Wikipedia - El Sekka El Hadid SC
El Sekka El Hadid Sporting Club (Arabic: نادي السكة الحديد للألعاب الرياضية), is an Egyptian football club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club currently plays in the Egyptian Second Division, the second-highest tier of the Egyptian football league system.
Founded in 1903, the club is the oldest football club in Egypt, and the Middle East. Among the former club players is Hussein Hegazi, Dulwich Hamlet's former player.
History
In 1903, El Sekka El Hadid Club formed the first football team in Egypt. The team was mainly formed of British and Italian engineers working in the maintenance workshops affiliated to the Railway Authority of the time. When it was necessary to have a national football competition in Egypt, El Sekka El Hadid became one of the Egyptian Premier League founders. The team earned the 8th place (out of 11) in the league's first season; 1948–49 Season.
As of 2010, El Sekka El Hadid participated in 23 seasons of the Egyptian Premier League; 1992-93 season being the team's last. The team is currently competing in the Egyptian Second Division. However, the fans of this historic team were shocked to see their team fall to the Egyptian Third Division. By the end of 2009–10 Egyptian Second Division, Al-Sekka Al-Hadid occupied the last place in Group B and relegation to third division became a reality.
El Sekka El Hadid har vunnet den egyptiske cupen en gang, i 1963, og har vært en av de mest suksessrike klubbene i egyptisk fotball på 1960- og 1970-tallet. Klubben har også deltatt i afrikansk klubbfotball, men har aldri nådd noen store suksesser der.
I nyere tid har El Sekka El Hadid slitt med å holde seg i den egyptiske toppdivisjonen. Klubben rykket ned i 2015, men rykket opp igjen året etter. I 2020 rykket klubben igjen ned, og spiller for tiden i den egyptiske andredivisjonen.
Til tross for sine nylige nedrykninger forblir El Sekka El Hadid en populær klubb med en stor fanskare. Klubben er kjent for sin offensive fotball og har produsert noen av Egypts mest talentfulle spillere gjennom tidene.