Football team

A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.

Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a hypothetical team (such as a Dream Team or Team of the Century) and never play an actual match.

There are several varieties of football, notably Association football, Gridiron football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby league, and rugby union. The number of players selected for each team within these varieties and their associated codes can vary substantially. In some, use of the word "team" is sometimes limited to those who play on the field in a match and does not always include other players who may take part as replacements or emergency players. "Football squad" may be used to be inclusive of these support and reserve players.

The term football club is the most commonly used for a sports club which is an organised or incorporated body with a president, committee and a set of rules responsible for ensuring the continued playing existence of one or more teams which are selected for regular competition play (and which may participate in several different divisions or leagues). The oldest football clubs date back to the early 19th century. The words team and club are sometimes used interchangeably by supporters, although they typically refer to the team within the club playing in the highest division or competition.

St. Mirren F.C.

St. Mirren Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire, founded in 1877. The team plays in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the Scottish Premiership in 2014–15. The team has two nicknames, the "Buddies" and the "Saints".

St. Mirren have won the Scottish Cup three times – 1926, 1959 and 1987 – the League Cup in 2013 and the Renfrewshire Cup 55 times. The club has played in European competition four times: UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1987–88 and the UEFA Cup in 1980–81, 1983–84 and 1985–86.

The club's home ground is St. Mirren Park, which since 2009 refers to the club's 8,023 all seater ground on Greenhill Road, Paisley. From 1894 until 2009, St. Mirren Park was the name given to the club's well known former Love Street stadium.

History

St. Mirren was formed as a gentlemen's club which included, among other sports, cricket and rugby in the second half of the 19th century. The increasing popularity of football ensured that by 1877 the members had decided to play association football and 1877 is the football club's official foundation date. They are named after Saint Mirin, the founder of a church at the site of Paisley Abbey and Patron Saint of Paisley. There is also a street in Paisley named St. Mirren Street.

Dumbarton F.C.

Dumbarton Football Club is a Scottish association football part time club based in the town of Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire. Dumbarton is Scotland's 4th oldest football club, founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park (1867), Kilmarnock (1869) and Stranraer (1870). They come from the town of Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire and play their home games at the Dumbarton Football Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as The Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium, which is situated next to Dumbarton Castle.

The club were one of the most successful of the nineteenth century, winning the Scottish Football League in the first two seasons of the competition (the first jointly with Rangers). Since then the club have spent the majority of their history outside the top flight, and last played at the top level in 1985, thus being the only existing Scottish league champions never to have competed in the former breakaway, Scottish Premier League. The club are the only team to win at least one league title in each of the four tiers in the Scottish league system.

Dundee United F.C.

Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nicknamed The Terrors or The Tangerines and the supporters are known as Arabs.

The club has played in tangerine kits since the 1960s and have played at the present ground, Tannadice Park, since their foundation in 1909. United were founder members of the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in 1998 and were ever-present in the competition until it was abolished in 2013 to make way for the new Scottish Premiership which is the top division of the current SPFL structure.

Domestically, the club has won the Scottish Premier Division on one occasion (1982–83), the Scottish Cup twice (1994 and 2010) and the Scottish League Cup twice (1979 & 1980). United appeared in European competition for the first time in the 1966–67 season, going on to appear in Europe in 14 successive seasons from 1976. They also reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1984 and the UEFA Cup final in 1987. The club has a 100% record in four matches against Barcelona in competitive European ties.