FC Pune City

FC Pune City
Full name

Football Club of Pune City

(एफ सी पुणे सिटी)
Nickname(s) Stallions
Founded 2014 (2014)
Ground Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex
Ground Capacity 9,110[1] (11,900 maximum)
Owner Rajesh Wadhawan Group
Hrithik Roshan
ACF Fiorentina
CEO Gaurav Modwel
Manager Antonio López Habas
League Indian Super League
2016 Regular season: 6th
Finals: DNQ
Website Club website

FC Pune City (PNC) is an Indian professional football franchise based in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, which plays in the Indian Super League. The club was formed in 2014 with a philosophy to provide stimulus to the growth and development of football in the state of Maharashtra and to participate in the inaugural season of the Indian Super League. [2] The team is owned by Rajesh Wadhawan Group and its promoters Mr. Kapil Wadhawan and Mr. Dheeraj Wadhawan. The co-owners are Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan and Italian football club ACF Fiorentina.[3][4][5]

The philosophy behind the inception of the club was to promote and develop the game of football in the city of Pune right from the grassroots levels onwards. FC Pune City aims to be the club which players passionately aspire to be a part of and a club to whom fans pledge their loyalties.

Passion, Honor and Glory are the 3 pillars of the club, whose motto is ‘Live to Win’.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s winning philosophy and warfare tactics heavily inspire the club’s vision to have a strong defense but also be lethal in attack.

In 2016, FC Pune City became the only professional football club in India to have teams which participated at all levels of professional football; Senior Team (ISL), U-18 Team (I-League U-18), U- 16 Team, U-14 Team and the Women’s Team. [6]

History

In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.[7] On 13 April 2014, it was announced that Salman Khan and the Wadhawan Group had won the bidding for the Pune franchise.[2] Later due to issues of sponsorships and endorsements, Salman Khan opted to move out from FC Pune City and Hrithik Roshan came in as the co-owner of the club.

On 30 July 2014, the CEO of the club Gaurav Modwel announced the signing of David Trezeguet as their marquee player.[8] Kostas Katsouranis signed for FC Pune City on 29 September 2014 and Kostas became the first player to have played in the FIFA World Cup 2014 and to participate in the ISL.[9] On 25 October 2014, after failing to secure the transfer of ex-Chelsea winger Adrian Mutu, FC Pune City signed the talent from the school of Ajax, John Goossens.

The team played their first ever Indian Super League match on 14 October 2014, away to Delhi Dynamos FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi in a 0-0 draw. On 18 October 2014 at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai with an attendance of 28,000, FC Pune City suffered their first loss of the ISL with a score of 5-0.

On 26 October 2014 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex with an attendance of 7,517, FC Pune City got their first win with a final score of 2-0 against FC Goa. The Hero of the Match award was given to Kostas Katsouranis as he scored the first ever official goal for FC Pune City, while the second goal was scored by the club's marquee player and captain David Trezeguet.

On 30 October 2014 at the home stadium with an attendance of 8,227, the club suffered a defeat with a scoreline of 1-2 against Kerala Blasters despite David Trezeguet scoring the first goal for FC Pune City in 15th minute. On 3 November 2014 again playing at the home stadium with an attendance of 7,647, the club showed great spirit against NorthEast United FC and John Goossens gave the win with a goal in the 88th minute with a wonderful attempt by Dudu Omagbemi which bound from the bar and Goossens headed it in for a goal. The final score was 1-0 and FC Pune City jumped to the 4th Position in the league.[10] On 7 November 2014, at Salt Lake Stadium with an attendance of 21,550, the club took on the league topper Atlético de Kolkata. FC Pune City were the underdogs in the game and emerged as the winners with the final score of 1-3 in favour of Pune. The club broke the unbeaten stint of Atlético de Kolkata by defeating them at their home ground. Dudu Omagbemi scored the first goal, Kostas Katsouranis scored the second goal and picked up the Hero of the Match award and Davide Colomba scored the third goal with a deflected free kick.[11] Kostas Katsouranis and John Goossens were the stars of the match but John Goossens suffered very serious lower rib cage and paraspinal muscle injuries after a collision with his own team´s goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya in the 78th minute. This injury cost Pune Goossens for the rest of the season.[12]

The club began its second season in 2015. The captain for the second season was Didier Zokora and the marquee player was Adrian Mutu. They played their first home game on 5 October 2015, against Mumbai City FC. The club won the game 3–1 with goals from Tuncay Sanli (2) and Israil Gurung.

They played their second game of the season at home against North East United FC. An own goal from North East player Ralte secured the team the win.

The third game they played was against Delhi Dynamos FC on 14 October. The club lost the game, 1-2 with Kalu Uche scoring the only goal for FC Pune City in the last minute of the game. This game saw the debuts of star players Jackichand Singh and Eugeneson Lyngdoh, but they couldn't give the team the 3 points.

League history

Season League Finals Top goalscorer Managers Kit Manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League
2014 ISL 6 14 4 4 6 12 17 16 - Greece Kostas Katsouranis 4 Italy Franco Colomba Dida DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance
2015 ISL 7 14 4 3 7 17 23 15 - Nigeria Kalu Uche/ Romania Adrian Mutu 4 England David Platt Adidas Fair and Handsome

Ownership

FC Pune City is owned by the Rajesh Wadhawan Group & its promoters Mr. Kapil Wadhawan and Mr. Dheeraj Wadhawan. The Co-owners are Bollywood Superstar Hrithik Roshan and Italian Football Club ACF Fiorentina. [3]

Crest & Jersey Colours

The FC Pune City crest is also inspired by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The fort within the shield, the horses and the flag are borne out of a team with a strong defensive and offensive line-up. The color Orange is synonymous with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, whilst the purple color and the flower are identities of ACF Fiorentina, the club which is affiliated with FC Pune City.

Home Ground

FC Pune City plays their home matches at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune. The pitch at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex is of natural grass and its capacity for the Indian Super League Matches is 9210.

Training Facilities

FC Pune City owns 2 training facilities in the city of Pune. The Senior Team trains at the state of the art FC Pune City Training Facility which is situated at Dharawli, Pirangut whilst the Youth Teams train at the Training Pitches in Mamurdi. Both facilities have natural grass pitches.

The development squads of FC Pune City train at the St. Vincent’s High School football ground.

Players and staff

As of 23 July 2017.[13]

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

No. Position Player
— India GK Vishal Kaith
— India GK Kamaljit Singh
— India DF Nim Dorjee Tamang
— India DF Pawan Kumar
— India DF Lalchhuanmawia
— India DF Wayne Vaz
— India DF Gurtej Singh
— Spain MF Marcos Tébar
— India MF Adil Ahmed Khan
No. Position Player
— India MF Jewel Raja
— India MF Isaac Vanmalsawma
— India MF Ashique Kuruniyan
— India MF Rohit Kumar
— India MF Harpreet Singh
— Uruguay FW Emiliano Alfaro
— India FW Kean Lewis
— India FW Ajay Singh
— India FW Baljit Sahni

Under 18 Team

As of 20 March 2017.[14]

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

No. Position Player
1 India GK Anuj Kumar
22 India GK Kartik Desai
2 India DF omar magmoumeh
3 India DF Gursimrat Singh
4 India DF Tarif Akhand
5 India DF Dimple Bhagat
14 India DF Nuruddin
21 India DF Siamminthang valte
23 India DF SK Sajid Hossain
25 India DF Kiran Saravanan
30 India DF Surya Tirkey
31 India DF Deboprya Das
33 India DF Amit Tudu
35 India DF Sebastian Thangmuansang
No. Position Player
6 India MF Kyntiew Kharlukhi
7 India MF Mohammed Yasir
8 India MF Wungngayam Muirang
13 India MF Gaurav Bora
16 India MF Abhishek Haldar
17 India MF Ashish Rai
19 India MF Daniel Hmar
20 India MF Omega Vanlalhruaitluanga
24 India MF Lalrinawma
9 India FW Gani Ahammed Nigam
10 India FW Nijwm Muchahary
11 India FW Buanthanglun Samte
15 India FW Balkar Singh
26 India FW Amos Lalnienga

Women's Team

As of 29 March 2017.[15]

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

No. Position Player
1 India GK Rumpa Malik
27 India GK Monika Devi
31 India GK Aparna Rathi
2 India DF Sanam Rathod
4 India DF Darshana Sanas
5 India DF Priyanka Murade
9 India DF Michel Castanha
15 India DF Poli Koley
20 India DF Ella Dubey
22 India DF Soniya Rana
25 India DF Aarya Karpe
No. Position Player
6 India MF Abeer Arsiwala
7 India MF Smriti Girish
8 India MF Alisha Ranikhetwalla
17 India MF Dalima Chhibber
11 India FW Pratima Mukhia
12 India FW Jyoti Ann Burrett
13 India FW Senorita Nongpluh
16 India FW Gita Das
18 India FW Muriel Adam
19 India FW Laura Estibeiro
24 India FW Roja Devi Asem

Technical staff

As of September 2016
Position Name
Head Coach Spain Antonio López Habas
Assistant Coach India Pradyum Reddy
Goalkeeping Coach Spain Ángel Pindado
Technical Director Spain David Moliner
Team Physiotherapist Spain Alvaro Ramos Astolfi
Spain Santiago Rodrigues Calleja
Team Doctor India Ajit Mapari
Youth Team - Head Coach Spain Roger Lamesa
Youth Team - Assistant Coach India Mohan Dass

Management

As of March 2017
Position Name
CEO India Gaurav Modwel

Notable Former Players

As of March 2017
Name Country
David Trezeguet FranceFrance
Kostas Katsouranis GreeceGreece
Tuncay Sanli TurkeyTurkey
Didier Zokora Ivory CoastIvory Coast
Adrian Mutu RomaniaRomania
Kalu Uche NigeriaNigeria
Nicky Shorey EnglandEngland
Momo Sissoko MaliMali
Jesús Tato SpainSpain
Pitu SpainSpain

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
2014 Dida DHFL Pramerica
2015 Adidas Fair and Handsome
2016— DHFL

Other Partners

Period Gym Partner
2015 NA
2016 MultiFit[16]

Fan Engagement and Marketing Initiatives

FC Pune City and its management believe that the club’s fans are an extremely important cog in the club’s system. The ‘Fans come first’ policy has led the club to create many ‘firsts’ in the Indian football market. FC Pune City is the only professional football club to have its own outright Merchandise Store, which is situated on Fergusson College Road, in the heart of Pune City. Fans can visit the store to buy the Home and Away jerseys of the club or opt to pick up club merchandise from a variety of selections available for sale.

FC Pune City is also the first football franchise in India to launch a digital loyalty program where fans can redeem their points to buy tickets, club merchandise or get discounts at their favorite stores or restaurants.

FC Pune City fans were also able to get free wi-fi at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, as FC Pune City became the only football club to have free wi-fi for its fans during the Indian Super League.

‘Orange Army’ is the official fan club of FC Pune City, which is known for its vociferous support to the team both home and away. Renowned for travelling in large numbers to support the team across the length and breadth of the country, the Orange Army is held in extremely high regard by the FC Pune City management and the players.


Team records

Seasons

As of 10 September 2016
Year ISL Regular season Finals Top Scorer(s)
P W D L GF GA Pts Pos. Player(s) Goals
2014 14 4 4 6 12 17 16 6th DNQ Greece Kostas Katsouranis 4
2015 14 4 3 7 17 23 15 7th DNQ Nigeria Kalu Uche
Romania Adrian Mutu		 4
2016 14 4 4 6 13 16 16 6th DNQ Mexico Aníbal Zurdo 5

Head Coach's Record

As of 3 October 2016
NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%
Franco Colomba  Italy 22 June 2014 20 December 2014 14 4 4 6 12 17 028.57
David Platt  England 2 June 2015 20 December 2015 14 4 3 7 17 23 028.57
Antonio López Habas  Spain 25 April 2016 Present 14 4 4 6 13 16 028.57
Miguel Martinez Gonzalez  Spain 3 October 2016 1 0 0 1 0 1 000.00

References

  1. ↑ http://www.indiansuperleague.com/fc-pune-city/venue
  2. 1 2 Basu, Saumyajit. "Stars embrace soccer through Indian Super League". Times of India. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 "ISL: FC Pune City tie up with Italian giants FC Fiorentina". Mid-Day. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Deshpande, Nikhil (9 October 2014). "Hrithik Roshan to be Pune City FC Co-owner". Sportzwiki. India. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Share on Twitter. "Salman Khan denies owning ISL team - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
  6. ↑ Share on Twitter. "FC Pune City only ISL club to have a team in the inaugural IWL". One India. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  7. ↑ "Indian Super League sees interest from 30 franchise bidders". Business Standard. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "IFC Pune City Names David Trezeguet as Marquee Player". Zee News. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "IGreeces 2014 World Cupper Kostas Katsouranis Joins FC Pune City". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  10. ↑ "Goossens hits winner for FC Pune City against NorthEast". Times of India. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "ISL: FC Pune City End Atletico de Kolkata's Unbeaten Run". NDTV. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "ISL: FC Pune City forward John Goossens ruled out of next match". IBN Live. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Squad". Indian Super League. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  14. ↑ "Under 18 Squad". Hero I-League. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "Women's Team". Scroll.in. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  16. ↑ https://twitter.com/FCPuneCity/status/786534018674110464
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