Green Archers United F.C.
Green Archers United Futbol Club, formerly known as Alabang Grins Futbol Club, was a Filipino professional association football club based in Lipa, Batangas, Philippines. The team last played in the 2019 season of the Philippines Football League, the top-level league in the Philippines. They have also participated in the United Football League.
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| Full name | Green Archers United Futbol Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Archers Green Archers | ||
| Short name | GAU | ||
| Founded | 1998, as Alabang Grins F.C. | ||
| Dissolved | 2020 | ||
| Ground | Aboitiz Pitch | ||
| Capacity | 1,500 | ||
| Chairman | Jose Ramon Garcia | ||
| Head coach | Joel Villarino | ||
| League | Philippines Football League | ||
| 2019 | Philippines Football League, 4th of 7 | ||
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It was founded in 1998 by football players from the De La Salle University, which are known as the "Green Archers" in the UAAP.
History
2012 UFL season
Green Archers United is one of the founding members of the United Football League and playing in Division 1 since the league started as semi-professional in 2009. In 2012 UFL season, they finished 8th in the table.
Green Archers United finished 4th in the 2012 UFL Cup. They were beaten by eventual champions Stallion (1–3) in the semi-finals[1] and 3rd placed Loyola (1–4) in the 3rd place play-off.[2]
2013 PFF National Men's Club Championship
The Green Archers United qualified in the 2013 PFF National Men's Club Championship Round of 16[3] after they ranked in the Top 10 of 2012 UFL Cup. They finished 4th in 2013 PFF National Men's Club Championship after they were beaten by Kaya in the 3rd place play-offs.
Weekend Futbol League Elite
Green Archers United was among the teams that applied to participate in the inaugural season of the Philippines Football League (PFL) in 2017 but later decided to withdraw its application.[4] The club decision was due to uncertainties in raising funds to pay for the leagues ₱4.5 million franchise fee and expressed readiness in joining if club finds the league's rules as consistent enough. Instead of playing in the PFL inaugural season, the club decided to play in the Weekend Futbol League Elite finishing as runners-up to Kaya FC-Makati's reserves in the 2017 season.[5]
Philippines Football League
Green Archers United formally expressed interest to join the Philippine Premier League (PPL), the intended successor league of the Philippines Football League (PFL) in December 2018[6] Their only match in the short-lived PPL which only had one match day was a 0–3 loss to Kaya–Iloilo on April 27, 2019.[7] The PPL folded when the Philippine Football Federation withdrew its sanction of the league's operators and decided to revive the PFL within the same year.
The club was among the seven teams to participate in the 2019 season of the revived PFL league. They decided to enter the league after withdrawing its plans to do the same for the inaugural season of the PFL in 2017. This is due to a more lenient finance policies imposed in the 2019 season, which allowed freedom for clubs to sign in more sponsors than in previous iterations of the PFL. Green Archers United considered designating the Aboitiz Pitch in Lipa, Batangas, the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona, Cavite, and the Rizal Memorial Stadium as its home venue starting the 2019 PFL season.[8] The Green Archers decided to set the Lipa facility as their home venue, with their 4–0 win over Philippine Air Force on August 4, 2019 as their first official home match.[9]
Green Archers United decided not participate in 2020 season citing unsatisfactory media coverage of the PFL during the 2019 season.[10] Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has disbanded.[11]
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt partner |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Unknown | Orient Freight International |
| 2010–11 | Comadore Sports and Leisure | Orient Freight International |
| 2011–15 | LGR | Globe Telecom1 Orient Freight, Mobil12 |
| 2015–16 | Mizuno | Globe Telecom1 Orient Freight International, Mobil12 |
| 2016–2017 | LGR | Globe Telecom1 Orient Freight International2 |
| 2019–present | Cutz Apparel | Globe Telecom1 Orient Freight International2 |
- 1Major shirt sponsor (names located at the front of the shirt).
- 2Secondary sponsor (names mostly located at the back of the shirt).
Players
First team squad
- As of 26 June 2019
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Foreign players
In the Philippine Premier League, there can be at up to four non-Filipino nationals in a team as long as they are registered. Foreign players who have acquired permanent residency can be registered as locals.
Henry Bandeken- Fredy Mbang
- Joel Okono
Stephen Appiah
Records
| Season | Division | Tms. | Pos. | National Cup | League Cup | Other Cups | International |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | 1 | 8 | 7th | Quarter-finals | |||
| 2010–11 | 1 | 7 | 6th | Group stage | |||
| 2011–12 | 1 | 10 | 8th | DNQ | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2012–13 | 1 | 10 | 6th | Fourth | Fourth | Third | DNQ |
| 2013–14 | 1 | 9 | 5th | — | Third | Quarter-finals | — |
| 2014–15 | 1 | 10 | 6th | DNQ | Quarter-finals | Group stage | DNQ |
| 2016 | 1 | 12 | 7th | Quarter-finals | DNQ | ||
| 2019 | 1 | 7 | 4th | Group stage | — |
- Key
- Tms. = Number of teams
- Pos. = Position in league
- TBD = To be determined
- DNQ = Did not qualify
Note: Performances of the club indicated here was after the UFL created (as a semi-pro league) in 2009.
Head coaches
Coaches by years (2011–present)
| Name | Nat | Period | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rodolfo Alicante |  |
2011–2018 | UFL Cup Third 2013 |
| Joel Villarino | |
2019– | |
Honors
Leagues
- WFL Elite Futbol League
- Champions (1): 2018
- Runners-up (1): 2017
References
- "Stallion dispatches tough Archers side to book first UFL Finals match". UFL Philippines. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- Moore, Roy (18 December 2012). "UFL Cup: Sparks run through Archers to claim third place". gmanetwork.com. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- Manahan, John Paul (4 January 2013). "PFF-SMART Club Nationals Round of 16 set next". SoccercentralPh.com. Soccer Central Philippines. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- "PFL to be launched on April 22". 19 February 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- Estrada, Kevin (8 January 2018). "GAU laments Meralco Manila's folding, calls PFF to review PFL admission requirements". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- Sevilla, Jeremiah (27 December 2018). "Green Archers U eye to join PPL". Manila Times. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- "PPL proceeds with season opener; Kaya wins while Air Force, Mendiola draw". BusinessWorld. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- Saldajeno, Ivan (24 May 2019). "GAU finally joins PFL in 3rd season". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- Saldajeno, Ivan Stewart (5 August 2019). "GAU romps Air Force in 1st home game". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- Saldajeno, Ivan Stewart (9 January 2020). "Green Archers United begs off from PFL 2020". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- Olivares, Rick (28 July 2020). "Usapang Football with Hans Smit". Facebook (Podcast). Event occurs at 1:17:00. Retrieved 24 August 2020.