The Pune Football Club Academy was the youth team of Pune Football Club. They played in the I-League U19, the highest level of youth football in India. The team closed operations in 2016 and were purchased by Indian Super League side FC Pune City, and rebranded it as the FC Pune City Academy.
| Full name | Pune Football Club Academy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Red Lizards | |||
| Founded | 2011 | |||
| Dissolved | 2016 | |||
| Ground | Pune FC Training Ground, Mamurdi, Pune | |||
| League | I-League U19 | |||
| 2014 | Group Stage (Maharashtra Zone) | |||
|
| ||||
History
editPune had always operated a U19 and U17 youth team since their inception in 2007 but on 23 June 2011 it was announced that the club would open an Academy at the U20 level, thus becoming the first I-League team to do so.[1] The initial trials for the Academy were held in Pune and were attended by around 280 hopefuls. Out of the 280 players only 25 passed the trial while five extra players were called up from the then-Pune Under-19 squad, thus creating the first group of 30 players for the 2011–12 season.[1] The clubs first tournament was the Peninsula Pune Cup which was held in September 2011 and was a pre-season tournament for Pune, Air India, and Deccan XI. The Academies first match since founding was during that tournament on 10 September against Air India. The match ended 2–1 in favor of Air India.[2] The Pune Academy then played their first ever foreign tournament in January 2012 when they participated in the Aaha Rara Gold Cup.[3] They however only made the semi-finals after losing to Samsung Jawalakhel 4–0.[4]
The Academy then participated for the first time in the 2012 I-League U20 which is the official youth tournament of the I-League. Their first match was against HAL on 20 April 2012; Pune won 5–1.[5] The team then went on to win the I-League U20 after winning all 9 matches to go undefeated.[6]
In 2013, the Academy won the U20 league again. This time in the final round the Pune Academy grabbed 13 points from five matches to finish on top.[7]
On 26 August 2016, it was announced that FC Pune City of the Indian Super League had taken over the Pune FC Academy and will rebrand it under their name.[8]
Head coaches
edit
Gift Raikhan (2011–2013)- Naushad Moosa (2013–2016)
Honours
edit- I-League U20
- Kedari Redekar Football Tournament
- Runners-up (1): 2012[10]
Notable graduates
editThis is a list of former academy graduates who have either played a match professional with Pune F.C. or any other club professionally.
References
edit- ^ a b "Pune FC to launch training academy". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc2axxeOaQA Archived 26 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine Pune FC Academy vs. Air India
- ^ "Aaha Rara Gold Cup: Pune FC Academy reached Pokhara". Nepali Football. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ^ "Pune FC 'A' ends lose in semifinal clash". India Blooms. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ^ http://punefc.com/?news=u-20-i-league-pune-fc-ride-on-haokip’s-trick-thrash-hal-5-1 Archived 26 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine Pune U20 5-1 HAL U20
- ^ "U20 I-League: Champions Pune FC sign off on all-win note, down Prayag Utd 3-1". Pune Football Club. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
- ^ "Pune FC are the I-League U-20 champions". I-League. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ^ "FC Pune City takes over Pune FC's academy and outlines its plans for Football development". Indian Super League. 26 August 2016. Archived from the original on 30 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "U20 I-League: Champions Pune FC sign off on all-win note, down Prayag Utd 3-1". Pune Football Club. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
- ^ "Kedari Redekar Football Tournament: South United emerges as the winner". gcsstars.com. Bengaluru: GCS Stars. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.