Real Kashmir FC

Real Kashmir Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir that competes in the I-League. They are the first club from Kashmir to compete in any first division football league in the country.[2][3][4] The club participated in their first national competition in September 2016 when they played in the 2016 Durand Cup.[5] In July 2017 Real Kashmir FC became the first club from Jammu and Kashmir to play on foreign soil by playing 4 matches in Scotland. Real Kashmir FC is participating in all four categories of the AIFF.

Real Kashmir FC
Full nameReal Kashmir Football Club
Nickname(s)Snow Leopards
Sheeni Seh[1]
Founded2016 (2016)
GroundTRC Turf Ground (Present)
Bakshi Stadium (Under Construction)
Capacity10,000
OwnerSandeep Chattoo
Head CoachDavid Robertson
LeagueI-League
2019–203rd
WebsiteClub website

In May 2018, Real Kashmir FC earned promotion to 2018-19 I-League by winning the 2017-18 I-League 2nd Division after defeating Hindustan FC in the final game of the season by a score of 3–2.

History

On 30 May 2018 Real Kashmir FC became champions of 2017-18 I-League 2nd Division after defeating Hindustan FC in the final game of the season by a score of 3–2. This was only their 2nd season in the 2017-18 I-League 2nd Division after its inception in the year 2016 and they earned promotion to 2018-19 I-League.

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.

For I-League 2021,They borrowed three players (Danish Farooq Bhat,Adnan Ayoub, Farhan Ganaie) from Jammu & Kashmir Bank Football Club.[6]

Worldwide Attention

Real Kashmir have received international acclaim following their participation in a BBC documentary called "Real Kashmir FC" that followed the team and their Scottish manager David Robertson.[7]

Women's team

In September 2020, Real Kashmir FC launched Women’s Development Programme named She Power Programme in collaboration with Delhi Public School (DPS) Srinagar for U-14 Women’s team and U-10 Soccer School girls team.[8][9]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2016–2018 None Hotel Ch2
2018–present Adidas Hotel Ch2
"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 Adidas India, expressed on a positive future with RKFC[10]

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. Beginning with the 2018–2019 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.[11][10]

Stadium
Main article: Bakshi Stadium


Real Kashmir FC are currently using TRC Turf Ground as their home ground until the renovation of Bakshi Stadium.

In the 2019–20 I-League season, they might play their home matches at Bakshi Stadium, which is right now under construction.

Current squad
As of 4 January 2021

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  IND Mithun Samanta
2 DF  IND Arjun Naghial
3 DF  SCO Mason Robertson (Captain)
4 DF  AFG Zohib Islam Amiri
6 DF  IND Pawan Kumar
7 FW  NGA Lukman Adefemi
8 MF  IND Khalid Qayoom
9 FW  CMR Aser Pierrick Dipanda
10 MF  IND Danish Farooq Bhat
12 MF  IND Farhan Ganie
13 DF  IND Dharmaraj Ravanan
14 DF  IND Dalraj Singh
15 FW  IND Robin Singh (on loan from Hyderabad)
16 MF  IND Chesterpoul Lyngdoh
17 MF  IND Samuel Kynshi
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF  IND Abhash Thapa
19 MF  IND Adnan Ayoub
20 MF  IND Vicky Meitei
21 DF  IND Sena Ralte
22 GK  IND Ujawar Nabi Bhat
24 DF  IND Shahid Nazir
27 GK  IND Anuj Kumar
28 MF  IND Shakir Ahmad Shaikh
29 MF  IND Asifullah Khan
33 MF  IND Hyder Yousuf
— GK  IND Tenzin Samdup
— FW  IND Rohit Jhamat
— DF  IND Abdul Jack Yule
— FW  IND Ifham Tariq Mir
— MF  IND Shahnawaz Bashir

Basit Ahmed Bhat

Current technical staff
As of 28 July 2017
Position Name
Head coach David Robertson
Assistant coach Jimmy Lindsay
Goalkeeping coach Jonathan Craig
Team manager
Team Physio

Record
Season Div. Tms. Pos. Attendance/G Federation Cup/Super Cup Durand Cup AFC Champions League AFC Cup
2016–17 I-League 2nd 12 G3 600 DNP Group stage DNP DNP
2017–18 I-League 2nd 18 1 2,109 DNP DNP DNP DNP
2018–19 I-League 11 3 11,206 Round of 16 DNP DNP DNP
2019–20 I-League 11 4 8687 DNP Semi Final DNP DNP
2020–21 I-League 11 DNP DNP DNP DNP
  • Attendance/G = Average league attendance

Seasons
As of 3 March 2019
Year League Federation
Cup
Division P W D L GF GA Pts Pos.
2016–17 I-League 2nd Division 6 3 0 3 7 8 9 PR —
2017–18 I-League 2nd Division 13 8 5 0 23 14 29 Champions —
2018–19 I-League 20 10 7 3 25 14 36 3rd —

PR: Preliminary Round

Top scorer
As of 30 May 2018
Season Player Goals
2016–17 Lago Dogbo Bei 4
2017–18 Kouassi Yao, Atinder Mani,
Ritwik Kumar Das, Danish Farooq,
Ifham Tariq Mir		 4
2018–19 Surchandra Singh 3

Head coach's record

updated on 19 February 2020

NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%
David Robertson  Scotland 2016 Present 54 28 14 12 72 46 051.85

Honours

League

Cup

References
  1. "Real Kashmir fc nicknamed the snow leopard or sheenishe in local tongue". twitter.com. Real Kashmir F.C. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  2. "Real Kashmir all set for I-League debut". thehindu.com. The Hindu. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  3. "I-League 2nd Division Fixtures". The Indian League. 17 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  4. "Real Kashmir makes history after booking I-League berth". espn.in. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  5. Ghosh, Sayan (7 November 2016). "Real Kashmir FC like a whiff of fresh air in troubled Valley". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  6. "ShieldSquare Captcha". validate.perfdrive.com. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  7. "BBC iPlayer - Real Kashmir FC". Bbc.co.uk. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  8. "Real Kashmir FC launches She Power initiative". Greater Kashmir. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  9. "RKFC announces Women's Football Development Programme". Rising Kashmir. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  10. "Adidas India and Real Kashmir Football Club Announce Official Partnership". www.sportskeeda.com. sportskeeda. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  11. "A true story TheRealKashmir FC supported by adidas". www.youtube.com. Real Kashmir FC. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  12. "IFA Shield 2020 FULL MATCH Real Kashmir Make History, Beat George Telegraph In Final | The Fan Garage (TFG)". thefangarage.com. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
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