Rovers FC (Guam)
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| Full name | Rovers Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Rovers |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Ground | Guam National Training Facility |
| President | Pedro Walls |
| Manager | Joel Sablan |
| League | Guam Soccer League |
| 2015–16 | 1st |
| Website | Club home page |
Rovers Club International (Rovers FC) is a relatively new amateur Football Association club based in Guam, Marianas Islands. Rovers FC participates in Division 1 of the Budweiser Guam Mens Soccer League (BGMSL) the top tier island-wide football competition. Rovers FC also includes a Division 2 and Masters (40+) squad as well as a women’s squad (Lady Rovers) and an expanding youth program.
Guam is a United States Territory, but is an independent Football Association under FIFA that participates in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The Guam Football Association (GFA) is headed by President Mr. Richard K. Lai. The President of the club is Mr. Pedro Walls.
Rovers FC was founded in 2009 through the common interest and shared vision of four passionate amateur Masters-level footballers who committed to embarking on the development of a premiere football club to challenge the island’s historically dominant clubs. The masters (40+) team provided the foundation of the club and immediately paid dividends with success in 2009–10 and numerous fruitful results in travels to Saipan in the Northern Marianas and Hong Kong. Plans for the club’s growth were cultivated during the many trips abroad for friendlies. In 2010, a Rovers FC Division 2 team was established in the Guam Football Association Men’s League. After finishing 1st, 2nd, and 1st, a decision was made in 2013 to finally enter the top level on the island through the development of a Division 1 squad. Here is a link to GFA Men's Divisions I current standings.
This bottom up approach was successful and the Rovers FC D1 team secured a “double” by finishing as champions in their first year in the BGMSL and winning the Guam Football Association Cup in 2014. The Rovers FC D1 squad repeated as Division 1 champions again in 2015 securing the privilege to participate in regional AFC competitions such as the AFC President’s Cup (AFC CL for “emerging nations”) and now in the AFC Cup Qualifying Playoffs which has replaced the AFC President’s Cup (2016 AFC Cup). The club’s rise mirrored national team success which has seen the Guam National Team move from FIFA ranking 201 to 146 over the previous five years.
On many occasions the Rovers FC has travelled to Hong Kong and Saipan with future plans to travel to the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other destinations. The Rovers FC also has plans to continue to springboard to new competitions in regional locations by becoming the very first Guam club to take part in an official AFC Tournament, the AFC Cup Qualifying Play-offs. In the 2016 AFC Cup Qualifying Play-offs, Rovers FC competed against Dordoi FC, the champions of Kyrgyzstan's premier league, and Benfica de Macau, the champions of Macau's premier league.
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