Hougang United

Beginning and breakthrough (1988–2001)

The club was founded as Marine Castle United Football Club in 1988 as a National Football League team which was formed by Newcastle United fans in the Marine Parade area. The club was nicknamed the Dolphins.

Becoming a professional club

In 1998, Marine Castle United managed to enter the S.League signing both foreigners players, Scott O'Donell and Bernard Aryee in their debut season in the professional league. However, the club struggled in its early foray, finishing in the bottom two for the next four seasons. The club's chairman during the time was Dilwant Singh.

As Sengkang Marine (2002–2004)

Marine Castle United then changed its name to Sengkang Marine Football Club in 2002. Sengkang Marine went on to finish in 8th position consecutively, its highest-ever finish. Financial difficulties forced Sengkang Marine out of the S.League in 2004.

Different identity as Paya Lebar-Punggol (2005)

In the 2005 season, Paya Lebar-Punggol was formed to replace Sinchi FC in the league. The club then went on to sign Kenan Ragipović, Moudourou Moise, Protais Bessala and Bae Jin-soo as the club foreign players for the season. However, the club finished the season at the bottom of the league with four points.

Sengkang-Punggol (2006–2011)

In January 2006, Sengkang Marine merged with Paya Lebar-Punggol to form Sengkang Punggol Football Club, with the club logo featuring a dolphin and main colour being sea blue. In September, Singapore-based Orientus Asia Hotels and Resorts became the main sponsor of the club with deal worth $250,000. The club continued to play in the league but never went higher than 10th place.

As Hougang United (2011–present)

On 1 January 2011, the chairman of Sengkang Punggol Football Club, Bill Ng, announced name change to Hougang United Football Club. In November 2014, it was announced that Hougang United and Woodlands Wellington will merge for the 2015 season. The proposed merger was unfeasible.

AFC Cup debut (2020)

Hougang United made their AFC Cup debut in the 2020 AFC Cup but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament got cancelled. They only played against Laos side, Lao Toyota, winning 1–3 at the New Laos National Stadium. The Cheetahs also qualified for the 2022 AFC Cup group stage where they played at a centralised venue, Thống Nhất Stadium. They started by winning 4–3 against Cambodian side Phnom Penh Crown and 3–1 against Laos side Young Elephants, before suffering a heavy defeat to Vietnamese Viettel 5–2.

First silverware (2022)

On 19 November 2022, under the lead of caretaker manager Firdaus Kassim, Hougang United defeated defending champions Tampines Rovers 3–2 in the 2022 Singapore Cup final, in which Kristijan Krajček scored a hat-trick to secure The Cheetahs their first-ever silverware. The club finished 5th in the Singapore Premier League. In the 2022 AFC Cup, Hougang United was than placed in Group I alongside Cambodian club Phnom Penh Crown, Laotion club Young Elephants and Vietnamnese club Viettel. Hougang United recorded victories over Phnom Penh Crown and Young Elephants, winning 4–3 and 3–1 respectively. However, the club suffered a 2–5 defeat to Viettel which resulted in their elimination from the group stage.

Hougang United started off their 2023–24 AFC Cup campaign with a trip to Kota Kinabalu, facing Sabah on 21 September. They suffered a 3–1 away lost. However, in the next match against Haiphong at the Jalan Besar Stadium, Hougang United bounced back from 1–0 down as Đorđe Maksimović scored a brace for a 2–1 victory. Hougang United went on to have a great run in the 2023 Singapore Cup where they reached the final.

Notable foreign imports (2026–present)

While preparing for the 2026–27 season under new head coach, Akbar Nawas, HHougang United entered the transfer market to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season. Hougang United managed to sign several foreign, including Lucas Cardoso, Miloš Drinčić, Connor Flynn-Gillespie, Ayman Kassimi, Sam Billington, Takahiro Koga, Koki Kawachi and Arya Igami Tarhani. The club also made headlines with the signing of former Liverpool academy player Oakley Cannonier, as well as Mahamé Siby. Alongside their foreign signings, Hougang United strengthen their squad with several established local players, including Zulqarnaen Suzliman, Amir Syafiz and Jordan Emaviwe. In their opening league match of the season on 12 September 2026, Hougang United held reigning league champions Lion City Sailors to a 2–2 draw, securing a point in their opening fixture.