A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
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| Full name | Sudeva Delhi Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 (as Sudeva Moonlight FC) | |||
| Ground | ||||
| Capacity | 35,000 16,000 | |||
| Owner | Anuj Gupta Vijay Hakari | |||
| League | I-League 2 Delhi Premier League | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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| Departments of Sudeva Delhi FC | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Football (Men's) |
Football (Women's) |
Futsal (Men's) |
Football (reserves & academy) |
Sudeva Delhi Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Delhi.[1][2] The club will be competing in I-League 2, the third tier of the Indian football league system, after getting relegated from the second tier I-League in 2022–23.[3]
Founded as Sudeva Moonlight FC in 2014,[4] and affiliated with Football Delhi (FD).[5] They joined I-League in 2020–21 season and became the first club from the capital city to do so.[6][7] Paul Williams, local English publican, has brought a 20% stake in the club.
History
The beginning
Sudeva as a sporting organization, was incorporated in 2014 in Delhi by two young entrepreneurs, Anuj Gupta, a solicitor in England and Vijay Hakari, an environmentalist, sharing a common passion for raising the standards of football training in the country.[8][9] The organization runs grassroots programs for potential talent, starting from the age of 9, right up to the senior level.[8]
As Sudeva Moonlight
In 2016, Sudeva acquired "Moonlight FC", a Delhi-based club that appeared in DSA Senior Division (now known as Football Delhi Senior Division League),[10][11][12] having clinched league title twice in 1985 and 1990 (alongside runner-up finishes in 1988 and 1999).[13][14][15] The club had submitted its bid in 2016 to center into the I-League, but it eventually failed through.[16] Sudeva Moonlight debuted in I-League 2nd Division during the 2016–17 season,[17][18] and appointed Carlton Chapman as head coach.[19] In 2018, Sudeva acquired Sudeva Olimpic Residential Academy, a club that currently competes in the Spanish Tercera Division, and became the first club in the history of Indian football to acquire a European club.[20]
In 2018, they participated in J&K Invitational Cup in Srinagar.[21][22] In that edition, they ended their campaign reaching semi-finals.[23]
As Sudeva Delhi
In June 2020, All India Football Federation (AIFF) invited bids for a new team to join the I-League. Sudeva was one of three football clubs that submitted the bid documents and on August 12, 2020, AIFF announced that Sudeva would take part in the 2020–21 I-League season, after winning the bid for direct entry.[24][25][26]
_in_action_against_Mohammedan_Sporting_during_an_I-League_match_at_the_Salt_Lake_Stadium_in_Kolkata,_January_9,_2021.jpg)
Sudeva Delhi was launched by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on November 27, 2020.[27] Ahead of the 2020–21 I-League season, Sudeva Delhi appointed Chencho Dorji as their head coach.[28] Dorji is the first Bhutanese coach at the helm of any club in the history of the I-League.
It is a great honour to be part of the I-League. I really thank the president and the vice-president for believing in me and deciding to give the huge responsibility. lf you do well, you will survive and I am very excited about this challenge. As with every head coach, I also want to win. l want to win all the matches, but that does not happen in football.
— Chencho Dorji, being the head coach of Sudeva Delhi.[29]
The first club from the national capital to play in the I-League, Sudeva Delhi FC have opted for an all-Indian squad in their first season and the concept was supported by coach Dorji: "The message was always clear that we will go with an all-Indian squad".[30][31][32] The club began their very first top flight competitive season on 9 January with a match against Mohammedan Sporting, which ended as their 1–0 loss.[33][34] After struggling in lots of matches, they managed to win against teams like Chennai City,[35] NEROCA and Indian Arrows. They managed to get 18 points from 14 games, which includes five wins, six losses and there draws and finished in eighth position of the league table.[36][37][38][39]
Sudeva began their 2021–22 season with 2021 Durand Cup in Kolkata, and bowed out of the tournament from group stages.[40] In 2021–22 I-League, after moving to relegation stage, the club ended their campaign in eleventh position.[41] In January 2022, Sudeva Delhi entered into a strategic partnership under the name of "Bellmare Asia Football Alliance", with Japanese J1 League club Shonan Bellmare.[42] After Dorji's departure, the club was managed by Mehrajuddin Wadoo till September 2022.[43] In September 2022, the club roped in Japanese manager Atsushi Nakamura as new head coach, who was replaced in the mid-season by Sankarlal Chakraborty.[44][45] The club struggled a lot in 2022–23 season, and relegated from I-League, alongside Kenkre.[46][47][48][49][50] Until August, Chakraborty managed Sudeva.[51]
In the 2023–24 I-League 2, Sudeva Delhi ended their campaign achieving third place with 23 points, 8 wins in 14 matches, missing the opportunity to secure promotion in the 2024–25 I-League.[52][53]
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | None | Chevrolet[54] |
| 2017–2020 | T10 Sports | Sudeva |
| 2020–2021 | Puma[55][56] | Liquid Water[55][57] |
| 2021–2022 | Hummel[58] | |
| 2022–present | Shiv-Naresh[59] |
Stadium
Ambedkar Stadium, located in Delhi, is the home ground of Sudeva Delhi.[60][61] Since 2022, the club also plays some of their home matches of I-League at Chhatrasal Stadium.[62]
In previous editions of I-League, due to COVID-19 pandemic in India, played league games in centralized venues in West Bengal.[63] In 2023–24 I-League 2, the club used Ambedkar Stadium.[64]
Personnel
Current technical staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach U21 |  Zahid Shafi Mir
|
| Goalkeeping coach | Sandip Dhole
|
| Team manager | Ravi Hooda
|
| Physiotherapists | Soumya Purkhait Chirag Sharma
|
| Head coach U17 | Uttam Singh
|
| Head coach U15 | Deepak Deswal
|
Managerial record
Information correct after match played on 5 March 2022. Only competitive matches are counted.
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederik Bägerfeldt |  Sweden
|
3 September 2016 | 1 October 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | [65] |
| Carlton Chapman | India
|
1 October 2016 | 31 May 2017 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 16.67 | [66] |
| Arjunan Shanta Kumar | India
|
31 May 2017 | 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | [67] |
| Pushpender Kundu | India
|
7 January 2018 | 8 November 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | [68] |
| Chencho Dorji |  Bhutan
|
22 September 2020 | 9 November 2021 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 35.71 | [69] |
| Mehrajuddin Wadoo (caretaker) | India
|
13 November 2021 | September 2022 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 19 | 15.38 | [70] |
| Atsushi Nakamura |  Japan
|
1 September 2022 | 13 December 2022 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 0.00 | [71] |
| Sankarlal Chakraborty | India
|
14 December 2022 | 3 August 2023 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 | [72] |
| Chencho Dorji | Bhutan
|
20 September 2023 | present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | [73] |
Team records
Season by season
- As of 6 June 2023