Dalian Aerbin Football Club (simplified Chinese: ?????; traditional Chinese: ?????; pinyin: Dalián A'ěrbin) is a professional Chinese football club that currently plays within the Jinzhou Stadium in Dalian, Liaoning. They were founded in September 20, 2009 by the Dalian Aerbin Group Co. Ltd and started at the bottom of the Chinese football pyramid in the third tier, however after successive division title wins they would gain entry to the Chinese top tier at the beginning 2012 Chinese Super League season.^[1]

History[edit]

On September 20, 2009 the Dalian Aerbin Group Co. Ltd. would form a new professional football club and hired former Chinese international footballer Li Ming to become their Chairman. The club's name Aerbin comes from the Manchu language meaning a place with water, which is also the name of a small town in Jinzhou District of Dalian where Dalian Aerbin Group Co. Ltd locates. They would soon move into the Dalian University Stadium in the Dalian Development Area and bring in Chi Shangbin as their manager and Sun Xianlu as their Head coach.^[2] Starting within the third tier the club would make their debut in 2010 China League Two season where the club brought in established top tier Chinese Super League players such as Guo Hui, Chang Lin and Yang Lin. The quality of these players made sure the club would win their regional division section and triumph over Tianjin Songjiang as the club won the division championship.^[3]

The following season surprisingly saw Sun Xianlu leave his Head coach position and Chi Shangbin leave his management position as well, to become an assistant. The club brought in their first foreign coach in Bulgarian Aleksandar Stankov who continued the clubs winning streak and with another former Chinese Super League player in Johnny Woodly Lambert scoring thirteen goals the club surprised everyone by winning the 2011 China League One division.^[4] After the clubs meteoric rise they would move into the 30,775 seater Jinzhou Stadium and share it with their local rivals Dalian Shide as well as bring in a more experienced manager in Chang Woe-Ryong who had previously managed top tier side Qingdao Jonoon.^[5] The club would initially struggle within the league until the manager resigned and the club brought in Aleksandar Stanojević to coach them where he gradually aided the club to improving results.^[6] By July 11, 2012 Dalian Aerbin would bring in a marquee player in Mali international Seydou Keita who departed on a free transfer fromBarcelona F.C. to ensure their stay within the league.^[7]

On 30 November 2012 the Chairman of the Aerbin Group Zhao Mingyang acquired the clubs local rivals Dalian Shide F.C. by taking on responsibility of their 330 million RMB debt that they owed to the Bank of Dalian.^[8] In hopes of bringing in a harmonious merger of the two teams former Dalian Shide manager Xu Hong was brought in for the start of the 2013 Chinese Super League, however after only 63 days in charge he had to resign after the Chinese Football Association found that he manipulated a match while as a manager atSichuan Guancheng and was given a 5 year suspension from all football activity, which forced Li Ming to start the season as their caretaker manager.^[9]