 | |||
| Full name | Dynamic Herb Cebu Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Gentle Giants | ||
| Short name | DHC CFC | ||
| Founded | 2021; 4 years ago (2021) | ||
| Ground | Dynamic Herb Sports Complex | ||
| Capacity | 550 | ||
| Owner | Dynamic Herb Sports Incorporated | ||
| President | Ugur Tasci | ||
| Head coach | Glenn Ramos | ||
| League | Philippines Football League | ||
| 2024 | Philippines Football League, 2nd of 15 | ||
| Website | http://cebufootballclub.com | ||
 Current season | |||
Cebu Football Club (also known asDynamic Herb Cebu Football Club orDH Cebu for sponsorship reasons) is aPhilippines professionalfootball club based inCebu City,Cebu. The club currently plays in thePhilippines Football League, the top-flight league offootball in the Philippines.[1]
The club was founded in 2021. Affiliated withCebu Football Association, Cebu is the third professional club to represent its region, afterCebu Queen City United which competed inUFL Division 2, andGlobal Cebu which competed in the Philippines Football League.[2]
The club is owned byDynamic Herb Sports Incorporated, under the management of Ugur Tasci, aTurkish businessman who first arrived in the Philippines in 1994, together with his brother, Cem Tasci who developed Leylam Football Club that brought honors to Cebu in football tournaments, locally and abroad.[3] Following the success of Leylam, Tasci formed a new club that would join the Philippines Football League.[4] Leylam is considered as the predecessor ofCebu Football Club.[5]
In 2021, it was reported that the club would change its name toDynamic Herb Cebu and was applying for a license to be able to join the Philippines Football League as early as that season. On 31 July 2021, Dynamic Herb Cebu was granted a provisional license pending full compliance of requirements that would allow it to participate in the2021 Philippines Football League season.[6][7][8]
Dynamic Herb Cebu's initial roster composed mostly of homegrown players from Leylam reinforced by players from other PFL clubs and collegiate teams.[9] The club's provisional license was affirmed on 24 August 2021.[10] The club was scheduled to debut in the 2021 PFL season, but the competition was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11][12] The club played its first competitive match on November 11, 2021, a 1–0 loss toStallion Laguna at the2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara.[13][14] Cebu qualified in the2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara semi-finals as group runners-up. They lost to eventual championsKaya-Iloilo 1–0 in the semifinals.[15] Cebu finished their 2021 season as fourth placers in the Copa Paulino Alcantara after losing to Stallion Laguna via penalty shootout.[16]
After securing a partnership with TurkishSüper Lig clubHatayspor, Cebu signedMehmet Kakil as the club's new head coach with Levent Öztürk as his assistant. They also signed former Hatayspor youth playersMert Altinöz andArda Çinkir whileNazim Özcan was signed on loan.[17]
Cebu started their 2022 season by defeatingStallion Laguna 2–0 in the2022 Copa Paulino Alcantara, recording their first ever victory since the club's foundation.[18][19] Cebu finished second in the table and captured a semi-finals berth for the second straight season. They lost to eventual championsUnited City 1–0 in the semifinals.[20][21] Cebu once again finished as fourth placers in the Copa Paulino Alcantara after losing to Stallion Laguna 2–1.[22]
Cebu made theirPhilippines Football League debut in a 3–0 defeat againstKaya-Iloilo.[23]
Cebu finished2022–23 Philippines Football League season as runners-up thus seeing them qualified for their very first2023–24 AFC Cup group stage competition. Cebu was than drawn in Group F alongside Australian club,Macarthur, Cambodian league champions,Phnom Penh Crown and Myanmar league champions,Shan United. On 26 October 2023, Cebu recorded their first ever continental win against Shan United in a 1–0 win withKen Murayama scoring the only goal to give the club their first ever points in the AFC Cup.
Cebu then finished the2024 Philippines Football League as runners-up which the club qualified for the2024–25 AFC Champions League Two. Cebu was then place in Group H alongside South Korean giantsJeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Malaysian clubSelangor and Thailand clubMuangthong United.
Cebu plays its home games at theDynamic Herb Sports Complex inTalisay.[24] The sports complex has a stadium with 550 seating capacity, twoFIFA-standard football fields, andindoor arena that accommodates several sporting events likefutsal,basketball,badminton, andvolleyball.[25][26] For theAFC Cup/AFC Champions League Two, Cebu has played its "home" games at theRizal Memorial Stadium inManila.[27]
Cebu's crest colors are red, white, grey and black and features awhale shark fromOslob, Cebu.[28]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–present |  RAD Apparel | Dynamic Herb Sports1 The Green Table Tigertek Sports Pocari Sweat2 |
The following club is currently affiliated with Cebu:
Hatayspor (2022–present)In January 2022, the club launched a partnership with TurkishSüper Lig clubHatayspor.[29][30] The partnership with Hatayspor aims to develop both men's and women's team and the development of football academic programs for the youth academy. Also part of the agreement are the exchange of coaching staff and players, including those who are in the academy.[31][32]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Ugur Tasci |
| Sporting director | Evren Tasci |
| Team manager | Hannah Wong |
| Head coach | Glenn Ramos |
| Assistant coach | John Martin Ferrer |
| Goalkeeping coach | Ralph Datoy |
| Fitness coach |  Paulo Isidoro |
| Physiotherapist | Khariza Mae Catameo Nico Luis Banez |
| Name | Period | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Oliver Colina | 2021–2022 | [34] |
| Mehmet Kakil | 2022–2023 | [35] |
 Joshua Schirmer | 2023–2024 | [36] |
| Memiş Özata | 2024 | [37] |
| Mustafa Göksu | 2024–2025 |
| Season | Division | League position | Copa Paulino Alcantara | AFC Cup/AFC Champions League Two | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | PFL | Cancelled | 4th | — | ||
| 2022 | — | 4th | — | |||
| 2022–23 | 2nd | Semi-Finals | Group stage | |||
| 2024 | 2nd | — | ||||
| 2024–25 | TBD | — | Group stage | |||
| Updated as of November 7, 2024 | ||||||
All results (away, home and aggregate) list Cebu's goal tally first.
| Competition | Q | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Cup / AFC Champions League Two | 2 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 41 | −33 | 009.09 |
| Total | 2 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 41 | −33 | 009.09 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Score | Agg. /Pos. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | |||||
| 2023–24 | AFC Cup | Group stage |  Phnom Penh Crown | 0–3 | 0–4 | Group F (3rd) |
 Macarthur FC | 0–3 | 2–8 | ||||
 Shan United | 1–0 | 1–1 | ||||
| 2024–25 | AFC Champions League Two | Group stage |  Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0–6 | 0–4 | Group H (4th) |
 Selangor | Dec 5 | 0–1 | ||||
 Muangthong United | 2–9 | 2–2 | ||||
