Ahmedabad Racquet Academy Football Club (commonly known as ARA FC Gujarat) is an Indian professional
football club based in
Ahmedabad,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
. They have competed in 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 Indian ...
. ARA FC is the first professional team from Gujarat to compete in the nationwide league. The club also competes in GFA Senior Division League.
Their reserve and youth teams play in both Hero Sub-Junior League and
Hero Elite League, while women team is member of
Indian Women's League
The Indian Women's League, known as ''Hero Indian Women's League'' for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp is the women's top tier professional football league in Indian football. Founded in 2016, currently a total of 18 teams from across the c ...
.
History
Academy and early years
Ahmedabad Racquet Academy (ARA) started its journey as a professional multi-sports academy in
Ahmedabad,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, which mainly consists of
racquet sports
Racket sports are games in which players use a racket or paddle to hit a ball or other object. Rackets consist of a handled frame with an open hoop that supports a network of tightly stretched strings. Paddles have a solid face rather than a ne ...
and has been running since 2011 and began participating in Ahmedabad Junior league. The football club was among the newest projects established by the academy in recent times as an initiative by owner Vikram Patel.
Formation of club
The existing academy owned by Patel emerged as ARA FC in 2016 to ensure development of football in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
.
On 19 July 2018, their academy were accredited and given two stars based on eligibility criteria, which allowed them to play in
Youth League U18
The Youth League, also known as Hero Youth League for sponsorship reasons, is a system of youth football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the All India Football Federation. It consists of 3 age groups competitions: U17 (E ...
.
ARA as a club became affiliated with
Gujarat State Football Association
The Gujarat State Football Association (abbreviated GSFA) is one of the 37 Indian state football associations that are affiliated to the All India Football Federation.
Background
Gujarat State Football Association (GSFA) is the governing bo ...
(GSFA) in 2017, and began competing in the ADFA Premier Division League.
2018–present
![Sagar Ali](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Sagar_Ali.jpg)
On 20 November 2018, AIFF nominated ARA for proposed inclusion in the
2018–19 2nd Division League.
On 7 December, it was announced that ARA FC would be one of nine clubs to play that season.
Thus the
Ahmedabad-based club became the only team from the state competing in a domestic tier league.
In their maiden I-League 2nd Division in the 2018–19 season, ARA finished on fourth place in Group A with 11 points in 8 matches as
Lonestar Kashmir progressed to the final round.
They were nominated for participating in the
2021 I-League Qualifiers
The 2021 I-League Qualifiers or Hero I-League Qualifiers 2021 (for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of I-League 2nd Division since its establishment in 2008. The league winner secured place in 2021–22 I-League season.
Subrata Dutta, ...
, since emerging victorious in Gandhinagar Premier League. They began their journey with a 1–1 draw against
Corbett FC
Corbett FC (previously known as the Amenity Sports Academy and the Corbett Tigers) is an Indian professional football club based in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. The club currently competes in Uttarakhand Super League and has participated in 2021 I- ...
on 5 October at the
Bangalore Football Stadium
The Bangalore Football Stadium is a football stadium in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was a venue in three editions of the I-League, top-tier football league in the country, and home of Bengaluru FC for one season, when they won I-League trophy in f ...
but did not advanced to the final round.
Home stadium
![EKA Arena Stadium(TransStadia)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/EKA_Arena_Stadium%28TransStadia%29.jpg)
ARA FC plays its home matches at the
EKA Arena
EKA Arena (formerly The Arena) is a multi-purpose stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, located near Kankaria Lake. The stadium was completed by and officially opened on 7 October 2016. It was built in a public-private partnership between the Governm ...
, which has a capacity of 20,000 spectators. The stadium is located in
Kankaria Lake
Kankaria Lake is the second largest lake in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is located in the south-eastern part of the city, in the Maninagar area. It was completed in 1451 during the reign of Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II though its origin ...
,
Ahmedabad, and has additional 10,000 temporary seats on the pitch area.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
Current squad
Current technical staff
Honours
League
*Gujarat SFA Club Championship
**Champions (1): 2022
*ADFA Ahmedabad District League 2nd Division
**Champions (1): 2017
*ADFA Ahmedabad District League 1st Division
**Champions (2): 2018
2021-22
*Gandhinagar Premier League
**Champions (1): 2020–21
Cup
*Heritage Cup Jaipur
**Champions (1): 2020
Women's team
*Gujarat Women's League
**Champions (1): 2021
Records
;Key
*Tms. = Number of teams
*Pos. = Position in league
*Attendance/G = Average league attendance
Managerial record
updated on 25 October 2020
Notable former players
''For current and former notable ARA FC players with a Wikipedia article, see:
ARA FC players''.
Women's team
ARA FC has its women's football team that competes in the
Indian Women's League
The Indian Women's League, known as ''Hero Indian Women's League'' for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp is the women's top tier professional football league in Indian football. Founded in 2016, currently a total of 18 teams from across the c ...
, the highest division of Indian women's football. Before the kick-off of
2021–22 Indian Women's League season, four teams including ARA Women from four states played each other once in April 2022, in the qualifying round at the
Ambedkar Stadium
Dr. Ambedkar Stadium is a football stadium in New Delhi, India. The stadium is named in honour of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, famous social reformer and architect of the Indian Constitution. It was earlier known as
the Corporation Stadium. It also he ...
in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
and they qualified for the final round after topping the group.
See also
*
List of football clubs in India
There are roughly 50 thousand football clubs and academies operating in India. This is a list of professional football clubs located in India, with leagues and states they play in.
This is the list of AIFF approved clubs under every state foot ...
References
External links
ARA Football Clubat ''the-aiff.com''
Team infoat ''spotik.in''
Team infoat ''Global Sports Archive''
ARA FC archivesat ''ANI News''
{{Football in India
Football clubs in Gujarat
I-League 2nd Division clubs
Sports clubs established in 2016
2016 establishments in Gujarat
Sport in Ahmedabad