Al Ain FC
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| Full name | Al-Ain Football Club نادي العين لكرة القدم |
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| Nickname(s) | الزعيم (The Leader) |
| Founded | August 1968 |
| Ground | Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium |
| Capacity | 22,717 |
| President | Mohammed Bin Zayed |
| Manager | Zoran Mamić |
| League | UAE Pro-League |
| 2015–16 | UAE Pro-League, 2nd |
| Website | Club home page |
| Capacity | 25,000 |
|---|---|
| Field size | 45 m × 50 m (148 ft × 164 ft) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 14 January 2014 |
| Architect | Pattern Design Limited (2014) |
Al-Ain Football Club (Arabic: نادي العين لكرة القدم; transliterated: Nady al-'Ayn) or Al-Ain FC or simply Al-Ain is a professional football club, based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of many sport sections of the multi-sports club Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club (Arabic: نادي العين الرياضي الثقافي) Al Ain SCC for short.
The club was founded in 1968 by players from Al Ain, members of a Bahraini group of exchange students and the Sudanese community working in the United Arab Emirates.
Al Ain is by far the most successful club in the UAE. The team quickly gained popularity and recognition throughout the country, being the team with the most tournament titles (33 in total). Al Ain has won a record 12 [UAE Arabian Gulf League] titles, 6 President's Cups, 3 Federation Cups, 1 Arabian Gulf Cup, a record 5 Super Cups, two Abu Dhabi Championship Cups, one Joint League Cup, Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup, Gulf Club Champions Cup and AFC Champions League. The club is the first and only UAE side so far to win the AFC Champions League.
In 1971, a group of young men learned the rules of the game by watching British soldiers playing football and formed their own team. The first pitch was very simple and small, taking the shape of a square sandy plot of land on the main street near the Clock Roundabout in Al Ain.
In August 1971, the club was officially established, taking its name from that of the city. The founders thought it was necessary to have a permanent headquarters for the club and rented a house on the current Khalifa Road for club meetings. The club's founders took responsibility for all the club's affairs, from planning the stadium to cleaning the club headquarters and washing the kit. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was approached for assistance and he provided the club with a permanent headquarters in the Al Jahili district and a Land Rover to serve the club and the team. Al Ain made a successful debut by beating a team made up of British soldiers and went on to play friendly matches against other Abu Dhabi clubs. In 1971, the team played their first match against international opposition when they were defeated 7–1 by the Egyptian club Ismaily in a friendly match for the war effort. In 1971, a group members of the club (Hadher Khalaf Al Muhairi, Saleem Al Khudhrawi, Mohammed Khalaf Al Muhairi and Mahmoud Fadhlullah) broke away and founded Al Tadhamun Club. In 1971, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan provided the club with new headquarters with modern specifications: the Khalifa Stadium in Al Sarooj district. In 1972, Al Ain a friendly in the UAE against the leading Brazilian team São Paulo ended in a 13–0 win for the South American visitors. In 1974 Al Ain combined with the breakaway Al Tadhamun, to form the Al Ain Sports Club. The first board of directors of the club was formed after the merger under the chairmanship Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri.
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