Khangarid FC Caps Year of Reform with Rebranding

Image property of Khangarid FC

Khangarid FC is one of the most successful, and traditional, clubs in Mongolian football history. While it seems that every year upstart clubs with big ambitions come and go, Khangarid has been a stable fixture in the Mongolian league system for almost thirty years. Since its founding in 1996, the club has been a trailblazer, becoming the de facto standard-bearer of football outside of Ulaanbaatar. The club from Erdenet, Mongolia's second largest city, is one of the few big clubs not from the the capital to experience any significant success. The Garudas have been champions of the top flight on four occasions and are at least a six-time FA Cup winner.

Now, the club enters a new era as its crest and branding receive a facelift and it gets an infusion of funding from new investors in hopes of propelling the club to the top of the league for the first time since 2010. The new-look Khangarid FC was unveiled in late October 2023 ahead of the club's final match of the opening round. The club's new visual identity was perhaps the crowning moment of a year-long project to completely reform the structure and operation of the club.

Major reforms made over the last year include:

1. increasing player salaries to a level above league average,

2. becoming active in the transfer market for both domestic and foreign players,

3. implementing AFC club licensing requirements,

4. restructuring the board and replacing its members,

5. creating a reward system for discipline and ethics,

6. professionalizing the club as a business, including the creation of a website and online store,

7. providing insurance to all players, and

8. working with fans to create an official supporters group.

Most of these reforms would not have been possible without the financial support of the club's new principal sponsor and investor Apiero, LLC. As part of the deal, Apiero has become the front jersey sponsor for the team.

Apiero is an Ulaanbaatar-based corporation specializing in software, transportation and logistics, foreign and domestic trade, and business management consulting. They are also Mongolia's licensed distributor of major brands of industrial and electrical equipment.

Logo of Apiero, LLC. Image property of the company.

Although the changes have been made at the club rather recently, the on-field product is already improving after a very active winter transfer window. The club signed at least thirteen new players in the window, including Mongolian senior internationals and players from Japan, Uzbekistan, Ghana, and Nigeria. After barely escaping the relegation zone last season, Khangarid FC is now enjoying a five-match winning streak in the Premier League while the club's striker Zayat Temuulen is leading the Golden Boot race.

To learn more about or follow the club, visit its new website at: https://khangaridfc.mn/

Current Khangarid FC kit featuring new crest and sponsor logo