Mahindra United

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Mahindra United
Image:Mahindra United.gif
Full name
Founded
Ground Cooperage Ground
Bombay, India
(Capacity 12,000)
League NFL Premier Division
2007-2008 5th

Mahindra United is a professional football club based in Mumbai, India.Their home ground is the Cooperage Ground.

Contents

[edit] History

All work and no play can indeed make a company very dull. That’s why a simple club with a few games and basic amenities was set up in 1950. No one ever thought that this would grow into an establishment that ran a professional team and offered high quality facilities, incentives and allowances.

The shift was gradual. In 1956, a group of youngsters enrolled themselves as the Mahindra official team in the Bombay Football League and made valiant efforts to reach the top. To further improve the standards, the company provided a full- size football field for practice and training. At this point, with the football teams representing the company at tournaments in Bombay, the need for a sports club arose. So the Mahindra & Mahindra Allied Company Sports Club came into being in 1962.

Since then the team has gone from strength to strength, getting into Bombay’s senior division Harwood League in 1964 and earned the dashing sobriquet, ‘The Giant Killers’. Football was developing in Maharashtra and in Mahindra too. In 1969, Mr. Harish Mahindra was elected Vice President of Western India Football Association (WIFA). Mahindra & Mahindra Allied Company Sports Club, then known as the Orange Brigade, was the most popular team in Maharashtra after strong teams like TATA’s, Mafatlal’s and Caltex. The late 80’s saw Mahindra emerge as one of the most formidable teams in the country, attracting talented international players like P. M. Shivdas, C. Mustafa, Jerry Bassi, Henry Menezes, Santosh Kashyap and Godfrey Pereira. Top teams like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting went all out to recruit the Mahindra players.

In 2000, the Mahindra Football Team underwent a total revamp and the Orange Brigade turned red. The team was renamed Mahindra United under the leadership of Mr. Alan Durante, Executive Director & President of the Automotive Sector. Committed support from the Chairman, Keshub Mahindra, and Managing Director & Vice Chairman, Anand Mahindra, set the ball rolling. Big names like Raghavan, Derek Desouza, Harish Rao, Karel Stromsik, David Booth and Dhronacharya Awardee, Syed Nayeemuddin, have coached the team and taken it from victory to victory.

There's been no looking back since then. Mahindra United of Mumbai is the only team in Maharashtra to win the Durand Cup twice, which is the second oldest trophy in the world. It is also the first team in Maharashtra to win the Harwood League and the Nadkarni Cup three times in a row. In fact, right now the Indian football team too, is led by the captain of Mahindra United.

[edit] Current Squad

As for 24 January 2008
No. Position Player
1 Flag of India GK Subhashish Roy Chowdhury
2 Flag of India DF Naduparambil Pappachan Pradeep
4 Flag of India MF Krishnan Nair AJAYAN
5 Flag of India DF Harpreet SINGH
6 Flag of India DF Manas DAS
7 Flag of India DF Sushanth MATHEW
8 Flag of Ghana FW Andrews Pomeyie Mensah
9 Flag of India FW Surojit BOSE
10 Flag of Ghana FW YAKUBU YUSIF
11 Flag of India FW M. Mohammed RAFI
12 Flag of India MF Manjit SINGH
13 Flag of India MF Keegan PEREIRA
14 Flag of India DF Dharmaraj RAVANAN
15 Flag of India FW Khangemban Thoi SINGH
16 Flag of India DF Sunil KUMAR
No. Position Player
17 Flag of India MF Sukhwinder SINGH
18 Flag of India DF N. Kali ALAUDEEN
19 Flag of India MF Izumi ARATA
20 Flag of India MF Bhola PRASAD
21 Flag of India DF Goutam DEBNATH
22 Flag of India GK Amit NAND
23 Flag of India MF Steven Dias
24 Flag of India GK Sandip NANDY
26 Flag of Nigeria DF Bello Rasaq
27 Flag of India MF Noel FERNANDES
28 Flag of India FW Sushil Kumar SINGH
29 Flag of Côte d'Ivoire MF Pierre Djidjia DOUHOU
30 Flag of India FW Tarif AHMED
32 Flag of India FW Adnan RAHIMTULLAH

[edit] Honours

2006
1998, 2001/02
2003, 2005
2006, 2008
  • 2006 : AFC Cup
  • 2004 : AFC CUP (Asian Football Confederation) 2004 3rd Place in Group B
  • 2003 : President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup
  • 2003 : Super Cup
  • 1971, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1995 :12x Mumbai Elite Division 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
  • 2000, 2001/02 : 3x Nadkarni Cup
  • 2000, 2001, 2002
  • 1980 : Bandodkar Gold Cup
  • 1993 : Rovers Cup
  • 1998 : Chief Ministers Cup
  • 1999 : Mammen Mappillai Cup

[edit] Performance in AFC competitions

2004: Group Stage
2006: Group Stage
2007: Quarter-Finals

[edit] Manager

[edit] Mahindra United Under - 19 years

In an attempt to nurture young talent and promote football in Mumbai, Mahindra United fielded an Under-19 years team from 2003. The team performed extremely well in the NFL league for U-19 years and reached the semi-finals, beating teams like Churchill Bros and Salgaocars. This promotion of the U-19 years team has helped the players to develop and display their talent at the top level and has got them instant recognition and offers from some leading clubs in Mumbai.

[edit] Mahindra United Under - 15 years

Spurred by the success of its U-19 years team, Mahindra United fielded an Under-15 years team from 2006. The team played the Manchester United Premier Cup Asian Qualifiers held at Kolkata where top NFL Clubs participated.

[edit] References