| Full name | Pune Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Red Lizards | ||
| Founded | 2007 | ||
| Ground | Balewadi Sports Complex (Capacity: 20,000) |
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| Owner | Ashok Piramal Group | ||
| Chairman | Chirag Tanna | ||
| Manager | Derrick Pereira | ||
| League | I-League | ||
| 2011–12 | I-League, 5th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Current season | |||
Pune Football Club is an Indian football club based in Pune. The club was established in 2007, and gained promotion to the I-League in the 2009-10 season.[1] Pune F.C. one of the most professional football club in India is also known as one of the first football club to not follow the Institutional Football format that was seen more in I-League. They also play the "Maha Derby" which takes place between Pune FC and Mumbai FC. In the last two years though Pune FC fans have started to consider Kingfisher East Bengal FC as their main rivals.
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Pune FC is one of the youngest clubs in the I-League, having been established in August, 2007 by the Ashok Piramal Group. As their name suggests, they are based in Pune, Maharashtra, and play their home matches at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex. The club was formed with the intention of putting the city of Pune on India’s footballing map.
Their first season in the I-League was called a major success as Pune FC finished in 3rd place in the 2009-10 I-League season. But the 2010-11 I-League season was not as good as Pune FC dropped down the table to 5th place after starting the season with one win out of eleven which saw Pune FC in the relegation zone, but a good luck of form and the return of the India national football team goalkeeper and Pune FC captain Subrata Pal saw Pune FC climb back up the table and finish respectably. Following his successful loan period with the Indian Arrows, Jeje Lalpekhlua, one of the bright young Indian stars for the India national football team had returned to Pune F.C. with his publicly announced intention of winning a trophy with the club. He would offset the loss of Edmar Figueira, the Pune F.C. number 9 for the past two seasons who has jumped from the I-League to the Portugal Primeira Liga with C.D. Feirense. In September Pune FC resigned Pierre Djidjia Douhou and Chika Wali both of whom played an instrumental role in PFC's 3rd finish in the 2009-10 Season. Pune played against Premier League side Blackburn Rovers at Balewadi Sports Complex on October 7, 2011.[2] Blackburn Rovers won the match 3-0.[3]
The Logo of the club is a shield with a Ghorpad (Monitor Lizard) engulfing a football. During the Battle of Sinhagad, Chhatrapati Shivaji's general, Tanaji Malusare, used Yeshwanti (Shivaji's pet ghorpad) to scale the steep walls of Sinhagad Fort. Similarly, the ghorpad on the logo is meant to serve as an inspiration to the club, to overcome all obstacles and be successful in India and Asia. The colours used in the logo are red and gold. The red symbolises aggression, danger and passion and the gold symbolises success and victory.
Pune F.C. uses the small yet spectacular Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex as its venue for I-League matches.[4] All the I-League matches are scheduled at 7:00 PM under floodlights. The club has built its own training pitches on the outskirts of Pune at an area called Mamurdi, near where the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway ends.
Pune F.C. are well supported by passionate and often very loud fans who come in numbers for every Pune FC game. In due course of time the slogan "Who are we... PFC!" has become a hit. Lots of kids turn out for a match which is a positive sign for football development in Pune.
Although the whole Pune squad is very close to the thousands of PFC's Supporters, Shanmugam Venkatesh known as Venky, Arata Izumi, Lester Fernandez, Subrata Paul and local boy Paresh Shivalkar are the closest to PFC fans.
Pune F.C. is one of the new generation of Indian Football clubs which are being promoted by different corporate groups. The Ashok Piramal Group, which has diverse business interests, established Pune FC in August 2007.[1] The club was named after the city of its origin in keeping with the tradition of many international football clubs which are highly successful in drawing the crowds.
Pune FC sign two-year deal with Infosys[5].
PFC TV is an online TV channel created by Pune F.C. that allows fans to watch Pune F.C. match highlights, news shows, player interviews, and more. PFC TV can be watched on punefc.com or on their YouTube account PFCTVonline. Pune F.C. are known to be the first Indian football team in India to do this.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Pune Football Club is set to launch the Peninsula Pune Football Club Academy (PPFCA) on July 18, 2011.[8]
On the Pune F.C. website it said that In doing so [opening the academy] Pune F.C. will incorporate and sync the dire need of aspiring footballers go through a systemized youth development program, which eventually will lead to produce talent for both - the Indian market and Pune FC themselves.[8]
The Academy will be headed by PFC Head of Youth Development, Ranjan Chowdhury, and will comprise of 30 footballers who will form make the first batch of the academy.
They also said that the two-year residential program shall have the academy players based at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Hotel, Balewadi and will travel to the Pune F.C. training ground based at Mamurdi to train.[8]
Speaking about the academy, Pune F.C. Head of Operations Chirag Tanna, said, “PFC is confident of a full placement of the young footballers in the Division I and Division II of the I–League, given the 80 percent placement they have had for the previous batch of the U–19 talents in 2010-2011.” [8]
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Derrick Pereira | Head Coach |
| Ashok Kumar | General Manager |
| Norbert Gonsalves | Assistant Coach |
| Ranjan Chowdhury | Head of Youth Development |
| Gift Raikhan | Coach, Youth Development |
Team managers of Pune F.C. and their statistics in all tournaments
Updated November 6th 2011
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% | Honours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart Hall | England | September 2007 | February 2008 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50.00 | |
| Bernard McNally | England | February 8, 2008 | May 8, 2008 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 24 | 14 | 42.86 | |
| Stewart Hall | England | July 8, 2008 | May 9, 2009 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 3 | 76.47 | |
| Derrick Pereira | India | June 9, 2009 | present | 56 | 20 | 23 | 13 | 76 | 58 | 35.71 |
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