# AS Douanes Ouagadougou > Burkinabe soccer club **Wikidata**: [Q104857722](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104857722) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS_Douanes_(Burkina_Faso)) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/as-douanes-ouagadougou ## Summary AS Douanes Ouagadougou is a Burkinabe professional football club based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, commonly known as AS Douanes or les Gabelous. The club is affiliated with the Douanes (customs) administration of Burkina Faso and competes in the Burkinabé Premier League, the top tier of football in the country. Established as the football team of the national customs office, the club has become one of the prominent football institutions in Burkina Faso, representing the nation in various domestic competitions and contributing players to the national team pipeline. ## Key Facts - **Full Name**: Association sportive des Douanes de Ouagadougou - **Common Aliases**: Association sportive des Douanes, les Gabelous, AS Douanes - **Country**: Burkina Faso - **Sport**: Association football (soccer) - **Type**: Professional football club - **Home City**: Ouagadougou - **Wikipedia Title**: AS Douanes (Burkina Faso) - **Wikipedia Languages Available In**: Arabic (ar), Catalan (ca), German (de), English (en), Spanish (es), French (fr), Korean (ko), Lithuanian (lt), Polish (pl) - **Sitelink Count**: 9 - **Wikidata Description**: Burkinabe soccer club - **Instance Of**: Association football club - **Transfermarkt Team ID**: 78146 - **Google Knowledge Graph ID**: /g/11lq6_yqlm - **Playmakerstats Team ID**: 237900 - **FootballDatabase.eu Team ID**: 28726 - **Scorebar/Soccerway Team ID**: 44969 - **Member Category**: Category:AS Douanes (Burkina Faso) players ## FAQs **What league does AS Douanes Ouagadougou compete in?** AS Douanes Ouagadougou competes in the Burkinabé Premier League, which is the highest professional football league in Burkina Faso. The club represents the customs administration (Douanes) and has established itself as a competitive entity in the national football structure. **What is the origin of AS Douanes Ouagadougou's name?** The club's name "Association sportive des Douanes de Ouagadougou" translates to "Sports Association of the Customs of Ouagadougou," reflecting its origin as the football team of the Burkinabé customs administration. The nickname "les Gabelous" also refers to customs officers, drawing from French terminology for tax or customs collectors. **Where is AS Douanes Ouagadougou located?** AS Douanes Ouagadougou is based in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. The club represents the customs administration of this landlocked West African nation, which gained independence from France in 1960. **What is the club's connection to Burkina Faso's sports infrastructure?** AS Douanes Ouagadougou serves as one of the representative football clubs in Burkina Faso's sports ecosystem, operating under the framework of the country's football association. The club contributes to the national talent pool and participates in the structured league system administered by the Burkinabé Football Federation. **How can AS Douanes Ouagadougou be identified in football databases?** The club is catalogued across multiple football statistics platforms with the following identifiers: Transfermarkt (78146), Playmakerstats (237900), FootballDatabase.eu (28726), and Scorebar/Soccerway (44969). These databases track the club's competitive history, player statistics, and match results. ## Why It Matters AS Douanes Ouagadougou matters as an institutional football club that represents the intersection of government service and sports development in Burkina Faso. As the football arm of the national customs administration, the club provides a structured pathway for athletic development within a state-affiliated framework, offering employment opportunities and career development for footballers in a country where professional sports opportunities remain limited. The club's presence in the Burkinabé Premier League contributes to the overall competitiveness and popularity of football in Burkina Faso, a nation where the sport holds significant cultural importance. AS Douanes Ouagadougou also serves as a vehicle for national pride, representing Burkina Faso in domestic competitions and contributing to the country's football ecosystem. The club's institutional backing provides stability that many privately-owned clubs in the region lack, enabling long-term planning and player development programs that benefit the broader Burkinabé football landscape. ## Notable For - Being the official football club of the Burkina Faso customs administration (Douanes) - Competing in the Burkinabé Premier League, the nation's top football division - Operating under the institutional framework of a government ministry, providing stability uncommon among West African football clubs - Maintaining an active presence across nine language versions of Wikipedia, demonstrating international recognition - Being catalogued in major football databases including Transfermarkt, Soccerway, and FootballDatabase.eu - Contributing to the Category:AS Douanes (Burkina Faso) players, tracking the club's historical roster ## Body ### Overview and Identity AS Douanes Ouagadougou, formally known as Association sportive des Douanes de Ouagadougou, is a Burkinabe professional football club headquartered in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. The club operates as the sports representative of the Direction Générale des Douanes (General Directorate of Customs) of Burkina Faso, making it an institutional club with government backing rather than a privately-owned entity. This affiliation with the customs administration provides the club with unique stability and resources within the Burkinabé football landscape. The club is commonly referred to as AS Douanes or by its nickname "les Gabelous," a term historically used in French-speaking regions to denote customs or excise officers. The club's institutional identity extends beyond mere sports participation, serving as a symbol of government engagement in sports development and providing a professional framework for footballers representing the customs sector. ### Geographic and National Context The club is situated in Burkina Faso, a sovereign state in West Africa that gained independence from France on August 5, 1960. Originally known as the Republic of Upper Volta until 1984, the country was renamed Burkina Faso by President Thomas Sankara, with the name meaning "Land of Upright People" in the Mooré and Dioula languages. Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation covering approximately 274,200 square kilometers, bordered by Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo. The country has a population of approximately 23,025,776 as of 2023, with Ouagadougou serving as both the capital and the largest city. The nation's football culture is robust, with the Burkinabé Football Federation overseeing a competitive league system that includes the Premier League as its top tier. AS Douanes Ouagadougou represents this football-mad nation at the professional level, contributing to the country's sporting identity and providing entertainment for local fans. ### Club Structure and Administration AS Douanes Ouagadougou operates as an association football club, which is a sports club devoted to association football (soccer) organized around a team that competes in professional or amateur leagues. The club structure typically includes coaching staff, players, and administrative personnel operating under the rules and regulations of the sport. As an institutional club affiliated with the customs administration, AS Douanes Ouagadougou benefits from government support while maintaining the operational structure of a traditional football club. The club's administration falls under the broader framework of Burkinabé football governance, working within the parameters established by the national football federation. This institutional arrangement distinguishes the club from privately-owned football teams, providing a stable foundation for long-term operations and player development. ### Competitive Profile and Database Presence AS Douanes Ouagadougou maintains an active presence in multiple international football databases, which track the club's competitive activities, player transfers, and match history. The club is registered with Transfermarkt under team ID 78146, a leading platform for football player valuations and transfer market data. Additional database registrations include Playmakerstats (team ID 237900), FootballDatabase.eu (team ID 28726), and Scorebar/Soccerway (team ID 44969). These platforms provide comprehensive coverage of the club's competitive history, enabling fans, analysts, and potential scouts to track performance metrics and player statistics. The club's inclusion in these databases reflects its recognized status within the international football community and facilitates data-driven analysis of Burkinabé football. ### Wikipedia and International Recognition The club has achieved international recognition through its coverage on Wikipedia, with dedicated articles available in nine language versions: Arabic, Catalan, German, English, Spanish, French, Korean, Lithuanian, and Polish. This multilingual presence indicates the club's reach beyond Burkina Faso's borders and its relevance to international football enthusiasts. The English-language article is titled "AS Douanes (Burkina Faso)" and serves as the primary reference point for English-speaking readers seeking information about the club. The sitelink count of 9 reflects the number of Wikipedia language editions linking to the club's article, demonstrating moderate but meaningful international visibility. This digital presence contributes to the club's brand recognition and provides a foundation for international engagement. ### Relationship to Broader Football Categories AS Douanes Ouagadougou exists within a hierarchical structure of football organization classifications. At the broadest level, the club falls under the category of association football clubs, which are sports clubs devoted to association football (soccer), organized around a team that competes in professional or amateur leagues. This category encompasses various names and aliases across different languages and regions, including terms like football club, soccer club, FC, and club de futbol. The club is specifically distinguished from association football teams, which represent the specific group of players competing under the club's name, whereas the club itself constitutes the broader organization including coaching staff, administrative personnel, and associated elements. This classification situates AS Douanes Ouagadougou within the global network of football clubs, connecting it to similar institutions across the world while maintaining its unique identity as a Burkinabé institutional club. ### Historical and Cultural Significance The club's establishment as the football team of the customs administration reflects a broader tradition in Francophone African nations of government ministries and agencies sponsoring sports teams. This model provides employment opportunities, promotes physical activity among civil servants, and creates institutional pride within government structures. In Burkina Faso, where football represents the most popular sport, AS Douanes Ouagadougou contributes to the nation's sporting ecosystem by providing competitive matches, developing local talent, and engaging with fans across the country. The club's activities support the development of the sport at the grassroots level while maintaining professional standards appropriate for top-tier competition. This dual role as both a sports organization and a government-affiliated institution positions AS Douanes Ouagadougou as a unique entity within Burkinabé football, combining athletic competition with institutional representation.