Just to be on the safe side, we'd better mention that yesterday's news about us changing our name to “Helsingør United” was, of course, an April Fool's prank. ?
We will continue as we have done for the past many years as FC Helsingør, and we can also safely promise that there will not be stars on the home shirt next season.
As for the “scholarship” to Sunnydale High School, under “First Team Coach” Rupert Giles, there were a couple of you who had seen enough TV to figure out that it is, of course, the high school where “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” took place, and where Rupert Giles was her mentor in vampire fighting ?
Season 2018/2019 will be the last season for FC Helsingør under the current name. In connection with the American investor group's takeover of FC Helsingør, which became official last week, it has been decided that from season 2019/2020 FC Helsingør will henceforth play as Helsingør United.
Director Janus Kyhl elaborates on the decision:
– The new American board wanted us to play under a name that symbolized the new bond of cooperation between the half of management located in the USA and the half sitting here in Helsingør. We have agreed that the ”United” name encompasses everything we are trying to project. Increased cooperation and cohesion between the USA and Denmark, and between the American investor group and us here in Helsingør. In the USA, the ”United” name is synonymous with football, and has been successfully implemented in, among others, Atlanta United's and Minnesota United's MLS teams, so it was a natural choice for us. We have chosen to include the year ”2019” in our new logo, as a symbol of the new beginning with the professional company, and of course the new stadium.
We will also continue to play in our ”sky blue & white” home shirt, as Jordan (Gardner, the new chairman of the board, ed.) calls it. But our away shirt will look completely different already from next season. It will be presented at an event at a later date, and without saying too much, people can prepare themselves for something that will be ”red, white and blue”. I am absolutely certain that our fantastic fans will support the new initiatives, and the new beginning they symbolize.
The preliminary working concept for next season's shirt
In connection with the name change, Helsingør United Group, as the company behind the team will officially be called, is establishing a so-called ”scholarship” in cooperation with our main sponsor, Freetrailer. This will mean that the best player on Helsingør United's U17 team will have the opportunity to study for a year at Sunnydale High School in New Jersey, where the player will not only have to play football, but will also receive what corresponds to a B-license coaching education. The selected player will work directly under Head Coach Rupert Giles, who is the head of Sunnydale Soccer Academy, the largest football youth academy on the American east coast. Rupert Giles has the highest coaching qualification within UEFA, the so-called P-license, and was originally educated in England, but has worked with youth football in the USA for many years, both on the girls' and boys' side.
The home match against Lyngby on 25 May will be the last match in which FC Helsingør plays as FC Helsingør. From 1 July the name change will take effect, and Helsingør United will be a reality.
Photo: FC Helsingør/Diadora
