Sport Club Damash Gilan ( fa, باشگاه ورزشی داماش گیلان, ''Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Damash Gilân''), commonly known as Damash Gilan, also spelled Damash Guilan, is an Iranian

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

based in

Rasht Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...

, Gilan, that competes in the

Azadegan League The Azadegan League ( fa, ليگ آزادگان, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 ( fa, لیگ یک, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from ...

. The club was founded in 1960 as Taj Rasht Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال تاج رشت). The football team plays its home games at the Shahid Dr. Azodi Stadium which has a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 11,000. The club is also using the Sardar Jangal Stadium which has a seating capacity of 15,000. The club is owned and supported by Esmaeil Hajipour. Damash is the oldest existing football club in Rasht and has a large history in Gilan football. It is one of the most supported clubs in Gilan football, having won one

trophy, one Rasht League title, and two final participations in the

Hazfi Cup Hazfi Cup (Jām-e Hazfi; ) is the Iranian football knockout cup competition, run by the Iranian Football Federation. The Iranian football league was not held during the 1980s, hence the winner of Hazfi Cup represented Iran in the Asian Club Cha ...

. Damash holds a long-standing enmity with provincial rivals

Malavan Malavan Bandar Anzali Football Club ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال ملوان بندر انزلى, ''Bashgah-e Futbal-e Milâvan Bendâr Anzeli'') is an Iranian football club based in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran. It currently won Iran's second foot ...

known as the

El Gilano Gilan Derby or Classic Gil is a three-way derby between soccer teams in Rasht and Anzali in Gilan province. These matches are one of the most sensitive sporting events in Iran. The first derby occurred in 1976, with the confrontation betwe ...

, and with local rivals Sepidrood.

History

Establishment

The club was founded as Taj Rasht Football Club in 1960. The club was one of Taj Tehran branches at the time. From the beginning, Taj Rasht was able to attract some of the best players of Gilan.

Before 1970

Before the 1970s, Iran did not have an official national football league. Most clubs participated in championships of their city or province. In addition to that Taj Rasht played in the Gilan Province League until 1970.

1970s

In 1970, the Local League was created. The league included teams from all Iran in different qualifying tournaments. Taj Rasht finished fourth in

Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...

of their qualifying tournament. The club also participated in the

1971–72 Local League The 1971–72 season was the second and last season of the Local League of Iranian football. The competition was won by Persepolis Football Club of Tehran. Qualifying Tournament – Region A Group A Group B Semifinals Final ...

season. Taj Rasht missed again qualification for the final stage after they achieved the last place in their group again. In 1972, the

Takht Jamshid Cup The Takht Jamshid Cup ( fa, جام تخت جمشید, Jâm-e Taxt-e Jamšid) was a national football league based in Iran which lasted from 1973 to 1978. History Before 1970 Before 1970s, the tournament was called the Iranian Championship cup, ...

was founded as the national league and included teams from all over the country. However, Taj Rasht could not qualify and therefore played again in the Gilan Province League.

Abouzar Rasht

In 1975 the club changed its name for the first time. Until 1983 the club was called Abouzar Rasht Football Club. Due to the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

and the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...

, the Takht Jamshid Cup was dissolved and also the lower leagues were unorganized. As a result, the club took part in regional championships and cups only irregularly.

Esteghlal Rasht

In 1983 Abouzar changed its name into Esteghlal Rasht Football Club. ''Esteghlal'' means ''independence'' in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. In 1991 the

was formed as the top flight of Iranian football. Esteghlal Rasht took part in the league in the 1991–92 season, but was relegated at the end of the season. Due to sponsorship, the club was known as Esteghlal Gaz Rasht Football Club in 1992–93 Iran Football's 2nd Division. After playing many years in

Iran Football's 2nd Division Iranian football's 2nd division ( fa, ليگ دسته دوم ایران) is the third-highest football division overall in the Iranian football league system. Before 2001, the 2nd division league was the second-highest division in Iranian football ...

, they were promoted to

in 2000. They finished 10th in 2000–01 season. In the summer of 2001, the

Iran Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...

was established as the professional football league of Iran, Azadegan League was declared as the second-highest professional league in the

Iranian football league system The Iranian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Iran. Structure The current structure has been in place since 2001. The Persian Gulf Pro League (PGL) is the highest level of club football in Iran. I ...

. All clubs from the 2000–01 Azadegan League season took participate in the

2001–02 Iran Pro League The following is the standings of the Persian Gulf Cup's 2001–02 football season. This season will be the first season since the establishment of the Iran Pro League (Persian Gulf Cup). Persepolis became the first team to win Pro league under th ...

. Esteghlal Rasht was relegated after an embarrassingly lost 9–2 to Aboomoslem on the last matchday of the season. They finished 13th in that season.

Pegah Gilan

Due to financial problems and relegation, the Pegah Dairy Company took over the club in the summer of 2002. The club was renamed as Pegah Gilan Football Club. In 2007, however, a club called Esteghlal Shahrdari Rasht was founded again, which could participate as a separate club in the Gilan Provincial League. Pegah managed to get promoted to the first division and finished 9th in the 2003–04 season. A year later, relegation took place again. Then the club played two years in the Azadegan League. In

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

they were able to return to the Iran Pro League, known as the Persian Gulf Cup since 2006. With 15th place in the 2007–08 season, Pegah was able to prevent relegation. Pegah also qualified for the

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

of the

this season. After Pegah won the first leg 1–0, they lost in the second leg against Esteghlal in front of almost 100,000 spectators at the

Azadi Stadium The Azadi Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه آزادی Varzešgâh''-è Âzâdi''), opened as the Aryamehr Stadium ( fa, ورزشگاه آریامهر Varzešgâh-è ''Âryâmehr''), is an all-seater football stadium in Tehran, Iran. The stadium wa ...

with 0–3.

Damash Gilan

In the summer of 2008, Pegah Gilan was struggling with financial problems. In October of the same year, the Aria Investment Development Company, then owned by Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, took over the club. The club was renamed Sport Club Damash Gilan. Damash is a small historical village in

Jirandeh Jirandeh ( fa, جيرنده, ''jirandeh'') ( Tati: , ''Jirindih'') is a city and capital of Amarlu District, in Rudbar County, Gilan Province, Iran. It is located north of the Shahrood river Shahrood or Shah-Rud ( fa, شاهرود, Shāhrūd, ...

near Rasht. The club later adopted the Lilium ledebourii, a typical plant from this region, in its logo. The renaming ensures a positive reaction from the fans.

Pro and Azadegan League

The club shuttled between the first two leagues for the following years. In the 2008–09 season, they finished 17th and had to relegate to the Azadegan League. In the 2009–10 season, Damash failed to Sanat Naft Abadan in the play-offs and missed promotion. A year later, the club won the title for it and managed to rise. Between 2011 and 2013, the club played two decent years in the Persian Gulf Cup and came in 7th in 2011–12 and 11th in 2012–13. During this time,

Alireza Jahanbakhsh Alireza Jahanbakhsh Jirandeh ( fa, علیرضا جهانبخش جیرنده, ; born 11 August 1993) is an Iranian professional footballer who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Feyenoord and the Iran national team. He ...

also made a name for himself with good performances, 10 goals in 44 matches. In the summer of 2013, he moved to the Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

NEC Nijmegen NEC Nijmegen (''Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie''), commonly known as NEC (), is a professional Dutch association football club based in Nijmegen. The club currently competes in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, following promotion fr ...

. Iranian football legend

Mehdi Mahdavikia Mehdi Mahdavikia ( fa, ; born 24 July 1977) is an Iranian professional football coach and former player usually played as a right winger or right back. He is currently under contract by Hamburger SV as a youth coach, and also manages his own ...

also played for Damash between 2011 and 2012. Starting in 2013, the club experienced difficult years and relegated at the end of the 2013–14 season. Then followed two disappointing years in the Azadegan League. In the 2014–15 Azadegan League season, the club only finished 6th and missed promotion. In the 2015–16 season, Damash even had to relegate to the

League 2 The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

Since 2016

Due to very great financial difficulties, the club was close to being dissolved in March 2016. The Gilan Football Organization, therefore, took over the rights to the club and so Damash could end the season. After relegation, the club should be renamed ''Shahr-e Baran Football Club'', which led to major protests from fans. Damash then kept his name. In 2019 Damash sensationally reached the Hazfi Cup Final against

Persepolis , native_name_lang = , alternate_name = , image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis. , map = , map_type ...

in the

Foolad Arena Foolad Arena ( fa, فولاد آرنا, ''Fulâd Ârena'') is a newly built stadium in Ahvaz, which was opened on 13 November 2018. It hosts the home matches of Foolad since March 2019. The stadium was planned to be completed by November 2013, ...

Ahvaz Ahvaz ( fa, اهواز, Ahvâz ) is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is hom ...

. The game turned into a scandal as the stadium was filled with over 30,000 Perespolis supporters hours before kick-off. As a result, the approximately 1,000 Damash fans could not enter the stadium and the kick-off was delayed by a few hours. In the end, Damash lost to Persepolis 0–1. After three years in the

, Damash returned to the Azadegan League. The club replaced Karoon Arvand Khorramshahr for the 2019–20 season.

Name history

*Taj Rasht Football Club (1960–1975) *Abouzar Rasht Football Club (1975–1983) *Esteghlal Rasht Football Club (1983–1992) *Esteghlal Gaz Rasht Football Club (1992–1993) *Esteghlal Rasht Football Club (1993–2002) *Pegah Gilan Football Club (2002–2008) *Sport Club Damash Gilan (2008–present)

Crest

The name ''Damash'' goes back to a historical village in

near Rasht. In 2016, Damash adopted the Lilium ledebourii, a typical plant from this region, in its logo. File:Damash_Gilan_Logo.png, Damash Gilan since 2016

Stadium

Traditionally, Damash Gilan plays its home games at the Shahid Dr. Azodi Stadium which has a seating capacity of 11,000. The stadium was opened in 1990 and is owned by the club. The stadium was renovated from 2009 to 2011. It is also the traditional home venue of the local rival Sepidrood. Furthermore, Damash plays some of its home games at the Sardar Jangal Stadium which has a seating capacity of 15,000. The stadium was opened in 2007 and is owned by Sepidrood.

Rivalries

El Gilano

Matches between

Bandar-e Anzali Bandar-e Anzali ( fa, بندرانزلی, also Romanized as Bandar-e Anzalī; renamed as Bandar-e Pahlavi during the Pahlavi dynasty) is a city of Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 144,664. Anzali is one of the mos ...

and the two teams from

, Damash Gilan, and Sepidrood Rasht are known as

. There is a very deep rivalry and derbies are characterized by great intensity. The stadiums at these games are usually sold out or even overcrowded. There are also regular riots between the various fan groups. Since Damash has changed its name a few times in contrast to Sepidrood, the rivalry between Malavan and Sepidrood is a bit stronger and more traditional. Basically, however, football games between clubs in

Northern Iran Northern Iran consists of the southern border of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains. It includes the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan. (Ancient kingdom of Hyrcania, medieval region of Tabaristan). The major provinces, Gilan ...

are always characterized by a lot of passion and are very important to the local population.

Further rivalries

Within Rasht, Damash has a minor rivalry with PAS Gilan. PAS Gilan was founded in 1961 and, like Damash and Sepidrood, is a traditional club in Rasht. However, PAS Gilan has never made it to the

Persian Gulf Pro League The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...

. Damash then has a bigger rivalry with

Nassaji Mazandaran Football Club Nassaji Mazandaran ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال نساجی مازندران, ''Bâšgâh-e Futbâl-e Nassaji Mazandaran'') is an Iranian football club based in Qa'em Shahr, Mazandaran. They currently compete in the Persian Gulf ...

from

Qaem Shahr Qaem Shahr ( fa, قائم‌شهر, also Romanized as Qā’em Shahr; formerly known as Shāhi ( fa, شاهی) is a city and capital of Qaem Shahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 247,953. Originally know ...

. Nassaji has the same club colors as Damash, blue and red, and has a very large fan base in the northern provinces of Iran.

Seasons

The table below chronicles the achievements of Damash Gilan in various competitions since 1970. Notes:
The

was formerly known as Iran Pro League (IPL) and Persian Gulf Cup (PGC)
The

was the highest division between 1991 and 2001
The

was formerly known as Iran 2nd Division
The League 3 was formerly known as Iran 3rd Division

Honours

Domestic

**Champions (1): 2010–11 *

**''Runners-up (2):'' 2007–08, 2018–19 *Rasht League **Champions (1): 1973

First-team squad

''For recent transfers, see '' List of Iranian football transfers winter 2018–19''.