United Sikkim Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Gangtok,

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...

. Founded in 2011, the club usually competed in the

Sikkim Premier Division League The Sikkim Premier League is a highest state-level football league in Sikkim, India, organised by Sikkim Football Association. It started with 8 teams in 2011. United Sikkim FC is the only team to have won two consecutive and three league titl ...

. United Sikkim is the only club from Sikkim to have played 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 ...

, one of the top flights of

Indian football league system The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition in India is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest l ...

. The club which is owned by former

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 ...

captain

Bhaichung Bhutia Bhaichung Bhutia (born 15 December 1976), also spelled as Baichung Bhutia, is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Bhutia is considered as the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is often ...

, was founded in order to give people of the Indian state of Sikkim a professional football team. In September 2019, Bhaichung Bhutia announced shutting the club down due to some unavoidable circumstances. During an emotional farewell event, Bhaichung Bhutia thanked all the players and support staff besides the fans who supported the club over the years. The club was revived again in January 2021, with aim to play in the

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

. Manager Arjun Rai said on Monday that besides inaugurating the senior and youth team, emphasis would be laid on bringing footballers from the villages.

History

Foundation

The professional club was founded in 2011, by

Sikkim Football Association Sikkim Football Association ( SFA; is the state governing body of football in Sikkim, India. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the sports national governing body. History The Sikkim Football Association was formed in the ...

(SFA) and Baichung Bhutia, already competing in the

Sikkim Gold Cup The Sikkim Gold Cup, known as the Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup, is an Indian football tournament held in Sikkim and organized by Sikkim Football Association (SFA). Past champions include New Road Team of Nepal in 2007, Three Star Club of Nepal in ...

and other all-India tournaments for the early years of their existence. Then on 22 March 2011, the club was launched as a professional, which would be co-owned by

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

-based Fidelis World, former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia and Indian singer

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tam ...

. The club revealed that they would compete in the

2011 I-League 2nd Division The 2011 I-League 2nd Division is the fourth season of the second division of the I-League, the Indian professional football league. A total of 21 teams were divided into three groups and top two teams from each group played in final round, th ...

, in the quest for promotion to the I-League within the next three years.

2011–2012: 2nd Division seasons

The club started their quest for the I-League on 27 February 2011, when they signed Liberian international Johnny Menyongar from

NSC Minnesota Stars NSC may refer to: Sport and competition * NSC United, an American soccer team * National Scholastics Championship, an American quiz bowl competition * National Scrabble Championship, now known as the Scrabble Players Championship * National Sho ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The club played their first match of the 2011 I-League 2nd Division against Langsning F.C. on 31 March 2012, in which they drew 2–2. United Sikkim won their first match of the season five days later, on 5 April 2011 against

North Imphal Sporting Association North Imphal Sporting Association, commonly known as NISA Manipur, is an Indian professional football club based in Thangmeiband, Manipur. NISA is five-time champions of the Manipur State League, which is a project under the ''Vision Asia'' pr ...

at the

Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, also known as Sarusajai Stadium, is a football stadium in Guwahati, Assam, India. It is the current home ground of NorthEast United FC. Besides hosting football matches, the stadium is also used for athletics. I ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, by a score of 2–0. The club finished in first place in group A of the first round of the I-League 2nd Division and thus qualified for the 2011 I-League 2nd Division Final Round, in which they only needed to finish in the top two for promotion. The club began Final round with three consecutive draws against

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 ...

, Royal Wahingdoh and Shillong Lajong, before winning two matches in a row against Mohammedan and

Southern Samity Southern Samity is an Indian professional football club from Kolkata which was founded in 1945, and is also based in Siliguri in North Bengal. During that time, apart from sports they are also involved in various cultural activities. The club ...

. Next, a draw to Ar-Hima and a loss to Vasco officially knocked United Sikkim out of contention for promotion and forced them to settle on fifth place for the season. The season including the

2012 I-League 2nd Division The 2012 I-League 2nd Division was the fifth season of the league. The league serves as the second top tier of Indian Football, using promotion and relegation with the I-League, which is top tier league of India. Stadiums The 2012 I-League 2n ...

did not start well for United Sikkim. On 11 June 2011, it was announced that Johnny Menyongar would leave the club to join I-League team Shillong Lajong, as well as Indian internationals

Renedy Singh Potsangbam Renedy Singh, simply known as Renedy Singh (born 20 June 1979), is a former Indian football player and football pundit, who was the interim manager of Indian Super League club East Bengal for 2021–22 season. He is also the former ...

and NS Manju few months later. However, after firing coach

Stanley Rozario Henry Stanley Rozario (born 22 April 1960) is an Indian professional Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, footballer. He was most recently the head coach of I-League club Aizawl FC, Aizawl. He managed top clu ...

, United Sikkim signed Belgian

Philippe De Ridder Philippe De Ridder (born 6 August 1964 in Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian coach, football administrator and a former football player. He is currently the co-owner and CEO of Chevsa Sports Marketing & Management, a Kolkata based sports marketing ...

as coach of the team. The club re-signed

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

players Daniel Bedemi and

Quinton Jacobs Quinton Norman Jacobs (born 21 January 1979) is a Namibian former footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Born in Windhoek, Namibia, Jacobs began his football career with local club Black Africa, playing for them from 1997 to 1999. In l ...

for the season. They then began charge for the I-League for the second season in a row with a 3–2 victory over Bhawanipore F.C. at the

Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium situated at Silchar, Assam. It was earlier known as the District Sports Association Stadium. After extensive upgrade of facilities, it was renamed after the father of Sri Santosh Mohan Dev. T ...

on 2 February 2012. The club went on to win three more matches during the first round of the I-League 2nd Division against

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

and Ar-Hima in order to qualify for the final round. They won promotion on the last day of the season on 17 April 2012 at the

Paljor Stadium Paljor Stadium (also spelled Palzor Stadium) is a football stadium located in Gangtok, Sikkim, India. The stadium is currently home to Sikkim Premier Division League clubs. It holds 30,000 people. The stadium also hosts matches of the Sikkim G ...

in front of 30,000 fans, as United Sikkim drew Mohammedan 1–1, with Daniel Bedemi scoring. On 13 November 2012, Bhutia was named the interim manager to replace

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

, after the club's heavy 1–10 defeat in an I-League match against Prayag United on 10 November 2012 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 ...

2012–2013: I-League

Later it was initially reported that United Sikkim had started talks with Australian manager Nathan Hall about a possible head coaching role at the club. On 10 December 2012, it was officially confirmed by United Sikkim that Hall had joined the club as its new head coach, replacing interim player-coach Bhaichung Bhutia. His first game as head coach of the club in the league came on 15 December against

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

at the

Balewadi Sports Complex The Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex is a sports complex located in Pune, India. The complex is situated about 15 km from Pune downtown and 5 km from Hinjawadi. This complex was the venue for the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, Kh ...

in which United Sikkim lost 0–1. Hall then managed to earn his first point as head coach in his next match against ONGC on 29 December in which his side drew 1–1 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 ...

with

Nadong Bhutia Nadong Bhutia (born 25 November 1993) is an Indian former footballer who played as a striker or winger. Career United Sikkim Bhutia made his debut for United Sikkim F.C. on 19 January 2013 during an I-League match against Dempo S.C. at the ...

scoring the first goal for United Sikkim under Hall. United Sikkim did not win a single game under Hall until 27 March 2013 in which his side managed a 5–0 victory over forced-relegated side

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the ...

at the Paljor Stadium. This would turn out to be United Sikkim's last win and points for the rest of the season as the side lost its last four matches after this one and were thus relegated to 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 ...

2013: Travel to Bhutan

In March 2013, United Sikkim went to

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

for training. In their first foreign tour, they played three friendly matches against local sides Drukpol, Yeedzin and Zimdra at the

Changlimithang Stadium Changlimithang Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, which serves as the national stadium. It is predominantly used for association football, football matches and is the home of the Bhutan national football team, other national se ...

Thimpu Thimphu (; dz, ཐིམ་ཕུག ) is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's ''dzongkhags'', the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city ...

. From July to August, they went to Bhutan again and participated in

2013 King's Cup The 2013 King's Cup was an international football competition, the 42nd edition of the tournament. It was a two-round knockout tournament, with all matches held at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand between 23 January and 26 ...

, in which they moved to the knockout stages. In the first semi-final, United Sikkim lost 2–4 to

Manang Marshyangdi Manang Marshyangdi Club ( ne, मनाङ मर्स्याङ्दी क्लब) is a Nepali professional football club based in Kathmandu, that competes in the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League. The club is record champion of Nepale ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

2014: I-League 2nd Division

They also participated in the

2014 I-League 2nd Division The 2014 I-League 2nd Division was the seventh season of the I-League 2nd Division under its current title. The season began on 7 February 2014. It contained 11 clubs in two groups and twelfth club United Sikkim F.C. directly entered into fina ...

and moved to the

Final Round A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

I-League Qualifiers 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 ...

, finishing on fourth position with seven points in eight matches.

2014–2018

On 18 December 2014, it was revealed by owner Bhaichung Bhutia that United Sikkim had decided to leave the competition as future of I League was dim due to the formation of ISL, and thus team would only participate in the local league. In February 2018, United Sikkim went to Nepal for participating in the 16th Aaha! Rara Gold Cup, in which they failed to reach the knock-out stages.

2020–present

The All India Football Federation was all set to invite bids for vacant spot in the I-League and Gangtok-based United Sikkim Football Club were one of the front-runners to submit it for 2020–21 season. However, the bid was won by Sudeva Moonlight (currently Sudeva Delhi) from

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 ...

. In 2021, Bhaichung Bhutia, the owner of the club announced that it will revive its junior and senior teams while aiming to bring the

(ISL) into the state. The Sikkim's top club said it will also focus on its grassroots programme.

Crest and colours

On 22 March 2011, the first kit and crest of United Sikkim were unveiled at Taj Hotel in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. The club crest had a picture of a

Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

lion, which is also their mascot, and the color of the kit was red with white shorts. The club's away colors are dark and light blue. On 29 August 2012, after gaining promotion to the

, the club unveiled their new crest which is dominantly red, unlike orange crests from before. Instead of having "est. 2008" for the founding year, new crest has "est. 2011", which stands for the year when professionalized itself. USFC

Stadium

For their first season in the I-League, the club announced that they would play all their home matches at the 30,000 seater Paljor Stadium in the capital of Sikkim, Gangtok. When the club was participating in amateur tournaments from 2008 to 2011, and the I-League 2nd Division from 2011 to 2012, in which they would play in neutral venues, the club used Paljor Stadium as a training ground, holding majority of their practices there. PALJOR2

However, despite the I-League 2nd Division being a neutral competition, the Paljor Stadium was given the rights to host the 2012 I-League 2nd Division Final Round 2nd leg, in which United Sikkim was also participating. The ground was also the venue for the match in which United Sikkim gained promotion to the I-League after drawing with Mohammedan (1–1).

Rivalry

United Sikkim had a rivalry with their fellow

North East India , native_name_lang = mni , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , motto = , image_map = Northeast india.png , ...

n club Shillong Lajong FC in the I-League, which was often regarded as the "Northeast India Derby".

Northeast India Derby

Sikkim Derby

United Sikkim has also a rivalry with their fellow Sikkim-based club

Gangtok Himalayan SC Sikkim Himalayan Sporting Club (sometimes known as Gangtok Himalayan SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Gangtok, Sikkim. The club usually participated in the I-League 2nd Division, then second tier of Indian football league s ...

, whom they face in regional tournaments including

. Both the clubs use

as their home grounds. They last met each other on 9 November 2019 during a match of Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup and Gangtok Himalayan defeated United by 3–1 margin.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Managerial history

Notable former players

''For all former notable players of United Sikkim with a Wikipedia article, see: United Sikkim F.C. players''.

World Cup player

* Michael Rodríguez (2012–2013)

Honours & achievements

Domestic

**Champions (1):

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

**Champions (3): 2013, 2017,

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**Runners-up (1): 2014

International

Jigme Dorji Wangchuk Memorial Gold Cup The Jigme Dorji Wangchuk Memorial Gold Cup (formerly known as King's Cup) is an international football club tournament held in Bhutan. The inaugural edition was held in 2004, replacing the ''Federation Cup'' which was last played in 2002, which i ...

**Semi-finals:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

Regional

* Bordoloi Trophy **Semi-finals (1):

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Darjeeling Gold Cup All India Darjeeling Gold Cup, also known as All India Brigade of Gorkha's Gold Cup Football Tournament, or simply GTA Chairman's Gold Cup, is an Indian association football tournament held in Darjeeling and organized by the Indian Darjeeling G ...

**Runners-up (1): 2011