Gabala SC

What Gabala SC does

Gabala SC (Qəbələ İK) is a privately held multi-sport club headquartered in Qəbələ, Azerbaijan, founded in 2005. Its core product is a professional football team competing in the Azerbaijan Premier League; the club finished 11th in the 2024-2025 season (27 points from 33 games) and narrowly retained top-flight status by defeating Mingəçevir 2-0 in the promotion/relegation playoff on 2026-05-28. Beyond football, the organization operates an affiliated Football Academy for youth development and five additional sports divisions — judo, karate (led by 4-time World Champion Rafael Aghayev), taekwondo, boxing, and shooting — several of which produce national and international medalists and host international competitions.

The club's commercial and distribution technology footprint is modest: an official website (gabalafc.az), a mobile application for fan engagement (launched 2023), the Qəbələ TV video platform, and a presence on social media channels. Matchday operations are split between the Qəbələ city stadium and the SOCAR Polymer Arena in Sumqayit.

Revenue is generated through four identifiable streams: ticket sales and matchday income, six named corporate sponsorships (AFB Bank, SAB, Gilan Knauf, Gilan Seramik, Qafqaz Hotels, Kəhriz su), participation in Azerbaijan Premier League broadcasting rights, and episodic player transfer fees. The club is privately held with no disclosed parent company, ownership structure, or external investors. Headcount is approximately 12 employees, indicating a lean administrative core that relies on coaching and playing staff to operate the multi-sport franchise.

Name

Gabala SC

Legal name

Qəbələ İK

Website

https://gabalafc.az

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gabala SC (Qəbələ İK) is a privately held Azerbaijani multi-sport club based in Qəbələ, operating a professional football team in the Azerbaijan Premier League alongside affiliated youth academy and judo, karate, taekwondo, boxing, and shooting sections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Club

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual-Sport Clubs & Teams (Cycling Teams, Athletics/Track Clubs, Swimming Clubs, etc.) (MPAKABAD)

Keywords

• Professional football club
• Multi-sport athletics
• Youth football academy
• Sports media broadcasting
• Matchday ticket sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Qəbələ

HQ country

Azerbaijan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales and matchday revenue: Revenue generated from selling tickets to home matches at Qəbələ city stadium and SOCAR Polymer Arena
2. Sponsorship and commercial partnerships: Revenue from corporate sponsors including AFB Bank, SAB, Gilan Knauf, Gilan Seramik, Qafqaz Hotels, and Kəhriz su
3. Media and broadcasting rights: Revenue from Azerbaijan Premier League broadcasting rights participation
4. Player transfers: Revenue from transfer fees when players move to other clubs

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gabala SC (Qəbələ İK) is a multi-sport club that operates a professional football team competing in the Azerbaijan Premier League and cup competitions, alongside sports divisions in judo, karate, taekwondo, boxing, and shooting. The club runs a Football Academy for youth development, produces multimedia content through Qəbələ TV, and distributes fan engagement via a mobile app and stadium matchday operations at Qəbələ city stadium and SOCAR Polymer Arena in Sumqayit.

Product overview

Gabala SC (Qəbələ İK) is a multi-sport club based in Qəbələ, Azerbaijan. The club operates a unified sports organization with multiple divisions including the main football team competing in the Azerbaijan Premier League, a Football Academy for youth development, and various other sports sections covering Judo, Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, and Shooting. The club also operates Qəbələ TV for media content and maintains a mobile application for fan engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Qəbələ Football Team

Quantifiable outcome

• Won Azerbaijan Cup 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AFB BankminorOthersOfficial sponsor of Gabala SC. AFB Bank provides financial sponsorship to support club operations and football activities.
• SABminorOthersOfficial sponsor of Gabala SC. SAB brand supports club through sponsorship agreement.
• Gilan KnaufminorOthersConstruction materials company and sponsor of Gabala SC.
• Gilan SeramikminorOthersCeramic products company and sponsor of Gabala SC.
• Qafqaz HotelsminorOthersHotel chain and sponsor of Gabala SC, provides accommodation services for visiting teams.
• Kəhriz suminorOthersWater brand and sponsor of Gabala SC.
• Gabala Football AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth development academy affiliated with the club. Produces young talent for the first team and develops footballers from local community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sabah FK: Azerbaijani Premier League club based in Baku, currently league leaders with 78 points in 2024-25. Direct peer competing in the same division for the same trophies, broadcast income, and player signings; represents the upper bound of Azerbaijani club football.
• Qarabağ FK: Azerbaijan Premier League club based in Agdam, currently the most successful side in the league with regular UEFA group-stage participation. Direct peer in product (professional football) and market; serves as the competitive benchmark Gabala is chasing in the standings.
• Şamaxı FK: Azerbaijani Premier League club from Şamaxı that finished 8th in 2024-25. Direct peer as another small-city club in the same league, providing a benchmark for regional Azerbaijani club operations.
• Turan Tovuz FK: Azerbaijani Premier League club from Tovuz, finishing 3rd in 2024-25 with 59 points. Direct peer in the same league and a similar regional-city profile to Gabala, competing for European qualification slots and similar sponsor pools.
• Sumqayıt FK: Azerbaijan Premier League club based in Sumqayıt, the same industrial city where Gabala plays some home matches at SOCAR Polymer Arena. Direct peer with a similar mid/lower-table profile and comparable commercial scale within Azerbaijan.
• Neftçi PFK: Baku-based Azerbaijani Premier League football club, founded 1937. Directly comparable as a domestic league rival competing for the same broadcast revenue, sponsor pool, and talent base; Neftçi is a much larger historical brand, providing a benchmark for the upper end of the Azerbaijani market.
• Kəpəz PFK: Azerbaijan Premier League club from Ganja, finished 10th in 2024-25 with the same 27 points as Gabala. The closest profile peer - small-city club fighting relegation - and the club Gabala was tied with in the standings.
• Karvan FK: Azerbaijan Premier League club that finished 12th (last) in 2024-25 with 15 points. Direct peer at the bottom of the same league table, representing the relegation-zone counterpart to Gabala's precarious position.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gabala-sc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gabala SC