 | |||
| Full name | Shanghai United F.C. 上海联城足球俱乐部 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | SUFC | ||
| Founded | February 2000; 25 years ago (February 2000) as Dalian Sidelong | ||
| Dissolved | 8 February 2007; 18 years ago (8 February 2007) Merged withShanghai Shenhua | ||
| Ground | Yuanshen Sports Centre Stadium, Shanghai, China | ||
| Capacity | 16,000 | ||
Shanghai United F.C (Chinese:上海联城足球俱乐部) was a Chinese professionalfootball club based inShanghai, who last played in the 16,000 seaterYuanshen Sports Centre Stadium in theChinese Super League. The club was founded byDalian Shide F.C. on 1 February 2000 and was originally known as Dalian Sidelong. The club was initially used as youth team who were allowed to compete in the Chinese football league pyramid until the club was eventually sold to businessmanZhu Jun, the owner of China's second-largest online gaming companyThe9 in 2005. He moved the club to Shanghai until 2007 when he bought a majority share of inner-city rivalsShanghai Shenhua, thus began to merge the two clubs. Shanghai United no longer exists in name and is replaced by Shanghai Shenhua.
In 2004,Zhuhai Zobon F.C. played in theChinese Football Association Jia League. When they won promotion to theChinese Super League, their owners, Shanghai Zobon Real Estate Co., moved the team fromZhuhai toShanghai, and renamed it toShanghai Zobon F.C.. After the 2005 season they were again renamed toShanghai United F.C..
Before the 2007 season, Zhu Jun bought a majority share in the in-city rivalShanghai Shenhua, thus began to merge the two clubs. Shanghai United no longer exists in name and is replaced by Shanghai Shenhua. The new Shenhua team combines players from the two original teams. Due to the merger, there are only 15 teams in the CSL.
| Season | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Position | 7 | 1 | 2[1] | 8 | 2 | 11 | 7 |
