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, that competes in the Chinese Super League, the top tier of Chinese football. 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.

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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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%.[2]

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.[5] 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.[6]

AFC Champions League debut

[edit]

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.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9]

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.

On 14 January 2018, the club changed their name to Zhejiang Greentown Football Club for the 20th anniversary of the club.[10] The same season they reached third place in the China League, one place away from returning to the CFA Super League.

Zhejiang Energy Greentown

[edit]

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.[11]

Rebrand to Zhejiang

[edit]

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.[12]

Return to the AFC Champions League

[edit]

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.

• 
  Zhejiang Green Town logo used between 1998 and 2000
• 
  Zhejiang Green Town logo used between 2001 and 2002
• 
  Hangzhou Greentown logo used between 2003 and 2018
• 
  Zhejiang Greentown logo used between 2019 and 2021
• 
  Zhejiang Professional logo used since 2022

As of 16 August 2024[13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

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

As of 18 May 2022

Position	Staff
Head coach	Jordi Vinyals
Assistant coach	Javier Almarza Tan Yang Shen Kui
Team leader	Li Lei
Press officer	Yang Zheng
Goalkeeping coach	Salvador Miracle
Fitness coach	Adolfo Abad
Technical analyst	Wang Dongliang
Team doctor	Daniel Saez Irurre Weng Hui
Epidemic prevention officer	Zhang Chenxi
Translator	Chen Shuo Tang Mingming Qu Juncheng
Team service	Wang Jian Li Zheng Zheng Yixin

As of Beginning of 2022 Chinese league season[14][15]

• 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)
• Chinese Super League
  • Third: 2022, 2023
• China League One
  • Runners-up: 2006,[16] 2020
  • Third: 2005, 2018, 2021
• CFA Cup
  • Runners-up: 2022
  • Third: 2002 (shared), 2006 (shared)

Minor / Reserve / Youth

[edit]

• 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)

All-time League rankings

As of the start of 2024 season.[17][18]

^1 Bought the first team of Jilin Aodong as well as their position in second tier.

^2 Two CSL clubs were involved in match-fixing scandal and relegated to China League, so Hangzhou Greentown could stay at top level.

^3 Failed to achieve promotion in the play-off.

^4 Promotion was achieved via the play-off.

Key

• Hangzhou Luyuan (1999–2003) [Youth team of Zhejiang Green Town FC]
  • 2000, 2001 Chinese Yi League
• Ningbo Huaao (2006) [Youth team of Zhejiang Green Town FC]
  • 2006 China D2 League
• Wenzhou Provenza (2011) [U19 team of Hangzhou Greentown FC]
  • 2011 China D2 League

International friendlies

[edit]

• 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.[20] 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.[21] 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

[edit]

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.

1. ^ "杭州绿城战平河南建业". Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau (in Chinese). 26 May 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2024. 这个晚上顶着莫大压力出战的"绿巨人"
2. ^ a b "绿城介绍". GreenTown Football Club Inc. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
3. ^ "China League Tables 2000". RSSSF. 19 Jun 2003. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
4. ^ "China League Tables 2001". RSSSF. 19 Jun 2003. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
5. ^ "China League Tables 2006". RSSSF. 8 Mar 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
6. ^ "天上掉馅饼重庆力帆偷着乐 狂喜之外更感到自身差距". sports.sina.com.cn. 24 Feb 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
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8. ^ "China League Tables 2010". RSSSF. 10 Dec 2010. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
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10. ^ "里程碑!绿城迎20周年庆典 正式更名为浙江绿城". Sina. 2018-01-14. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
11. ^ "浙江绿城更名浙江能源绿城 宋卫平彻底放弃股权". sina.com.cn. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
12. ^ "公告 | 浙江能源绿城足球俱乐部正式更名为浙江职业足球俱乐部". Archived from the original on 2022-12-13. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
13. ^ "2023赛季浙江队大名单". 懂球帝. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
14. ^ "Hangzhou Greentown " Manager history". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
15. ^ "Hangzhou Greentown". footballzz.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
16. ^ "CHINA LEAGUE ONE – 2006". uk.soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
17. ^ "China League History". RSSSF. 22 Oct 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
18. ^ "杭州绿城". sodasoccer.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
19. ^ 2000年中乙联赛决赛阶段比赛名次 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine fa.org.cn 2013-04-30 Retrieved 2016-12-20
20. ^ "China friendly announced". Manutd.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
21. ^ "Arsenal announces pre-season game in China". Arsenal.com. 25 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.

• Official website (in Chinese)