A.F.C. Leopards
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A.F.C. Leopards
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| Full name | All Footballers' Confederation Leopards Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Ingwe (The Leopards) | ||
| Founded | 1964 | ||
| Ground | Nyayo Stadium Nairobi, Kenya (Capacity: 30,000) |
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| Chairman | Alex Ole Magelo | ||
| Coach | Jan Koops | ||
| League | Kenya Premier League | ||
| 2011 | Kenyan Premier League, 5th | ||
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The All Footballers' Confederation Leopards Football Club, officially abbreviated as A.F.C. Leopards and commonly known as simply A.F.C., the Leopards or Ingwe (Luhya for "the Leopards"), is a professional football club based in Nairobi, Kenya and founded in 1964. It is a popular team, mainly because it has won the Kenyan Premier League a joint record 12 times, along with arch-rivals Gor Mahia. Its home stadium is the Nyayo National Stadium.
Despite being based in Nairobi, the bedrock of its support is in Western Kenya.
Their encounters with arch-rivals Gor Mahia are assumed to be "thrillers", and because of the passion of the fans the derby is considered to be the most intense and famous one in the region. A.F.C. is considered an African powerhouse because of its numerous continental appearances and its dominance in the CECAFA Clubs Cup, in addition to its dazzling array of formidable players.
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History
A.F.C. Leopards' standing as one of the most successful clubs in the region is underlined by the fact that it has won the Kenyan Premier League a record 12 times and the Kenya Cup 6 times, and the CECAFA Club Championship 5 times.
The club was formed in 1964 as Abaluhya United F.C. when a number of small clubs amalgamated.[1] The name was changed to Abaluhya F.C. and later to All Footballers' Confederation Leopards, still maintaining the "A.F.C." initials (and became A.F.C. Leopards) in 1980, when the Government of Kenya banned tribal names (Abaluhya refers to the Luhya tribe). Like many other traditional Kenyan clubs, A.F.C. Leopards faced severe financial difficulties due to mismanagement. Controversies surrounding the conduct of the premier league ended with the club being relegated albeit controversially. In this regard it did not participate in any league in 2007 but took part in the low key KFF Community Cup, which marked its resurgence. In 2008 they played in the Nationwide League and won the title in their zone. They returned to the Kenyan Premier League for the 2009 season in which it also won the KFF Cup.[2]
Support
A.F.C. Leopards has a large and diverse fanbase. The club is arguably the biggest and most popular football club in not only Kenya but also in Eastern Africa, with 9 million estimated supporters locally. These fans are composed into a number of Supporters' Branches spread all over the country. At present the club still retains higher average attendances than all other clubs in the Kenyan Premier League. Their first match upon return to the 2009 season of the Premier League had to be stopped because of insecurity occasioned by the collapsing of the perimeter fence due to an enormous crowd of its supporters in and outside the ground.
In March 2011, a group of the club's supporters established a democratically accountable supporters' trust; the Club of Leopards' Active and Wise Supporters' Trust (The C.L.A.W.S. Trust or simply Claws, going with the leopard image). It has a legal constitution with a wide range of objectives. Its objectives can be summarized as aiming to represent the interests of A.F.C. Leopards supporters to the club's management, the media, the local community including corporate partners and the football world, as well as encouraging football in the local community and strengthening the links between the local community and the club.
Achievements
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- 1966, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1998.
- FA Cup of Kenya/Kenya Challenge Cup/Moi Golden Cup/Transparency Cup/President's Cup/KFF Cup/FKL Cup: 8
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- As Abaluhya F.C. - 1967, 1968
- As A.F.C. Leopards - 1984, 1985, 1991, 1994, 2001, 2009
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- As Abaluhya F.C. - 1979
- As A.F.C. Leopards - 1982, 1983, 1984, 1997.
Performance in CAF competitions
African Cup of Champions Clubs/CAF Champions League
- First round exits: 1971, 1972, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1993, 1999
- Second round exits: 1989
- Quarter-final exits: 1974, 1990
- Semi-final exits: 1968
CAF Confederation Cup
- Preliminary round exits: 2010
CAF Cup
- Quarter-final exits: 1994, 1997
CAF Cup Winners' Cup
- First round exits: 1992, 2002
- Second round exits: 1986
- Quarter-final exits: 1988
- Semi-final exits: 1985
Players
Current squad
- As of 2012[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
- Francis Kadenge
- J.J. Masiga
- Joe Kadenge
- Josphat Murila
- Muhmoud Abbas
- Mickey Weche
Current technical staff
| Position | Name |
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| Manager | Bernard Onyango |
| Head coach | Jan Koops |
| Assistant coach | Mickey Weche |
| Goalkeeper coach | Mohammed Fwaya |
| Technical Advisor | Noah Wanyama |
See also
References
- ^ Daily Nation, January 5, 2004: Oyugi speaks on state of soccer
- ^ Kenyafootball, November 17, 2008: AFC Leopards confirmed for 2009 Premier League
- ^ "Squad". A.F.C. Leopards. http://www.afcleopards.net/index.php?id=566. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- The Standard, July 23, 2006:Once proud ‘Ingwe’ bite relegation bullet
- Kenya Premier League,February 8, 2009 :Over-flowing crowds finally a 'crisis'? Hope Centre ground fails to cope
External links
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