Shaanxi Union F.C.

History

The club was founded in October 2013 as Xi'an Huilong Football Club and initially played in Shaanxi FA amateur leagues under the names Xi'an Huilong or Shaanxi Huilong. In 2018 it entered the CMCL, and in 2019 it competed in the Sina Golden Futsal League. The club moved to Binzhou, Shaanxi in March 2020 and became Binzhou Huilong. The original Binzhou Huilong team formed a separate club, Xianyang Binzhou Huilong F.C., which finished fourth in the 2023 Shaanxi National Super League.

Binzhou Huilong was admitted into the 2023 CMCL via a Shaanxi FA berth, competing as Shaanxi Binzhou Huilong Football Club Everyday Chain Team. Under manager Huang Yong, the team topped its group in the Rizhao regional round. On 10 May 2023 the club was rebranded as Shaanxi Chang'an Union. In the CMCL final round, Union drew 1–1 with Dalian Huayi; Huang Yong was removed as manager on 6 September 2023, and former Athletic manager Óscar Céspedes took over the next day.

Club identity

The name 'Union' reflects a hope to unite all forces. Shaanxi Union inherited the red shirt and navy shorts colour scheme of Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic for its first kits in 2023. A Weibo poll in June 2023 showed black as the most popular home kit colour among supporters, followed by red and yellow. The club is nicknamed the Northwest Wolves, and a well-known chant is 'Shaanxi dui, Xibeilang!' (陕西队, 西北狼!).

Another motto is 'the People's Club for the people' (人民球队为人民). During the Xi'an Huilong and Binzhou Huilong eras, the badges featured a Chinese dragon, referencing the word 'long' (dragon). In the 2023 CMCL season, Shaanxi Chang'an Union used a modified version of the former Athletic badge. A new badge, voted by fans, was unveiled in July 2023; it depicts a shield with stylised letters S and C forming a U, a Xibeilang at the centre, and battlements atop the word 'Union' referencing the Xi'an City Wall.

The mascot, a gray wolf named Union (stylised as UNION), wears the number 12 shirt and was unveiled on 8 December 2023. The club anthem, 'Union Union' by Liang Hongrui, was chosen on 30 December 2023 after two rounds of voting.

Stadium and training ground

On 22 July 2023, Shaanxi Chang'an Union played a friendly against Uzbekistan Super League side FC Surkhon Termez at the Yulin Sports Center, its first match in Shaanxi province. During the 2023 season, all competitive home matches were played at the Weinan Sports Center Stadium, though three of the four final round matches were scheduled for a renovated Shaanxi Province Stadium.

On 17 September 2023, a home CMCL game against Guangzhou E-Power drew 26,156 spectators, a Chinese fourth-tier attendance record. On 20 February 2024, the club announced it would play home matches at the Shaanxi Province Stadium for the first stage of the 2024 season and at the Xi'an International Football Center for the second stage, but on 20 April 2024 it moved back to Weinan. Since 2023, the training ground has been Fengdong Football Park in Xi'an's Chang'an District.

Support

In January 2023, Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic launched a membership campaign to pay off debt, raising nearly ¥10 million from about 8,000 supporters in one day. In July 2023, a contest for the new club crest was decided by supporter vote, with all candidates designed by fans. In August 2023, the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai Northwest Wolves Supporters' Group funded a team bus.

On 28 August 2023, the club opened its official flagship store near Shaanxi Province Stadium. Known as 'the People's Club', Shaanxi Union is sometimes compared in Chinese media to 1. FC Union Berlin for its fan-initiated revival and similar name.

Did You Know?

• Shaanxi Union's largest win was a 10–0 victory over Changle Jingangtui on 24 September 2023 in the CMCL.
• The youngest player to appear for the first team is Nureli Tursunali, aged 19 years and 6 days, in a China League Two match on 23 March 2024.
• On 16 September 2023, Qin Ying Sports became the major shareholder with 65% equity, while supporters held 35%.