Real Kashmir FC

Real Kashmir
Full nameReal Kashmir Football Club
Nickname(s)Sheeni Seh (Snow leopards)
Short nameRKFC
Founded2016; 8 years ago (2016)[1]
Ground
Capacity
  • 10,000
  • 30,000
Head coachIshfaq Ahmed
LeagueI-League
J&K Premier Football League
2023–24I-League, 5th of 13
WebsiteClub website
Current season
Departments of Real Kashmir FC
Football (Men's) Futsal (Men's)[2] Football (Women's) Football
(Reserves & Youths)

Real Kashmir Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.[3][4] Incorporated in 2016, the club predominantly competes in I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system.[5][6][7] Real Kashmir also participates in Jammu & Kashmir Premier Football League regionally.

Nicknamed "Sheeni Seh" (transl. Snow Leopards),[8][9] Real Kashmir is the first ever club from Jammu and Kashmir to earn promotion to compete in any top flight football league of the country.[10][11][12][13][14] They also lifted prestigious IFA Shield title in 2022.[15] Club's futsal section has been competing in the state league, as well as AIFF Futsal Club Championship, the highest division of futsal club competition in the country.

History

Foundation and early history

The seeds of Real Kashmir FC were sown in 2014 after devastating floods swept through the region causing massive loss of life and property. To keep the youth, who had lost much during the floods—engaged, Shamim Mehraj, editor of a local newspaper named "Kashmir Monitor", and Sandeep Chattoo,[16] a local businessman, came together to arrange footballers.[17][18]

What began as a community outreach programme garnered massive support from the local populace and it soon started evolving into something more. Real Kashmir FC as a club, formalised in 2016,[19][20] and affiliated with Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) under the tireless efforts by Chattoo.[21] Founded in 2016, Real Kashmir FC emerged as the first ever top flight professional football club in Jammu and Kashmir.[22][23][24]

Later years

Shortly after its formation, the club participated in their first national competition in September 2016 when they competed in the 2016 Durand Cup.[25] In January 2017, Real Kashmir roped in David Robertson[26] as their new head coach, and in July, it became the first club from Jammu & Kashmir to play on foreign soil by playing 4 matches in Scotland. They appeared in their first major tournament by competing in the 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division,[27] but failed to reach to the final round.[28][29] They have been participating in all four categories of the AIFF.

In May 2018,[30] Real Kashmir FC earned promotion to the 2018–19 I-League by winning the 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division after defeating Hindustan in the final game of the season by a score of 3–2.[31][32][33] On 30 May 2018, Real Kashmir became champions of the I-League 2nd Division.[34] This was only their second season at this level, after the club's inception in 2016, earning promotion to the I-League for the first time ahead of the 2018–19 season. In October 2018, they clinched Jammu & Kashmir Invitational Cup, jointly with Minerva Punjab.[35][36] In 11 December 2018, they witnessed one of the league's biggest wins, after they thrashed Shillong Lajong by 6–1. Real Kashmir achieved third place in their debut season.[37]

In August 2018, the Real Kashmir FC youth team travelled to Germany for pre-season training with one of the best football clubs in the world: Borussia Dortmund (BVB). The youth team visited the training centers where official BVB teams train. They also visited the famous BVB stadium Westfalenstadion. They participated in 2019 Durand Cup and reached the semi-finals, but lost 3–1 to Mohun Bagan.[38] On 19 December 2020, the Snow Leopards, as they are fondly called, added another golden chapter in their short yet eventful history by winning the 123rd edition of the IFA Shield tournament,[39] defeating George Telegraph at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.[40][41] It is the first major domestic triumph since their inception in 2016.[42]

For I-League 2021, they borrowed three players (Danish Farooq Bhat, Adnan Ayoub, Farhan Ganie) from J&K Bank Football Club.[43][44] In the 2020–21 I-League, the club finished their campaign in fifth place (Play-off), accumulating 21 points with 5 wins in 15 matches.[45][46] As the defending champions of IFA Shield,[47] Real Kashmir began its 2021 edition campaign on 24 November with a 3–0 win over Indian Arrows.[48] They retained their title with a 2–1 win against Sreenidi Deccan on 15 December.[49] The club failed to make an impact in the 2021–22 I-League season and finished on twelfth place.[50] In midway of the 2022–23 season, the club roped in English manager Gifton Noel-Williams as new head coach, who succeeded Mehrajuddin Wadoo in February 2023.[51][52][53]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2016–2018 None The Kashmir Monitor[54]
2018–2021 Adidas[55] Hotel Ch2[56][57]
2021–2022 SIX5SIX[58]
2022–2023 Nivia
2023–2024 Vector X[59] Football for Peace[59]
2024–present BK Sports Casyno Days[60]

Stadium

The club is currently using 11,000 seater TRC Polo Synthetic Turf Ground in Srinagar, as their home ground until the renovation of Bakshi Stadium.[61][62] Since 2015, the ground is being used in I-League 2nd Division as the home ground for their rival Lonestar Kashmir, and I-League for Real Kashmir.[63] The ground is operated by the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association and renovated in 2015.[64] It has artificial turf.

Rivalry

Real Kashmir has a rivalry with their fellow Jammu & Kashmir-based club Lonestar Kashmir FC,[65] that participated in the I-League 2nd Division.[66] The team has also participated in the inaugural 2020–21 Real Kashmir Cup, which was hosted at the TRC Turf Ground.[67][68]

Players

First-team squad

As of 31 January 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Furqan Ahmad Dar
3 DF India IND Sowban Hilal Sidiqui
4 DF India IND Muhammad Hammad (captain)
5 MF India IND Ifham Tariq Mir
6 DF India IND Hyder Yousuf
7 MF India IND Mohammad Inam
9 FW Ivory Coast CIV Gnohere Krizo
10 FW India IND Mohammad Asrar Rehber
11 FW India IND Ateeb Ahmed Dar
12 MF India IND Huzafah Ahmad Dar
13 GK India IND Shivam Kiran Pednekar
14 FW Uganda UGA Henry Kisekka
16 DF Syria SYR Shaher Shaheen
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF India IND Lalramdinsanga Ralte
18 DF India IND Dion Menezes
20 DF Ghana GHA Kamal Issah
21 DF India IND Zahid Yousuf
22 DF Portugal POR Carlos Lomba
25 FW Ivory Coast CIV Kamo Bayi
26 DF India IND Hafiz Ur Rehman Khan
27 MF Lebanon LBN Mohamad Maksoud
28 MF India IND Jeremy Laldinpuia
29 MF India IND Adnan Ayub
30 DF India IND Wayne Vaz
31 DF India IND Shahid Nazir
78 GK India IND Muheet Shabir

Current technical staff

Position Name
Head coach India Ishfaq Ahmed
Goalkeeping coach India Mohammed Yusuf Ansari
Physio India Aamir Shafi Sheikh

Records and statistics

Overall records

As of 6 April 2023
Season Division Teams Position Avg. attendance Super Cup Durand Cup AFC Champions League AFC Cup
2016–17 I-League 2nd Division 12 Grp A-3rd 600 Did not exist Group stage Did not qualify

Did not qualify

2017–18 18 1st 2,108 Did not participate Did not participate

2018–19 I-League 11 3rd 9,246 RO16
2019–20 11 4th 9,034 Did not participate

Semi-finals
2020–21 11 5th 🔒 Closed Doors

Did not participate

2021–22 13 12th
2022–23 12 5th 2,859 Qualifiers

Season by season

As of 6 April 2023
Top scorer in division
🇮🇳 Top Indian scorer in division
Season League Finals Top scorer(s)
Division Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos Player(s) Goals
2016–17 I-League 2nd Division 6 3 0 3 7 8 9 Grp A-3rd Ivory Coast Lago Dogbo 4
2017–18 13 8 5 0 23 14 29 Champions Ivory Coast Bernard Kouassi
India Atinder Mani
India Ritwik Das
India Danish Farooq
India Ifham Tariq Mir
4
2018–19 I-League 20 10 7 3 25 14 37 3rd Scotland Mason Robertson
Ivory Coast Gnohere Krizo
Ghana Abednego Tetteh
4
2019–20 15 6 4 5 16 14 22 4th Scotland Mason Robertson 6
2020–21 15 5 6 4 23 18 21 5th Scotland Mason Robertson
Nigeria Lukman Adefemi
6
2021–22 17 2 8 7 23 31 14 12th Scotland Mason Robertson 9
2022–23 22 9 7 6 27 25 34 5th India Samuel Kynshi 6 🇮🇳
2023–24 24 11 7 6 36 19 40 5th Ivory Coast Gnohere Krizo 12

Managerial record

As of 28 October 2023
Name Nationality From To P W D L GF GA Win% Ref.
David Robertson  Scotland 2016 2022 70 34 20 16 96 64 048.57 [69]
Mehrajuddin Wadoo  India 2022 2023 14 4 4 6 10 15 028.57 [70]
Gifton Noel-Williams  England 2023 2023 8 5 3 0 17 10 062.50 [71]
Ishfaq Ahmed  India 2023 till date 1 1 0 0 2 0 100.00 [72]

Notable players

Past and present internationals

The following Real Kashmir players have been capped at international level for their respective countries. Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club.[73]

Other noted player(s)

  • Scotland Mason Robertson (2018–2022) — IFA Shield top scorer, with Real Kashmir (Chuni Goswami Memorial Award for Man of the tournament) in 2020.[90]

Other departments

Football (women's)

In September 2020, Real Kashmir FC launched women's development initiative named She Power Programme, in collaboration with Delhi Public School, for U-14 and U-10 girls teams.[91][92][93] Senior team was announced in August 2021.

Futsal (men's)

The futsal section of Real Kashmir has participated in the inaugural edition of Futsal Club Championship,[94][95][96][97] in which they failed to reach the knock-out stages.[98][99]

The team previously clinched the state Futsal Championship title for the 1st time in September 2021, defeating Downtown Heroes by 3–1, which was organized by Jammu & Kashmir Football Association.[2]

Football (youth men's)

Real Kashmir has been operating U13, U15 and U18 youth teams.[100] Their U15 team took part in Hero U15 I-League.[101] U18 team of the club competed in final round of the 2018–19 Indian Elite League.[102] U17 team later went on to participate in 2022–23 U-17 Youth Cup.[103] The U15 team participated in Nike Premier Cup.[104]

Honours

League

Cup

  • IFA Shield[nb 2]
  • J&K Invitational Cup
    • Winners (1): 2018[nb 3][110]

Award

  • IFA Shield Fair Play Award (Ronny Roy Memorial Trophy): 2020[90]

Affiliated club(s)

The following club was affiliated with Real Kashmir FC:

In popular culture

Worldwide attention

Real Kashmir have received international acclaim following their participation in a BBC Scotland documentary named "Real Kashmir FC" that followed the team and their Scottish manager David Robertson,[114][115] which won the best 'Single Documentary' category at the British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) or BAFTA Film Awards Scotland.[116][117] It additionally won at the UK "Broadcast Awards" for best documentary, and the best documentary and best director for Greg Clark at the Rotterdam European Sports Awards. A follow-up documentary "Return to Real Kashmir FC" was then made and given a 4 star review in The Guardian. The documentaries were also broadcast on Fox Sports in the US.[116]

Global partnerships

On 22 October 2018, Adidas India announced its official partnership with Real Kashmir Football Club, the first football team from the Kashmir valley to qualify for the country's top tier I-League.[118]

"Through sport, we have the power to change lives and the Real Kashmir team is a great example of this. Real Kashmir and its players have shown dedication and perseverance under difficult circumstances and we are proud to support them as they create history."

Dave Thomas, MD of Adidas India, expressed on a positive future with Real Kashmir FC.[119]

Beginning with the 2018–19 I-league season, Adidas became the official kit partner for the club. Also, beyond kit sponsorship, Adidas India aims at redefining the 'Real' Kashmir through the lens of sports and becoming a proponent of changing lives in Kashmir through football.[120][119] The club is also affiliated to the Football for Peace, a non-governmental organisation headquartered in London.[59] Real Kashmir also took part in Football for Peace global conference at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, as an ambassador from India.[121][122][123]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^
    Represented Tibet national football team in CONIFA tournaments internationally.
  2. ^
    Fourth oldest football tournament, organized by the IFA (W.B.), and played between the local clubs of West Bengal and other invited ones.
  3. ^
    Title shared with Minerva Punjab FC.

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Further reading

Bibliography

  • Shreekumar, S. S. (15 August 2020). THE BEST WAY FORWARD FOR INDIA'S FOOTBALL. HSRA Publications. ISBN 9788194721697. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  • Sharma, Nikhil Paramjit; Gupta, Shantanu (4 February 2019). India's Football Dream. SAGE Publications India. ISBN 9789353283063. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.

Others

  • "Real Kashmir FC express happiness after being promoted to I-League". ANI. 2 June 2018. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  • "Durand Cup: Defying odds, Real Kashmir beat Chennai City FC 1–0". 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  • Menon, Anirudh (8 January 2021). "I-League preview: Second division or not, the I-League matters". ESPN. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  • "Durand Cup: Mohun Bagan beats Real Kashmir in extra-time, sets up final with Gokulam Kerala". 21 August 2019. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  • "I-League: East Bengal Hold Real Kashmir To 1-1 Draw In Thriller". 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  • "For path-breaker Real Kashmir players, football more than just a means of livelihood". The Times of India. 3 June 2018. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  • "Kashmir FC brave curfews and bad conditions to become the real deal". Mid Day. 3 June 2018. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  • "Cash-strapped, curfew-bound: Real Kashmir's unreal story". The Times of India. 14 June 2018. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  • "Indian Arrows v Real Kashmir Starting XIs, 24/02/2019, I-League | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  • "Real Kashmir Draw 2–2 With Indian Arrows in I-League". news18.com. 24 February 2019. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  • "Of floods, curfew and football – Real Kashmir". sportstar.thehindu.com. Sportstar. The Hindu. 10 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  • "I-League: It's come home as Real Kashmir face Churchill Brothers". The Indian Express. 6 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  • "Danish, Hammad & Shahnawaz: The Local Heroes of Real Kashmir FC". The Quint. 11 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  • Joshi, Rutvij (2 November 2020). "Real Kashmir rope in goalkeeper Anuj Kumar on loan from Hyderabad FC". khelnow.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  • "Real Kashmir FC: The underdog football team scaling heights". Aljazeera. 19 November 2018. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  • "Ascent of Real Kashmir football team gives a weary region reason to cheer". business-standard.com. Business Standard India. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  • "The Kashmiri football fairy tale". Live Mint. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  • "The amazing Real Kashmir FC story". rediff.com. Rediff Sports. 5 February 2019. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  • "RKFC, Rajasthan United FC to face off in I-League match today". greaterkashmir.com. Srinagar: Greater Kashmir. GK News Service. 28 October 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  • Rathi, Vishal (29 October 2023). "I-League 2023—24: Real Kashmir FC beat Rajasthan United FC to kickstart campaign with an easy win". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  • Elahi, R (10 July 2021). "Lonestar Kashmir FC Seeks To Reclaim Its I-League Status". kashmirobserver.net. Srinagar: The Kashmir Observer. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2023.

External links

  • Team info at Global Sports Archive
  • Team profile at Soccerway
  • Real Kashmir FC on Facebook
  • Real Kashmir FC on Twitter
  • Real Kashmir FC at the-aiff.com
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