Azad Sporting Club

Azad Sporting Club (), also referred as Azad SC, is an association football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club was considered one of the pioneers of Bengali football in East Pakistan and participated in the Dhaka First Division Football League until relegation in 1985. The club has been inactive in the domestic football circuit since the turn of the century.

History

Azad Sporting Club was formed in 1949 by Bengali writers and cultural organizers. Renowned artist Quamrul Hassan chose the colour and designed the club's kit. MA Kayum and Anwar Hossain were appointed as the club's president and general secretary, respectively. They entered the Dhaka Second Division League and were promoted to the First Division within two years after winning the Second Division, becoming joint champions with Fire Service SC in 1950.

In 1951, the club entered the First Division League, and were captained by Tofazzel Hossain. They finished runners-up in the top-tier in both 1953 and 1954. The club was almost entirely made up of Bengali players, which was unlike most top-tier teams at the time who favoured Punjabi and Makrani players.

The club transformed with the appointment of general secretary Saifuddin Ahmed as they won their first and only First Division League title in 1958. With the club tied on points with Central Station & Printing Press after the initial league phase, Tajul Islam Manna scored a brace, and Habib Ahmed added another goal as Azad won the play-off game 3–2 to claim their maiden league title. Manna was the league's top scorer that year with 25 goals. Alongside him, the other notable players in the team were captain Ranjit Das and winger SA Jamman Mukta.

Their title triumph saw them participate in the first edition of the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1958.The competition is widely regarded as the predecessor of AFC Champions League (held for the first time in 1967), since it was the first organized international competition that involved club teams around Asia, organized by the football authorities of East Pakistan, in collaboration with Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The club were tagged as ''Giant Killers'' after the Independence of Bangladesh, nonetheless, were relegated to the Second Division in 1985. Eventually, in the 1993–94 season, the club descended to the Third Division, and the following season, in 1994–95, they plummeted even further to the Pioneer Division. In 1998, their football department stopped functioning due to financial restraints.

Notable players

The most notable player to have represented the club is their all-time top scorer Tajul Islam Manna, who played for them from 1954 to 1963, scoring 77 league goals including 10 hat-tricks in the process. The East Pakistani striker also represented the Pakistan national team in 1955, scoring the only goal of the game against India in a Non-FIFA Friendly.

Other notable players include: Tarapada Roy, Ranjit Das, SA Jamman Mukta, Jalil Ansari, Monwar Hossain Nannu, Shahidur Rahman Shantoo, Anjam Hossain, Ehtesham, Habib Ahmed, Salam Murshedy, Mari Chowdhury, Khandoker Nurunnabi, Elias Hossain, Md Kamruzzaman, Anwar Hossain, Khandoker Abul Hasan and Subal Das. Sheikh Monsur Ali Lalu who later played for the Shadhin Bangla football team also began his First Division career with the club.

Club members

President

General Scretary

Head coach

Records and statistics

Season by season

Note: Azad Sporting Club competed in the Dhaka Second Division League from 1949 to 1950 and entered the First Division in 1951, however, only records after the Independence of Bangladesh are available.

Honours

* Dhaka First Division League
**Winners (1): 1958
* Dhaka Second Division League
**Winners (1): 1950
* Independence Day Tournament
**Winners (1): 1959

Other departments

Volleyball

The club's volleyball team participates in the Premier Division Volleyball league under the Bangladesh Volleyball Federation. They were runners-up to WAPDA SC in the league during the 1975–76 season, which remains their best finish to date.

Field hockey

The clubs field hockey team currently plays in the Premier Division Hockey League. They are yet to win the league title although the club's hockey team has been a regular participant in the league since the independence of Bangladesh. In February 2024, the club withdrew its name from the 2024 Premier Division Hockey League citing financial issues.

Cricket

The club's cricket team last participated in the 2015 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. They have had national cricket team captains Akram Khan and Shakib Al Hasan represent them in the domestic competitions.

Kabaddi

Azad Sporting Club has both men's and women's Kabaddi teams playing in the First Division Kabaddi League. In 2015, they became champions in the first open Women's Beach Kabaddi Competition, defeating Judain Janata Club by 53-51 points in the final held in Cox's Bazar.

See also

* List of football clubs in Bangladesh
* History of football in Bangladesh

Notes

References

Further reading

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

{{Commons category, Azad Sporting Club

Association football clubs established in 1949
Football clubs in Bangladesh
1949 establishments in East Bengal