Garhwal Heroes Football Club (also known as Garhwal Football Club) is an Indian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based 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 House ...
. The club lifted its first
FD Senior Division
The Delhi Football League is organised by Football Delhi (FD) as a ladder-based state football competition involving a total of four divisions and over 80 teams in the Indian state of Delhi. Delhi Premier League is the top-division, started in ...
league title in 1986, which became one of the most successful seasons in their history. In 2010, Garhwal FC became the first Delhi based club to enter into the quarter final of
Durand Cup, prestigious and oldest knockout football club tournament in India. They also competed in the
I-League 2nd Division.
History
Foundation
Garhwal Heroes FC was initially set up by Kesar Singh Negi as a platform for young players of the
Garhwali community to compete locally in Delhi. As the club gained popularity, it was formally registered with the
Football Delhi
Football Delhi (formerly Delhi Soccer Association) is one of the 37 Indian state football associations that are affiliated to the All India Football Federation. It is the state-level governing body of football-related sports in Delhi, India. Th ...
(formerly ''Delhi Soccer Association'') in 1953. Since then, GHFC has regularly featured in the league championship organized by the Football Delhi (FD). One of the most memorable moments came in 1986, when GHFC were crowned the champions of the
FD Senior Division
The Delhi Football League is organised by Football Delhi (FD) as a ladder-based state football competition involving a total of four divisions and over 80 teams in the Indian state of Delhi. Delhi Premier League is the top-division, started in ...
.
Unfortunately, the one and a half decades following the historic triumph saw GHFC beset by financial problems which resulted in the club being relegated to the A Division and then the B Division of the Delhi League. The club got a fresh lease of life when it was taken over by B. S. Negi and M. S. Patwal in 2001 following which the club gradually started its ascent once more. From the nadir of the B Division, the club gained promotion to A Division and then to the Senior Division in 2005. Since then, GHFC, backed by strong community support, has consistently delivered strong results in the Senior Division which culminated in reclaiming the lost glory by winning the FD Senior Division League once more in 2012–13.
In order to keep raising the bar, GHFC now has ambitions to play the
I-League 2nd Division from 2013–2014 onwards. Always a community and youth-oriented club, GHFC entered into a historic partnership in 2013 with
Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools – the largest and most reputed football youth development setup in India and
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
-
NCR.
Garhwal FC era (2013–present)
In 2013, GHFC also won the Delhi leg of the
Manchester United Premier Cup
The Manchester United Premier Cup is a global youth football tournament that was established by Nike in 1993.
History
The tournament was established by Nike in 1993 as the Nike Premier Cup and featured 624 teams from 15 European countries. Th ...
, which is a nationwide U-16 club competition. As GHFC tries to attain sustainability of its operations, the partnership will strengthen the club's youth development and scouting network.
In 2013, GHFC was rechristened as Garhwal Football Club (GFC) in order to fulfill the
AFC Club Licensing Criteria laid down by the
All India Football Federation
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation.
It is affiliated to Ministry o ...
(AIFF) – a step that would enable GFC to compete in 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 w ...
– the highest level of professional football in the country. GFC brought about a major restructuring drive that would make it a complete club ready for the next generation. In addition to becoming an independent commercial entity as mandated by AIFF, GFC also set up a highly organized youth development system and a professional management team. They provide a pathway for player development to
Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools. BBFS players will be able to further their football development by playing professionally. GFC finished runners up in All India Football Tournament in
Pithoragarh,
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
.
In July 2021, Garhwal FC participated in the
Delhi 2nd Division Qualifiers and moved through knockout stages from group A.
In August 2023, the club earned an
I-League 3
I-League 3, or 3rd Division League, is a men's professional football league in India. It forms the fourth tier of the Indian football league system, below the I-League 2 and above the State leagues.
History
For the first time, the AIFF introd ...
spot to compete in the
inaugural edition.
Competitive seasons
2020 was Garhwal's one of the successful seasons when the club finished top of the 2019–20 2nd Division League Group A preliminary round and entered into the
2020 I-League Qualifiers, where they finished at the bottom.
Achievements
Apart from being champions of the
Delhi League, other notable achievements in the past include winning the Delhi Women's League in 2011 and reaching the quarterfinals of the prestigious Durand Cup in 2010, beating the likes of
Sporting Clube de Goa
Sporting Clube de Goa, simply known as Sporting Goa (also known by its abbreviation SCG), is an Indian professional football club based in Panaji, in the Indian state of Goa, that competes in Goa Professional League. The club has also competed ...
and
JCT in the process.
Tradition
Historically, the
Garhwal Kingdom in the
Garhwal Himalayas was established by King
Kanak Pal by integrating the 52 forts or "Garhs" in the region at a time when these forts were owned by several warring chieftains. This helped the kingdom to unite and flourish despite the hardships posed by the unforgiving terrain and
extreme weather
Extreme weather or extreme climate events includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Often, extreme events are based on a locat ...
conditions. Unity and bravery of the
Garhwalis were also instrumental in helping the Kingdom to withstand multiple invasions – firstly from the
Mughals and then from the
Gorkhas. These values of fighting against all odds to survive and succeed formed the basis of the club's philosophy when it was set up. Thus, Unity, Bravery, Victory (Ekta, Shaurya, Vijay) became the guiding principles of the club. The goal of the club is to promote community welfare by achieving sporting success in the field of football on the basis these principles.
Since its inception, GFC has always been a community-oriented club with most of its roster being local players. It enjoys unparalleled support within
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
and
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
with over 5000 fans celebrating its victory in the Delhi League in 2012–13.
Club management
Other department
Youth team
Garhwal FC's U17 team competes in various regional and national youth tournaments, as well as
Hero Youth League.
Women's team
Garhwal FC women's team participates in the
FD Women's League, under the name Garhwal United FC.
Honours
Domestic
Senior
*
Delhi Premier League/Delhi Senior Division
**Champions (4): 1986, 2012–13, 2018–19, 2023–24
**Runners-up (2): 1990, 2010
*
Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup
Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup, also known as the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Football Tournament, is an Indian association football tournament held in Delhi and organized by Shastri Football Club. The tournament was first started in 1978 in the memor ...
**Champions (1): 1980
**Runners-up (2): 1983, 2006
*
Mohan Kumar Mangalam Football Tournament
**Champions (1): 1988
* Shaheed Bhagat Singh Memorial Cup
**Champions (1): 2022–23
Youth
*FD U-18 Youth League
**Third place (1): 2022–23
Women's
*
FD Women's League
**Champions (1): 2023–24
See also
*
List of football clubs in India
*
Sport in Delhi
References
External links
*
*
*
Team infoat Global Sports Archive
Garhwal FCat ''
the-aiff.com''
{{I-League 2nd Division
Garhwal FC
Football clubs in Delhi
1953 establishments in India
Association football clubs established in 1953
I-League 2 clubs
I-League 3 clubs