Real Kashmir FC is an Indian professional football club based in Srinagar,

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administere ...

, Club competes in both the

I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the win ...

, and

J&K Premier Football League J&K Premier Football League, also known as J&K Premier Division and Srinagar Premier League, is the top state-level football league in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) and J&K ...

. Nicknamed ''

Snow Leopards The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is estim ...

'', it is the first ever club from

that earned its promotion to compete in any top flight football league of the country. Club's

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is t ...

section has been competing in the state league, as well as AIFF Futsal Club Championship, the highest division of futsal club competition in the country.

History

Formation as a club

The seeds of Real Kashmir FC were sown in 2014 after devastating floods swept through the region causing massive loss of life and property. To keep the youth, who had lost much during the floods—engaged, Shamim Mehraj, editor of a local newspaper named ''" Kashmir Monitor"'', and Sandeep Chattoo, a local businessman, came together to arrange footballers. What began as a community outreach programme garnered massive support from the local populace and it soon started evolving into something more. Real Kashmir FC as a club, formalised in 2016, and affiliated with Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) under the tireless efforts by Chattoo, currently the owner of the club. Founded in 2016, Real Kashmir FC emerged as the first ever top flight professional football club in Jammu and Kashmir.

Participation in tournaments

Shortly after its formation, the club participated in their first national competition in September 2016 when they competed in the

2016 Durand Cup The 2016 Durand Cup was the 128th edition of the Durand Cup since the tournament's founding in 1888. 12 teams competed in the tournament hosted at the Ambedkar Stadium and Harbaksh Stadium in Delhi from 28 August 2016. The final took place a ...

. In January 2017, Real Kashmir roped in David Robertson as their new head coach, and in July, it became the first club from Jammu & Kashmir to play on foreign soil by playing 4 matches in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. They appeared in their first major tournament by competing in the

2016–17 I-League 2nd Division The 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division was the tenth season of the I-League 2nd Division, the second-tier Indian league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2008. The season began on 21 January 2017 and featured 12 teams whi ...

, but failed to reach to the final round. They have been participating in all four categories of the AIFF. In May 2018, Real Kashmir FC earned promotion to the

2018–19 I-League The 2018–19 I-League was the 12th season of the I-League, the top Indian professional football league, since its establishment in 2007. The season started on 26 October 2018 and is scheduled to conclude in March 2019. Unlike the Indian Super ...

by winning the

2017–18 I-League 2nd Division The 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division (known as Hero 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division, for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of the I-League 2nd Division, the second division Indian football league, since its establishment in 2008. The sea ...

after defeating

Hindustan FC Hindustan Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in New Delhi. Affiliated with Football Delhi (FD), the club last participated in Delhi Premier League. Founded in 1948, Hindustan predominantly participated in I-League 2 ...

in the final game of the season by a score of 3–2. On 30 May 2018, Real Kashmir became champions of the

I-League 2nd Division I-League 2, previously known as I-League 2nd Division and officially known as or Hero I-League 2 (for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp), is an Indian men's professional football league. It is the 3rd tier of Indian football, behind India ...

. This was only their second season at this level, after the club's inception in 2016, earning promotion to the I-League for the first time ahead of the 2018–19 season. In 11 December 2018, they witnessed one of the league's biggest wins, after they thrashed

Shillong Lajong FC Shillong Lajong FC (founded as Lajong SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya, that competes in the Shillong Premier League. The club was established in 1983 with the prime objective of improving the declining ...

by 6–1. Real Kashmir achieved third place in their debut season. 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 Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional foot ...

(BVB). The youth team visited the training centers where official BVB teams train. They also visited the famous BVB stadium

Westfalenstadion Westfalenstadion (, ) is a football stadium in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which is the home of Borussia Dortmund. Officially called Signal Iduna Park for sponsorship reasons and BVB Stadion Dortmund in UEFA competitions, the nam ...

. They participated in

2019 Durand Cup The 2019 Durand Cup was the 129th edition of the Durand Cup, oldest football tournament in Asia, since the tournament's founding in 1888. 16 teams competed in the tournament. The matches were played across three locations in West Bengal, namely ...

and reached the semi-finals, but lost 3–1 to

Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...

. On 19 December 2020, the ''Snow Leopards'', as they are fondly called, added another golden chapter in their short yet eventful history by winning the 123rd edition of the

IFA Shield The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the association, the IFA Shield t ...

tournament, defeating

George Telegraph George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

at the

Salt Lake Stadium The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK; ), commonly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium f ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. It is the first major domestic triumph since their inception in 2016. For

2021, they borrowed three players (

Danish Farooq Bhat Danish Farooq Bhat (born 9 May 1996) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team. Club career Early career Danish started his early football caree ...

, Adnan Ayoub, Farhan Ganie) from

J&K Bank Football Club Jammu & Kashmir Bank Football Club (simply known as ''J&K Bank FC'' or ''J&K Bank XI'') is an Indian professional football club based in Jammu and Kashmir, that competes in the JKFA Professional League. It is an institutional club as they are ...

. In the

2020–21 I-League The 2020–21 I-League (known as the ''Hero I-League'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the I-League, one of the top tier Indian professional football leagues, since its establishment in 2007. The tournament was hosted in bio-se ...

, the club finished their campaign in fifth place (Play-off), accumulating 21 points with 5 wins in 15 matches. As the defending champions of

, Real Kashmir began its

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

edition campaign on 24 November with a 3–0 win over

Indian Arrows Indian Arrows (formerly known as Pailan Arrows) was an Indian developmental football club that competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, with a main goal of nurturing young Indian football talen ...

. They retained their title with a 2–1 win against

Sreenidi Deccan Sreenidi Deccan Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Hyderabad, Telangana. Established on 1 January 2015 as a football academy at Hyderabad and launched from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in 2021, the club currently c ...

on 15 December. The club failed to make an impact in the

2021–22 I-League The 2021–22 I-League (also known as Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) is the 15th season of I-League, last as the top tier of Indian football league system, since its establishment in 2007. All the matches are hosted in a bio-secure bub ...

season and finished on twelfth place.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Stadium

Real Kashmir FC are currently using 11,000 seater TRC Polo Synthetic Turf Ground in Srinagar, as their home ground until the renovation of

Bakshi Stadium Bakshi Stadium is a stadium in Wazir Bagh, Srinagar, Kashmir. It is a stadium with a capacity for 45,000 people and is mainly used for football matches. The stadium is able to host the highest-standard matches, including some of Real Kashm ...

. Since 2015, the ground is being used in the

as the home ground for their rival Lonestar Kashmir and

for Real Kashmir. The ground is operated by the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association and renovated in 2015. It has

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...

Rivalry

Real Kashmir has a rivalry with their fellow Jammu & Kashmir-based club Lonestar Kashmir FC, that participated in the

. The team has also participated in the inaugural ''2020–21 Real Kashmir Cup'', which was hosted at the TRC Turf Ground.

Players

First-team squad

Current technical staff

Club records

*Attendance/G = Average league attendance

Seasons

PR: Preliminary Round

Top scorer

Managerial record

Notable players

The following Real Kashmir players have been capped at '' full international level''. Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club. * Aaron Katebe (2018–2020) *

Kashif Siddiqi Kashif Mumtaz Siddiqi (born 25 January 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender. Born in England, Siddiqi represented Pakistan at senior international level. After playing youth football with various teams in England, Siddi ...

(2019) *

Tenzin Samdup Tenzin Samdup (born 23 December 1992) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Mumbai Kenkre. He represents the Tibet national team in CONIFA tournaments. Earlier career Samdup began his professional career with Indi ...

(2019–2020) *

Zohib Islam Amiri Zohib Islam Amiri ( prs, ذهیب اسلام امیری; born 15 February 1990) is a professional footballer from Afghanistan who plays as a centre-back for A.S. Blainville and the Afghanistan national team. Early life Amiri was born on 15 Febr ...

(2021) * Masih Saighani (2021) * Nozim Babadjanov (2022–) * Nuriddin Davronov (2023–)

Partnership & reception

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 2018–19 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.

Worldwide attention

Real Kashmir have received international acclaim following their participation in a

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Irelan ...

documentary named ''"Real Kashmir FC"'' that followed the team and their Scottish manager David Robertson, which won the best 'Single Documentary' category at the British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) or

BAFTA Film Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

Scotland. It additionally won at the UK "Broadcast Awards" for best documentary, and the best documentary and best director for Greg Clark at the Rotterdam European Sports Awards. A follow up documentary "Return to Real Kashmir FC" was then made and given a 4 star review in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''. The documentaries were also broadcast on

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...

in the US.

Other departments

Football (women's)

In September 2020, Real Kashmir FC launched women's development initiative named ''She Power Programme'', in collaboration with

Delhi Public School Delhi Public School (also known as DPS) is the largest public school institution in India. The classes are from KG I to Class XII (Science, Arts and Commerce). It is affiliated to CBSE. Delhi Public School may refer to: * Delhi Public School Socie ...

, for U-14 and U-10 girls teams. Senior team was announced in August 2021.

Futsal

The

section of Real Kashmir has participated in the inaugural edition of

Futsal Club Championship The Futsal Club Championship, also referred as Hero MotoCorp, Hero Futsal Club Championship for sponsorship ties, is the Indian football league system, highest level futsal club competition in India, organised by the All India Football Federati ...

, in which they failed to reach the knock-out stages. The team previously clinched the state Futsal Championship title for the 1st time in September 2021, defeating Downtown Heroes by 3–1, which was organized by Jammu & Kashmir Football Association.

Honours

League

**Third place (1): 2018–19 *

**Champions (1): 2017–18

Cup

**Winners (2):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

* J&K Invitational Cup **Winners (1): 2018 ()

Notes

References

External links

Team info
at Global Sports Archive
Team profile
at Soccerway * *
Real Kashmir FC
at the-aiff.com {{Football in India Football clubs in Jammu and Kashmir Sport in Srinagar I-League 2nd Division clubs Association football clubs established in 2016 2016 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir