Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
Full name | Nadi Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Riyadhi | |||
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Nickname(s) | Al-Soqoor (The Falcons) | |||
Founded | 22 April 1931 | as Gipsy Moth|||
Ground | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Stadium | |||
Capacity | 10,000 | |||
Chairman | Anwar Hamad Ameen | |||
Manager | Basim Qasim | |||
League | Iraqi Premier League | |||
2015–16 | Iraqi Premier League, 4th | |||
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Nadi Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Riyadhi (Air Force Sports Club, Arabic: نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي) is an Iraqi football club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest existing football club in Iraq. It is also one of Iraq's most successful clubs, having won ten national titles, the most recent being in the 2004–05 season. The club has won four Iraq FA Cups, including the most recent edition in 2016, as well as a joint-record three Umm Al-Ma'arik Cups and two Iraqi Super Cups. It is also one of only two clubs to win all four of the aforementioned trophies in the same season (the 1996–97 season).
On the continental level, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya has won one major honour which was the AFC Cup in 2016 which saw them become the third Iraqi club to win a major continental club competition, the others being Al-Shorta and Al-Rasheed. The Falcons have participated in the AFC Champions League three times since its foundation in 2002, but failed to advance past the group stage each time, and the furthest they have reached in the Arab Club Championship is the quarter-final in the 2012–13 edition.
History
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya is Arabic for "Air Force". It was the first club to be found in Iraq on July 4, 1931. It was founded under the name of "Gipsy Moth," by a group of Iraqi flight policemen from the Hinaidi RAF Base. Al-Jawiya played its first match one day after it was founded, on July 5 against another military team from the Habbaniya RAF Base (50 miles west of Baghdad). Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya renamed its club to Al-Tayaran (Airlines) in 1974 and decided to revert to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in 1991.
Stadium
Al-Jawiya's stadium is located in Baghdad, next to Falastin Street. It has a capacity of 10,000. However, the stadium is too small while it lacks all main facilities.
Supporters
Al-Jawiya has a large fanbase throughout Iraq, most fans are based in Baghdad though. The supporters call themselves Al-Soqoor, which means the hawks. This is also the nickname of the club. The fans are very loyal to the club, however, the stadium is not always filled. The main reasons for this is that the stadium lacks all regular facilities, like proper seats and a roof to protect the supporters from the burning sun during the period of April to October. Also, many games are played during the day on work days which prevents many supporters to visit the matches. The security in Baghdad (Iraq in general) hasn't helped to encourage the supporters either.
The games against big clubs like Al Zawraa, Al Shorta, Arbil and Dohuk are always packed.
Ultras Blue Hawks
As of 2012, Ultras Blue Hawks was founded by a group of fanatics. The Ultras has now grown to a big firm of a few thousand. They are the ones that create a good atmosphere during the game.
Current squad
- As of 15 June 2016
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current technical staff
Position | Name |
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Coach | Samir Kadhim |
Assistant coach | Rafah Al-Kahlil |
Razzaq Farhan | |
Ahmed Khudair | |
Goalkeeping coach | Hashem Khamees |
Club doctor | Khalib Abbas |
Honours
International
Domestic
- Iraq FA Cup Championship:
- Winner (1): 1958
- League of the Institutes:
- Winner (4): 1961–62, 1963–64, 1972–73 (as League of the Institutes of Baghdad), 1973–74 (as League of the Institutes of Iraq)
- Iraqi Premier League:
- Baghdad Cup:
- Winner (1): 1973–74
- Iraq FA Cup:
- Winner (4): 1977–78, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2015–16
- Runners-up (3): 1988–89, 1997–98, 1999–00
- Umm Al-Ma'arak Cup:
- Winner (3): 1994, 1996, 1998
- Runners-up (5): 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1999
- Iraqi Super Cup:
- Winner (2): 1997, 2001
- Runners-up (2): 2000, 2002
- Love Cup:
- Winner: 2003
- Al-Intisar Cup:
- Winner: 1988
- Baghdad Friendly Cup:
- Winner: 1986
- Al-Meelad Cup:
- Winner: 1985
- Athar Cup
- Winner (2): 1962, 1964
- Army Cup Championship
- Winner (2): 1959, 1964
- Casuals Cup:
- Winner (3): 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35
- Prince Ghazi Cup:
- Winner (3): 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35
Regional
- Al-Quds International Championship:
- Champions: 2001
- Al-Wahadat Championship:
- Champions: 1984
- Stafford Cup:
- Champions: 1982
Individual Honours
- The following players have played in the FIFA Confederations Cup whilst playing for Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya :
- 2009 – Muayad Khalid
Notable former managers
- Kadhim Abadi
- Shawqi Aboud
- Abdelilah Mohammed (1971–74)
- Vojo Gardašević (1980–81)
- Amer Jamil
- Adil Yousef
- Ayoub Odisho (1996–97), (2012–13)