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)
Home colours

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.

The team is often called The Terrors or The Tangerines. Their fans are known as Arabs. Dundee United plays in the Scottish Championship.

Since 1969, the team has mostly worn tangerine shirts with black shorts. They have played at Tannadice Park since 1909. Dundee United was a founding member of the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in 1998. They stayed in the SPL until it changed to the SPFL in 2013.

In recent years, Dundee United has moved between the top league and lower leagues. They won the 2023–24 Scottish Championship and returned to the top league for the 2024–25 season.

Dundee United has won several important trophies in Scotland. They won the Scottish Premier Division once in 1982–83. They have also won the Scottish Cup twice (1994 and 2010). The team also won the Scottish League Cup twice (1979 and 1980).

The club first played in European competitions in 1966–67. They then played in Europe for 14 seasons in a row starting 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.

Dundee United plays against their local rivals Dundee in the Dundee derby. This is the closest derby in Britain because their stadiums are almost next door to each other. United has won more of these local derby matches.

Club History

Early Years (1909–1959)

The club started as Dundee Hibernian in 1909. They played at Tannadice Park from the very beginning. This stadium is on Tannadice Street. In 1910, they joined the Scottish Football League.

In October 1923, the club was almost out of business. To get more support, they changed their 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 improved a lot when Jerry Kerr became manager in 1959. His team won promotion in his first season. They became a regular team in the top league and stayed there until 1995.

Kerr brought in talented players from Scandinavia. These included Lennart Wing, Finn Dossing, Mogens Berg, Finn Seemann, and Orjan Persson.

During this time, United played in Europe for the first time. In 1966, they beat Inter-Cities Fairs Cup champions FC Barcelona in their first European game.

The Jim McLean Era (1971–1993)

Jim McLean became manager in 1971. Under him, the club had its most successful period. McLean was known for developing young players. Many future Scotland international players stayed with the club for most of their careers. These included Dave Narey, Paul Sturrock, Paul Hegarty, Davie Dodds, Eamonn Bannon, and Maurice Malpas.

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

The club also did well in Europe. They reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1984. They also reached the UEFA Cup Final in 1987. In that campaign, they beat Barcelona again. This meant they had a perfect record against Barcelona in European games. Even though they lost to IFK Gothenburg in the final, the club received a FIFA Fair Play Award.

McLean stopped being manager in 1993 but stayed on as the club chairman.

Scottish Cup Wins and Relegation (1993–2016)

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

After some changes, Eddie Thompson bought the club in 2002. He was a lifelong United fan. He invested a lot in the team. However, they didn't make much progress until Craig Levein became manager in 2006. Levein made United a top-six club. They often qualified for European competitions. 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 several good seasons, poor results led to United being relegated in 2016.

Championship and Promotion Battles (2016–2020)

Dundee United's first season in the Championship was under manager Ray McKinnon. United won the Challenge Cup in 2017, beating St Mirren 2–1. They also reached the play-off final for the Premiership but lost to Hamilton.

The next season was less successful. McKinnon was replaced by Csaba László. United lost in the play-off semi-final to Livingston. After a bad start to the 2018–19 season, László was replaced by Robbie Neilson. The team finished second in the Championship but lost in the play-offs to St Mirren.

United started the 2019–20 season very well. They were at the top of the league from the start. The season was stopped on March 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 15, 2020, the league decided to end the season early. United had a 14-point lead over second place Inverness CT. They were crowned champions and promoted back to the Premiership. On June 21, 2020, the club announced that Robbie Neilson was leaving.

Premiership Return (2020–2023)

Before the Premiership season began, Dundee United hired Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon. They started their campaign with a 1–1 draw against rivals St Johnstone. In their first season back, United finished 9th. They also reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, losing to Hibernian.

In May 2021, Mellon left the club. Tam Courts replaced him on June 7. Courts' first season saw the team finish 4th. This was their highest position since 2014. They qualified for the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

United were knocked out of the Europa Conference League by AZ Alkmaar. They lost 7–1 on aggregate, including a 7–0 away defeat. This equaled the record for a Scottish club's biggest European loss. They started the league season poorly. They lost 9–0 at home to Celtic on August 28, 2022.

United continued to play badly. Two managers left the club that season. Jack Ross was sacked after the 9–0 loss. Liam Fox took over, first temporarily, then full-time. Fox was in charge until February. After a 4–0 loss to Ross County, he also left. The club then brought in Jim Goodwin to try and save their season.

Goodwin helped the club improve. They were 5 points from the bottom but lost only twice in seven matches. They moved up to 10th place. However, United lost all their post-split games. They were relegated back to the Championship after a 3–2 loss to Motherwell on the final day.

Championship and Immediate Premiership Return (2023–Present)

Just before relegation was confirmed, Goodwin signed a 2-year deal to stay as manager. He said any player who wanted to leave could. United had a very different team for their first League Cup game against The Spartans. They lost 1–0, which was a surprise. They also lost to Partick Thistle.

However, United then went on an amazing run. They won 14 of their next 17 matches. After beating Dunfermline 2–1, United were top of the Championship.

They then lost in the Challenge Cup and Scottish Cup to lower league teams. They also lost their first league game of the season to Raith Rovers. This meant United were second in the league, 5 points behind Raith.

United kept winning into the new year. But draws and another loss to Raith Rovers made fans unhappy. After a 2–0 home defeat to Airdrie, fans booed the team.

United found their form again near the end of the season. A goal from Louis Moult against Inverness secured a draw. This put United one point clear of Raith. The next match was against Raith Rovers. United won 2–0, putting them 4 points clear. They held onto this lead.

United secured the Championship title and promotion back to the Premiership with a 1–0 win over Ayr United in April. The title was officially confirmed after a 0–0 draw at Airdrie on April 26, 2024.

After a successful return to the Premiership, United finished fourth on the final day of the season. They beat Aberdeen 2–1. This secured them a spot in the 2025–26 UEFA Conference League qualifying rounds.

Team Colours and Badge

United's main kit is tangerine shirts and black shorts. This colour came from the kit they wore as Dallas Tornado in 1967. They were invited to play in the United Soccer Association competition. This happened after their first European trip made headlines. The manager's wife suggested the colour. It was adopted in 1969 to give the club a more modern look. The new colour was first shown in a friendly game against Everton in August.

When the club started as Dundee Hibernian, they wore green shirts and white shorts. These were traditional Irish colours. By 1923, when they became Dundee United, the colours changed to white shirts and black shorts. This was to attract more people. These colours were used until 1969. Sometimes the shirts were plain, and sometimes they had stripes or other designs.

The current club badge was introduced in 2022. It updated the old lion 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. The green trim represented Dundee Hibernian's original colours.

Before this, the lion was on a simpler shield. This "classic" design was on matchday programmes since 1956. But it only appeared on player shirts from 1983. Before that, shirts had different designs, often with the lion or the letters DUFC.

The club first had shirt sponsors in the 1985–86 season. Eddie Thompson's VG chain was the first sponsor. Many different companies have sponsored the shirts since then. Quinn Casino is the current shirt sponsor.

United has also had many different kit suppliers. These include Adidas, Hummel, Nike, Macron, and most recently Erreà.

Historical Kits

Home

c. 1909

c.1929–30

1986–87

1990–91

1993–94

1994–95

2006–07

2008–09

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

2021-22

Alternative

1985–86

1989–91

1995–96

2002–03

2009–10

2013–14

Tannadice Park Stadium

Dundee United's home stadium is Tannadice Park. It is in the Coldside area of Dundee. It is only about 170 meters away from Dens Park, the home of their rivals Dundee. The club has only played one home game at another stadium. This was a League Cup match in March 1947. Tannadice Park was covered in snow, so the game was played at Dens Park.

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

Tannadice is now 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 ground. For many years, only a small part of the stadium had seats. In the late 1980s, it had 2,252 seats out of a total capacity of 22,310.

Because their stadiums are old and close, there have been talks about both Dundee clubs moving to a new shared stadium. A recent idea was part of Scotland's bid to host the UEFA Euro 2008 championship. This plan was put on hold when Scotland's bid failed.

In June 2024, Dundee United announced that CalForth Construction would be the stadium's naming rights partner. The stadium will be known as the CalForth Construction Arena at Tannadice Park until summer 2026.

League Attendance Figures

The table below shows how many people attended Dundee United's league games since 2010.

The highest attendance in this period was on August 30, 2019. United beat their city rivals Dundee 6–2 in front of 14,108 fans. This was their largest league attendance since 1998. In the same season, United also had their highest average attendance. These records were set even though the club was in the second league at the time.

The lowest average attendance of the decade was in 2018–19. This was due to the club not getting promoted and some fans losing trust in the chairman.

At the start of the 2020s, the COVID-19 pandemic affected attendance. However, attendance slowly recovered between 2020 and 2023. The club's return to the Premiership in 2024 saw more fans attending games.

This table does not include play-off attendances.

*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 main rivals are Dundee. They play each other in the Dundee derby. What makes this rivalry special is that their stadiums are less than 100 yards apart.

Despite their rivalry, the two clubs once thought about sharing a new stadium. This was part of Scotland's bid to host Euro 2008. One famous match was the final game of the 1982–83 Premier Division season. United won at Dens Park to clinch the league title. Another important game was the 1980 Scottish League Cup final. United won 3–0 on their rivals' home ground.

Another strong rivalry is the New Firm derby. This is between United and Aberdeen. These matches became very competitive in the late 1970s and 1980s. Both teams were very successful under their managers, Jim McLean for United and Alex Ferguson for Aberdeen. They played in one major cup final, the 1979–80 Scottish League Cup final. United won their first major trophy in this game.

A less intense local rivalry is the Tayside derby. This is between United and St Johnstone from Perth. United fans usually see this as less important than the Dundee derby or New Firm. However, a very important match between them was the 2014 Scottish Cup final. United, with players like Stuart Armstrong and Andy Robertson, lost 2–0 to St Johnstone. This was St Johnstone's first major trophy.

The rivalry between Dundee United and Rangers has also become important. It grew in the 1980s and 1990s. Dundee United, led by Jim McLean, challenged the big Glasgow clubs like Rangers. Key moments, like United's 1994 Scottish Cup final win over Rangers, made the rivalry stronger.

Dundee United also played a big part in Rangers' financial troubles in the 2011–12 season. After Rangers faced financial issues, Dundee United beat them in important games. This added to Rangers' struggles on the field.

Current Team Squad

First-Team Players

No. Position Player 1 GK Yevhen Kucherenko 2 DF Ryan Strain 3 DF Bert Esselink 4 DF Iurie Iovu 5 DF Vicko Ševelj 6 DF Ross Graham (captain) 7 FW Kristijan Trapanovski 8 MF Panutche Camará 9 FW Zac Sapsford 10 FW Max Watters (on loan from Barnsley) 11 DF Will Ferry (vice-captain) 14 MF Craig Sibbald 17 FW Amar Fatah (on loan from Troyes) 18 FW Kai Fotheringham 19 DF Ivan Dolček (on loan from Dunajská Streda)

No. Position Player 20 FW Jort van der Sande 22 DF Dario Naamo (on loan from St. Pölten) 23 DF Krisztián Keresztes (on loan from Nyíregyháza Spartacus) 25 GK Dave Richards 26 MF Richard Odada 29 MF Miller Thomson 30 MF Lewis O'Donnell 31 GK Ruairidh Adams 34 FW Owen Stirton 35 DF Charlie Dewar 37 DF Samuel Cleall-Harding 39 MF Scott Constable 44 MF Calvin Beattie 70 MF Isaac Pappoe (on loan from Ferencváros)

Club Staff

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 Dundee United managers have won the Scottish Cup. They are Ivan Golac in 1994 and Peter Houston in 2010.

Name Period Pat Reilly 1909–1915 1917–1922 Bert Dainty 1915–1917 Peter O'Rourke 1922–1923 Jimmy Brownlie 1923–1931 1934–1936 Willie Reid 1931–1934 George Greig 1936–1938 Jimmy Brownlie Sam Irving 1938–1939 Bobby McKay 1939 Jimmy Allan 1939–1942 Jimmy Littlejohn 1942–1944 Charlie McGillivray 1944–1945 Willie MacFadyen 1945–1954 Reg Smith 1954–1957 Ally Gallacher 1957 Tommy Gray 1957–1958 Andy McCall 1958–1959 Jerry Kerr 1959–1971 Jim McLean 1971–1993

Name Period Ivan Golac 1993–1995 Billy Kirkwood 1995–1996 Tommy McLean 1996–1998 Paul Sturrock 1998–2000 Alex Smith 2000–2002 Paul Hegarty 2002–2003 Ian McCall 2003–2005 Gordon Chisholm 2005–2006 Craig Brewster 2006 Craig Levein 2006–2009 Peter Houston 2009–2013 Jackie McNamara 2013–2015 Mixu Paatelainen 2015–2016 Ray McKinnon 2016–2017 Csaba László 2017–2018 Robbie Neilson 2018–2020 Micky Mellon 2020–2021 Tam Courts 2021–2022 Jack Ross 2022 Liam Fox 2022–2023 Jim Goodwin 2023–

Famous Players

International Players

This is a list of 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 while at Tannadice 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 the first to be included. More players have been added each year since then.

Club Honours

League Titles

Dundee United's first trophy was in 1925. They won the 1924–25 Division Two championship. After two seasons in the top league, they were relegated. But they won the Division Two title again in 1928–29. They were relegated right away again.

In 1959–60, they finished second in the league. This was manager Jerry Kerr's first season. After that, the club stayed in the top division for 35 years. Under Jim McLean's management, the club won the Premier Division title for the only time. This was in 1982–83. This win meant they played in the European Cup the next season.

The title win was United's last major league success. However, they finished second in the First Division in 1995–96. They also finished third in their first season back in the Premier Division. They won a third lower league title in 2019–20. The season was cut short, but United were clearly in 1st place. They won a fourth lower league title in 2023–24, winning the Championship.

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

Cup Victories

The club had to wait many years for their first real chance at a cup trophy. They lost six Scottish Cup finals in a row, starting in 1974. They lost 3–0 to Celtic in that first final.

Towards the end of the 1970s, things changed. They reached three League Cup finals in a row. United won their first major trophy by beating Aberdeen 3–0 in a replay in the 1979–80 Scottish League Cup final. The club reached both cup finals the next season. They kept the League Cup by beating rivals Dundee 3–0. But United lost the Scottish Cup again in a replay to Rangers. United reached a third League Cup final in 1981–82. However, they lost 2–1 to Rangers.

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

United had a tough time in the Scottish Cup in the mid-1980s. They reached three out of four finals but lost them all by one goal. First, they lost 2–1 to Celtic in 1984–85. They also lost the League Cup final 1–0 to Rangers that same season. Then, they lost 1–0 in extra time to St Mirren in 1986–87. Finally, they lost 2–1 to Celtic in the last minute the next year, even though they were winning.

After a three-year break, they reached the 1990–91 Scottish Cup final. Jim McLean's team played against his brother Tommy's team, Motherwell. Motherwell won 4–3 in extra time. This was United's sixth Cup Final loss and their fifth final appearance in eleven years.

These losses in cup finals at Hampden Park led to talk of a "Hampden hoodoo." People said United had bad luck there because they lost ten cup finals between 1974 and 1991. When the club reached the 1994 Scottish Cup final, manager Ivan Golac didn't believe in the hoodoo. Opponents Rangers were expected to win easily. But United broke the "hoodoo" and won the Scottish Cup for the first time. Craig Brewster's goal gave them a 1–0 win.

Eleven years later, United reached another Scottish Cup final. They lost 1–0 to Celtic in 2005. Before that, they lost on penalties to Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Challenge Cup. They also lost 3–0 to Celtic in the 1997 Scottish League Cup final. United then lost the 2008 Scottish League Cup final on penalties to Rangers after a 2–2 draw.

Dundee United won their next major trophy in 2010. Manager Peter Houston led them to a 3–0 win over First Division side Ross County in the 2010 Scottish Cup final. David Goodwillie scored the first goal, and Craig Conway scored the next two. About 28,000 Dundee United fans were at Hampden Park.

United's 10th Scottish Cup final was in 2014. But they lost 2–0 to St Johnstone at Celtic Park. The next year, they reached the League Cup final but lost to Celtic in the 2015 Scottish League Cup final.

Two years later, after being relegated, they played St Mirren in the 2017 Scottish Challenge Cup final. United won 2–1. This was the club's first trophy since 2010.

• 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

European Achievements

The club first played in Europe in the 1966–67 season. With help from some Scandinavian players, United beat Inter-Cities Fairs Cup champions FC Barcelona both at home and away. Although Juventus won the next round, United made headlines. They were even asked to play as Dallas Tornado in the United Soccer Association league in North America in 1967.

From 1981–82, they became very competitive in Europe. In six years, they reached one UEFA final, one semi-final, and two quarter-finals. After winning their only Premier League title in 1983, the team reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1984. They lost 3–2 on aggregate to Roma. The referee for that match was later found to have been bribed by the Roma president.

In 1987, the club did even better. They reached the final of the UEFA Cup. On their way to the final, they beat FC Barcelona again in both home and away games. This kept their perfect record against Barcelona in European matches. Even though they lost 2–1 to IFK Gothenburg in the final, the club won the first-ever FIFA Fair Play Award. This was for their fans' good behaviour after the loss. They also won the BBC Scotland Sportscene Team of the Year award for their European efforts that season.

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

• UEFA Cup / Europa League:
  • Runners-up: 1986–87
• European Cup / Champions League:
  • 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 Team Honours

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

Images for kids

• 

  Chart of historic performance of Dundee United in the League.

• 

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

See also

In Spanish: Dundee United Football Club para niños