MAKING HISTORY SINCE 1998.
The Shooters Phenomenon
Dive into our 25+ years of history. While it's been mainly highs for the club, there's been challenging moments.
We are the only long-standing club in Shanghai that has managed to stay competitive at the very top of Shanghai and Asia throughout its entire history. While others had their periods of glory, we are always there. Every single season we challenge for every title and trophy until the very end. We thrive of our culture off the pitch, making us the way we are. Its the Shooters way.
We would like to thank everyone down the years who have been a part of the Shooters family, and no matter where you are in the world just now, we know you will never forget those Shooter days, nights and tours.
1997
The Breakaway
It all started in late 1997, when John Jofre left the Lions, as he could no longer bare to play with McCloskey, Aziz, Gil and co. So, in shear desperation, he joined the Krauts FC.
1998
Founding Squad
In May 1998, Steven Brierley had had enough of the Lions also, so we both agreed to start our own team. Sean Hutchings, Michael O’Neil, Peter Armitage, Rob Formon and Andrew Miles all left the Lions to join the ranks. As did Andre Arndt from Fortuna FC and Daniel Craig from Oranje FC. Other original members of the 1st Shooters squad were, Paul Tshinga, Martijn de Bot, John Johnson, Skip Tomlinson, Claus Barasinski, Rick Howard, Pascal Marty, David Barr, Ben Thorns, Scott Stefan, Rob Goble and Stuart Dalglish.
1998
The Founding
We had our first meeting in the Longbar in June 1998. The fact that we were in the Longbar had a significant meaning also, as it meant that we had stolen the Longbar sponsorship from the Lions!! Our first duty was to come up with a name. It came down to 2, Shooters or Cherrypickers (After Bill Shankley’s Glenbuck!!) With a vote of 5 to 3, from that moment on, the Shanghai Shooters were formed. We celebrated by “shooting” Kamikaze’s into the small hours. It was the beginning of alcoholism, divorce proceedings, weight gain, and the occasional football flung in!! At this meeting, we also decided that Red & Black would become the infamous colours of the Shooters.
1998/99
1st Season and Trophy
Then on a rainy, September Saturday morning, the Shooters played in their first competitive tournament. In this annual Opening Tournament, we remarkably reached the final, where we narrowly lost 1-0 to the Lions after an own goal from Andre. It was a taste of what was to come. In our first League campaign, 1998/1999, we finished 4th in the SIFL League. However, in the SIFL Cup, we defeated the Lions in the Semi Final to go onto play Oranje in the final. Martijn De Bot flew in from Hong Kong to play in this match, and his cross, and Jofre’s 20 yard volley into the roof of the net, was enough to give the Shooters our first ever winners trophy!!
1999/ 2000
2nd Season
In season 1999/2000, we managed to win the Opening Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Shanghai United in the final. We eventually finished 3rd in the League. We also got to the final of the SIFL Cup again. This time we played the Lions, which will go down as the greatest final in SIFL history. The Lions took a commanding 4-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. We had reduced that lead to 4-2 at half time. We then got it back to 4-4, only for the Lions to go up the field and score. Then with 3 minutes remaining, Etoundi equalized. We went into extra time. Unfortunately 2 goals from Gil sealed a 7-5 victory for the Lions, but it was a great game to play in.
2000
Shooters vs Mongolia
A major highlight has been in 2000, when we played against the Mongolian National Team in Ulan Bator as part of their World Cup warm up in front of 4,500 spectators broadcasted on national TV, incl TV interviews, newspaper articles etc. It was a trip of a lifetime. Unfortunately, it also goes down as the biggest defeat in our club history to the date, 6-0. Against a national team, we take that. But what counts is the amazing experience the lads took away from it and the stories to tell to this day.
2000/ 01
Treble Winners!
Then the SIFL format changed to real 11-a-side football in 2000/2001. Our dream season. We went on to win the SIFL League Championship, for the first time, with a record of 16 wins, 2 draws, and NO losses! We then went on to claim the SIFL Cup, by beating the Lions 4-0 in the final. With the introduction of a SIFL Hebiguchi Cup, it gave us a chance to win an unprecedented treble. We duly obliged by beating the whinging Azzurri on penalties in the final. Treble Winners!! It also made us the first team in SIFL history to go a full season undefeated in all competitions.
2001 - 2008
Asia's Powerhouse
The "Asian Power House" of expat football (as quoted in the May 18th 2006 edition of Hong Kong BC Magazine) was truly formed during this period of our history. Winning 7 out of 8 possible league titles and 12 national cup competitions, pure dominance. In addition, 8 international trophies in Asia (4x Manila 6's, 1x Phuket 7's, 2x Shanghai International 7's and most importantly 1x Bangkok 11's). The club also clutched their biggest win in history with a 20-0 bashing over Korea Red Devils,
2004 - 2008 Shooters on
Big Stage
In 2005, 2006 and 2008 we were invited to the Phillips Lighting Hong Kong 7s. At this tournament we have achieved amazing results, such as, 1-1 draw with Aston Villa and a 0-0 draw with PSV Eindhoven. We also played against Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers at this tournament and lost in two tight matches.
2009 - 2015
End of an Era & Start of a New
The end of an era. With John Jofre as founder and coach leaving the club, change and refresh was needed. Coming off years of pure dominance, competition and expat flow in Shanghai grew immensely. Other clubs started being on level with the Shooters. While only one league title could be won, 3x SIFL Cups and 1x Hebi Cup mark a trophy cabinet most other clubs could be dreaming of.
Most importantly, we had an amazing time off the pitch and a great group of lads.
In the coaching department we saw some big changes. After two one-season stints from Michael Drake and legendary Claus Borregaard, Roland Broughton took over the club as a player-manager in 2010, marking the start of a new era of dictatorship.
2015 -2018
Back to Dominance
The years of French-UK dominance in the squad and the league. The likes of Kevin Wiessler, Michael McGirr (McGoo) & Gui Leclerc doing their magic up front, bringing the club the SIFL league title back home in 2017 and a double season in 2017/18 with the league title and the Hebi cup. A huge chicken out by one of our very best (no name shaming) in the Hebi Final penalty shoot-out stopped Shooters from winning its 2nd treble since 2001.
Roland (Zippy) aka. "The Dictator" went on to be the 1st player to earn over 300 games for the Shooters, as well as breaking the 200-goal mark, Legend.
2019 - 2022
Years of Change
2018 saw the leaving of a big generation of Shooters legends and had the team scrambling for quality on the field again. Finishing 4th in SIFL's Premier League in 2018/19 after winning the title the year before. But the rebuild was on with an introduction of a big group of South Americans bringing the Shooters back on the winning ways with a historical 9-1 (!) win over Reunited in the SIFL Cup final in 19/20. In 2020/21 Shooters have already won the double, after winning both cups. Up for the treble we narrowly missed out in the final league match of the season against a strong Azzurri side.
Then there was this thing... Covid. While the world was scrambling, China shut the doors. For the better for most of the period. The team spirit was better than ever before, being locked together in the country. But it'd catch up to us...
2022/ 23
Covid and a Successful Partnership
April 2022, Shanghai. What was supposed to be a three-day lockdown turned out to be a two-month period of all Shanghai being locked inside. The city was a ghost town. Expats were leaving en masse with over 75% of the international community gone by the end of the year, including long-standing gaffer Zippy, captain Roberto Bruce, Hall of Famers Tom Elsden & Wilson Scott and many more. The F&B business was dead.
What this also meant for Shooters, we did not have a sponsor anymore. 20-Year-long sponsor Big Bamboo had understandably its own issues. A replacement not in sight. Due to our excellent club culture over the years, we still had a squad together. So we decided for 2022-23 to merge with our "sister club" Blue Marlins, where both sides exchanged numerous players over the years. It turned out to be a fabulous partnership, narrowly missing out on the double.
2023/ 24
Back to the Shooters Way
In 2023, Shanghai very slowly recovered, with an incline in expat levels. F&B business found its feet again. We were able to form a newly structured, strong Shanghai Shooters team. Nationally, in the first year fully back, we were able to win the 2023 Hebi Cup vs Lions. Unfortunately, drawing our last match of the season vs a Kickers team that came out of nowhere, meant that we narrowly missed out on the double, again. Milestones were made by McGoo by overtaking Zippy on all-time goals to 221, and breaking through the 300-game mark. Will the silver fox ever retire? We don't hope so.
Internationally, it was the first time possible for the new generation of Shooters to go on tour with the club after 5 years. And what a tour it was. The renowned Bangkok 11's, Asia's largest and longest-standing international football tournament, saw Shooters coming back with a bang. Winning the tournament for the 2nd time after 20 years! An all-star team of active Shanghai players were joined by legends from Asia & Europe. Winning the tournament in a dominant fashion, by not conceding a single goal all tournament.