Dundee United F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dundee United

Full name	Dundee United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Terrors, The Tangerines
Founded	24 May 1909; 116 years ago (1909-05-24) (as Dundee Hibernian)
Ground	Tannadice Park
Ground Capacity	14,223
Chairman	Mark Ogren
Manager	Jim Goodwin
League	Scottish Championship
2015–16	Scottish Premiership, 12th (relegated)

Dundee United Football Club is a professional football team from Scotland. They are based in the city of Dundee. The club started in 1909 as Dundee Hibernian. In 1923, they changed their name to Dundee United. Fans call them The Terrors or The Tangerines. Their supporters are known as Arabs.

Since 1969, United has mostly worn tangerine shirts with black shorts. They have played at Tannadice Park since the club began in 1909. Dundee United was one of the first teams in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in 1998. They stayed there until 2013, when the SPL became the SPFL. Recently, United has moved between the top league and the second tier. After winning the 2023–24 Scottish Championship in 2024, they are back in the top league for the 2024–25 season.

Dundee United has won some big trophies in Scotland. They won the top league, the Scottish Premier Division, once in 1982–83. They have also won the Scottish Cup twice (1994 and 2010). The Scottish League Cup has been won twice too (1979 and 1980).

United first played in European competitions in 1966–67. They then played in Europe for 14 seasons in a row from 1976. They reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1983–84. They also made it to the UEFA Cup final in 1987.

The club plays against their local rivals Dundee in the Dundee derby. This is the closest derby in Britain because their stadiums, Dens Park and Tannadice Park, are right next to each other! Dundee United has won the derby 81 times, Dundee has won it 49 times, and there have been 44 draws.

Club History

Chart showing how Dundee United has performed in the league over the years.

Early Years (1909–1959)

The club started as Dundee Hibernian in 1909. They played at Tannadice Park from the very beginning. In 1910, they joined the Scottish Football League. In 1923, to attract more fans, the club changed its name to Dundee United. Between 1925 and 1932, United moved between the first and second leagues three times. They won the Second Division title in 1925 and 1929.

Reaching the Top League (1959–1971)

The club got much better when Jerry Kerr became manager in 1959. His team won promotion in his first season. They then became a regular team in the top league, staying there until 1995.

Manager Kerr brought in talented players from Scandinavia. These included Lennart Wing, Finn Dossing, and Orjan Persson. During this time, United played in Europe for the first time. In 1966, they famously beat Inter-Cities Fairs Cup champions Barcelona.

The Jim McLean Era (1971–1993)

Jim McLean became manager in 1971. Under him, the club had its most successful period ever. McLean was known for developing young players. Many future Scotland international players, like Dave Narey and Paul Sturrock, spent most of their careers at the club.

United won their first major trophy under McLean, the Scottish League Cup, in 1979. They won it again in 1980. In 1982–83, they became champions of the Premier Division.

The club also did well in Europe. They reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1984. In 1987, they made it to the UEFA Cup Final. On the way, they beat Barcelona again! Even though they lost the final to IFK Gothenburg, the club received a FIFA Fair Play Award for their fans' great behaviour. McLean stopped being manager in 1993 but stayed as the club chairman.

Scottish Cup Wins and Relegation (1993–2016)

Manager Peter Houston celebrating Dundee United's 2010 Scottish Cup Final win

United won the Scottish Cup for the first time in 1994. This was under McLean's replacement, Ivan Golac. They were relegated in 1995 but returned to the top league a year later.

In 2002, Eddie Thompson, a lifelong United fan, bought the club. He invested a lot to help the team compete. Craig Levein became manager in 2006. He made United a top-six club that often qualified for Europe. He left in 2009 to manage the Scotland national team.

With a strong team in place, United won the Scottish Cup for a second time in 2010. This was under manager Peter Houston. After some good seasons, poor results led to United being relegated in 2016.

Championship and Promotions (2016–Present)

Dundee United's first season in the Championship was in 2016–17. They won the Challenge Cup by beating St Mirren 2–1. They also reached the play-off final to get back into the top league but lost to Hamilton.

The next few seasons saw more play-off attempts but no promotion. In the 2019–20 season, United were leading the Championship by a lot of points. The season was stopped early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 15, 2020, United were crowned champions and promoted back to the Premiership!

After returning to the top league, United finished 9th in their first season. They also reached the Scottish Cup semi-finals. In the 2021–22 season, they finished 4th, their highest position since 2014. This meant they qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

However, their European journey ended quickly with a big 7–1 loss to AZ Alkmaar. They also had a tough league season. They were relegated back to the Championship after a difficult fight.

Manager Jim Goodwin stayed with the club. In the 2023–24 season, United had a great run. They won the Championship title and were promoted straight back to the Premiership! This was confirmed after a 0–0 draw against Airdrie in April 2024.

Colours and Badge

United's main kit is tangerine shirts and black shorts. They first used these colours in 1967 when they played as Dallas Tornado in a US league. The club officially adopted tangerine in 1969 to look more modern and bright.

When the club started as Dundee Hibernian, they wore green shirts and white shorts. These were traditional Irish colours. When they became Dundee United in 1923, they changed to white shirts and black shorts. This was to appeal to more people. These colours were used in different styles until 1969.

The current club badge was introduced in 2022. It updated the old lion rampant design with new club colours. For the club's 100th birthday in 2009, a special badge was used. It had "1909 2009 Centenary" and green trim, showing Dundee Hibernian's original colours.

Before 1983, the lion badge was on the matchday programme but not on the players' shirts. Since 1959, different designs with the lion or "DUFC" letters were used on the shirts.

Dundee United first had shirt sponsors in the 1985–86 season. Over the years, many companies have sponsored the club's shirts. Their current main shirt sponsor is Quinn Casino. The club has also had different kit suppliers like Adidas, Nike, and Macron.

Historical Kits

Home Kits

c. 1909

c.1929–30

1986–87

1990–91

1993–94

1994–95

2006–07

2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

Alternative Kits

1985–86

1989–91

1995–96

2002–03

2009–10

2013–14

Home Stadium

Dundee United's home ground is Tannadice Park. It is in the Coldside area of Dundee. What's cool is that it's only about 170 yards (155 meters) from Dens Park. That's the home of their rivals, Dundee! United has only played one home game at another stadium. This was a League Cup match in 1947. Tannadice was covered in snow, so the game was played at Dens Park.

Tannadice is an all-seater stadium. It can hold 14,223 fans. The Main Stand, built in 1962, was the first of its kind in a Scottish football stadium. For many years, only a small part of the stadium had seats.

Tannadice Park is very close to Dens Park, home of neighbours Dundee.

Because both Dundee clubs have old stadiums that are so close, people have often talked about building a new, shared stadium. One idea came up when Scotland tried to host the UEFA Euro 2008 championship. This plan was put on hold when Scotland didn't win the bid. In June 2024, Dundee United announced that their stadium would be called the CalForth Construction Arena at Tannadice Park until 2026.

League Attendance

This table shows how many fans came to Dundee United's league games since 2010.

The most fans in this time came on August 30, 2019. United beat their rivals Dundee 6–2 in front of 14,108 people. This was their biggest league crowd since 1998. In the same season, they also had their highest average attendance. This was even though the club was in the second league at the time.

The lowest average attendance was in 2018–19. This was due to the club not getting promoted and some fans being unhappy with the club's chairman. Attendance numbers were affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020–21. However, the club's success in 2021–22 led to higher average attendance.

*Spectators were not allowed to attend matches due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Club Rivalries

Dundee United faced rivals St Johnstone in the 2014 Scottish Cup Final.

Dundee United's biggest rivals are Dundee. They play each other in the Dundee derby. This rivalry is special because their stadiums are so close. One famous game was in 1982–83. United won at Dens Park to clinch the top league title!

Another big rivalry is the New Firm derby against Aberdeen. These matches became very competitive in the late 1970s and 1980s. Both clubs were very successful then, with United managed by Jim McLean and Aberdeen by Alex Ferguson.

The rivalry between Dundee United and Rangers has also grown. It became more intense in the 1980s and 1990s. United challenged Rangers' dominance in Scottish football. A key moment was United's 1994 Scottish Cup final win over Rangers.

This rivalry became even bigger in 2011–12. Rangers faced serious financial problems. Dundee United played a big part in Rangers being moved down to a lower league. United, along with other clubs, voted against Rangers staying in the top league. This decision was made to protect the fairness of Scottish football. As a result, Rangers were placed in the Scottish Third Division (the fourth league) for the 2012–13 season.

Current Squad

First-team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Jack Walton (on loan from Luton Town) 2 DF Ryan Strain 4 DF Kevin Holt 5 DF Vicko Ševelj 6 DF Ross Graham 7 FW Kristijan Trapanovski 9 FW Louis Moult 10 MF David Babunski (vice-captain) 11 DF Will Ferry 12 MF Richard Odada 13 GK Jack Newman 14 MF Craig Sibbald 15 MF Glenn Middleton

No. Position Player 16 DF Emmanuel Adegboyega (on loan from Norwich City) 17 DF Luca Stephenson (on loan from Liverpool) 18 FW Kai Fotheringham 19 FW Sam Dalby (on loan from Wrexham) 20 FW Jort van der Sande 23 MF Ross Docherty (captain) 25 GK Dave Richards 29 MF Miller Thomson 31 DF Declan Gallagher 39 MF Scott Constable 42 FW Owen Stirton 70 FW Meshack Ubochioma

On Loan

No. Position Player 27 FW Rory MacLeod (on loan at Southampton) 30 MF Lewis O'Donnell (on loan at Queen of the South) 32 FW Tony Watt (on loan at Motherwell) 36 FW Bryan Mwangi (on loan at Broxburn Athletic)

No. Position Player 37 DF Samuel Cleall-Harding (on loan at Kelty Hearts) 40 MF Sean Borland (on loan at Cumbernauld Colts) 41 GK Ruairidh Adams (on loan at Kelty Hearts) 43 FW Adam Carnwath (on loan at Cumbernauld Colts)

Club Staff

Club Achievements

League Titles

Dundee United won their first trophy in 1925, the Division Two championship. They won the Division Two title again in 1928–29. In 1959–60, under manager Jerry Kerr, they finished second and stayed in the top division for 35 years.

Under Jim McLean, the club won the Premier Division title in 1982–83. This was their only top-league title. They also won the lower league title in 2019–20 and 2023–24.

Cup Wins

The club had to wait a long time for a cup final. They lost their first Scottish Cup Final in 1974 to Celtic. In the late 1970s, things changed. United won their first major trophy, the Scottish League Cup, in 1979–80. They won it again in 1980–81, beating rivals Dundee.

United (in red) versus Kilmarnock at Tannadice in the 2013–14 Scottish Cup.

United reached many Scottish Cup finals in the 1980s but kept losing. They lost to Celtic in 1984–85, St Mirren in 1986–87, and Celtic again in 1987–88. They also lost the 1990–91 final to Motherwell.

These losses at Hampden Park led to talk of a "Hampden hoodoo." But in the 1994 Scottish Cup Final, manager Ivan Golac said it wasn't true. United broke the hoodoo and won the Scottish Cup for the first time! Craig Brewster scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Rangers.

In 2010, United won their second Scottish Cup. They beat Ross County 3–0 in the 2010 Scottish Cup Final. David Goodwillie scored first, then Craig Conway scored two more goals.

United reached the Scottish Cup final again in 2014 but lost to St Johnstone. They also lost the League Cup final to Celtic the next year. In 2017, after being relegated, they won the Scottish Challenge Cup by beating St Mirren 2–1. This was their first trophy since 2010.

European Success

Dundee United first played in Europe in the 1966–67 season. They famously beat Inter-Cities Fairs Cup holders FC Barcelona both at home and away. This made headlines, and they were even asked to play in a US league as Dallas Tornado in 1967.

From 1981–82, they had a strong period in Europe. They reached one UEFA final, one semi-final, and two quarter-finals. After winning the Premier Division in 1983, they reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1984. They lost to Roma. In 1987, they did even better, reaching the UEFA Cup final. Again, they beat FC Barcelona on the way! Even though they lost the final to IFK Gothenburg, the club won the first-ever FIFA Fair Play Award. This was for their fans' excellent behaviour.

Dundee United is famous for having a 100% winning record against FC Barcelona in European games (4 wins out of 4 matches). They are the only British team to have done this!

In the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League, they lost badly to AZ Alkmaar. The 7–0 defeat in the second leg matched the biggest loss for a Scottish club in Europe.

Honours

League

• Scottish Premiership:
  • Winners: 1982–83
• Scottish Championship:
  • Winners: 1924–25, 1928–29, 2019–20, 2023–24

Cups

• Scottish Cup:
  • Winners: 1993–94, 2009–10
  • Runners-up (8): 1973–74, 1980–81, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1990–91, 2004–05, 2013–14
• Scottish League Cup:
  • Winners: 1979–80, 1980–81
  • Runners-up (5): 1981–82, 1984–85, 1997–98, 2007–08, 2014–15
• Scottish Challenge Cup:
  • Winners: 2016–17
  • Runners-up: 1995–96
• Summer Cup:
  • Runners-up: 1964–65
• Scottish Qualifying Cup:
  • Runners-up: 1913–14

Europe

• UEFA Cup:
  • Runners-up: 1986–87
• European Cup:
  • Semi-finalists: 1983–84

Other Trophies

• Forfarshire Cup:
  • Winners (21): 1910–11, 1914–15, 1919–20, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 2004–05
  • Runners-up (12)
• Scottish War Emergency Cup:
  • Runners-up: 1940
• Evening Telegraph Challenge Cup:
  • Winners: 2005
  • Runners-up: 2006

Youth Trophies

• SFL Youth League
  • Winners: 1996–97
  • Runners-up: 1997–98, 1999–00
• Scottish Youth Cup
  • Winners: 1990, 1991
  • Runners-up: 1989, 1998

Club Managers

The first manager of Dundee Hibernian in 1909 was Pat Reilly. The club's longest-serving and most successful manager was Jim McLean. He was in charge from 1971 to 1993. He won three major trophies: the Scottish Premier Division title in 1982–83 and the Scottish League Cup twice in 1979 and 1980. Two other Dundee United managers have won the Scottish Cup: Ivan Golac in 1994 and Peter Houston in 2010.

Famous Players

International Players

Here are some players who played for their national teams while at Dundee United. They are listed by country and the year they first played for United. Two goalkeepers, Pat Onstad (Canada) and Kémoko Camara (Guinea), played for their countries but never played a first-team game for United.

Hall of Fame

The club started its official Hall of Fame in 2008. Seven players were chosen first. More players have been added each year since then.

Images for kids

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  Chart showing how Dundee United has performed in the league over the years.

• 

  Manager Peter Houston celebrating Dundee United's 2010 Scottish Cup Final win

• 

  Tannadice Park is very close to Dens Park, home of neighbours Dundee.

• 

  Dundee United faced rivals St Johnstone in the 2014 Scottish Cup Final.

• 

  United (in red) versus Kilmarnock at Tannadice in the 2013–14 Scottish Cup.

See also

In Spanish: Dundee United Football Club para niños