Kenkre FC

Kenkre
Full nameKenkre Football Club
Nickname(s)Mumbaikars
Founded13 January 2000; 24 years ago (13 January 2000)
GroundCooperage Ground
Capacity5,000
OwnerAdib Krishna Sinai Kenkre
Head coachAkhil Kothari
League
WebsiteClub website
Departments of Kenkre FC
Football (Men's) Football (Women's)

Kenkre Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra.[1][2][3] The club currently competes in the I-League 2, the third division of the Indian football league system. Founded in 2000 as Kenkre FC,[4] the club usually competes in MFA Elite Division of Mumbai Football League. Nicknamed "Mumbaikars", they previously participated in I-League, then highest division of the Indian football league system.[5][6]

Kenkre was relegated into I-League 2 at the end of the 2022–23 I-League season. They previously enjoyed consecutive spells in the I-League 2nd Division.[7]

History[edit]

Formation and journey[edit]

The club was founded on 13 January 2000 as Kenkre Academy FC,[8][9] under the patronage of former footballer and coach Adib Kenkre, and CEO Joshua Lewis.[10][11] Kenkre was based at Shivaji Park during its incorporation, and later in 2008 – the club for the first time took part in the second division of I-League.[12]

When we first started this club, the players themselves contributed Rs. 100 each. With that, we were able to buy our half-time refreshments, and we paid for a train pass for those who couldn't afford it. While it feels surreal to think that we're actually going to play in the I-League, it's something we've worked extremely hard for. This academy [Kenkre FC academy] and club are all his doing. He [Adib Kenkre] could've easily given up and shut shop like the many clubs in Mumbai, but his perseverance is tremendous. This club is going to be in the top divisions of India football for a long time, now that it has finally entered the door.

— Joshua Lewis (CEO of Kenkre), on club's early days and journey towards I-League.[11]

Kenkre FC were crowned champions of the Maharashtra Football League in 2010 for the first time in the club's history, after defeating Bengal Mumbai 3–0, thanks to goals from Nigerian striker Mathew Odje, Francisco Salin and Charanjeet Singh.[13] After achieving that result, Kenkre wad granted admission into the I-League 2nd Division, then second-tier of Indian football.[14]

In March 2013, ahead of the I-League Second Division kick-off, Kenkre roped in Portuguese manager Jose Luis Lopes Da Costa as head coach and brought three of their first foreigners, Portuguese Rodilson Felisberto Fernandes Dias, Domingo De Jesus Gomes, Bruno Daniel Alciaes, and Australian Daniel Atkins.[15]

2020–present[edit]

Player of Kenkre FC in action during a I-League 2 match in October 2021

In December 2021, the AIFF club licensing committee has unanimously decided to not grant the exemption sought by former I-League champion Chennai City FC, after having failed to receive the ICLS licence.[16] As a result, Kenkre replaced them in the 2021–22 I-League.[17][18][19] In June 2021, Akhil Kothari, India's youngest AFC A license holder, as new head coach of Kenkre.[20] The club began their league journey on 4 March 2022 against Real Kashmir with earning a historic point in the 1–1 draw.[21] Kenkre finished bottom after the phrase 1 and was placed in relegation stage. They achieved 12 points and got relegated to the 2022–23 I-League 2nd Division.[22][23][24]

After being relegated at the end of the season, Kenkre was reinstated on sympathetic grounds and allowed to participate in the 2022–23 I-League season.[25][26] The club later participated in Baji Raut Cup in Odisha,[27] in which they reached semi-finals.[28] After struggling since beginning of the 2022–23 league season, Kenkre along with Sudeva Delhi, relegated from I-League.[29][30][31][32]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors[edit]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2021–2023 Hummel[33] Kenkre Sports Foundation
2024–present KING

Stadium[edit]

Cooperage Football Ground before renovation

Cooperage Ground in Nariman Point, Mumbai, serves as the home ground of Kenkre.[34][35] It has artificial turf and has a seating capacity of 5,000.[36][37] The club qualified for the I-League in 2021,[38] but due to COVID-19 pandemic in India, league format was shortened and matches were played in few centralised venues.[39] As the league came back with home-away format, Kenkre played its first home match at the Cooperage Ground against Churchill Brothers on 24 November 2022.[39]

In later years, the club used Neville D'Souza Turf in Bandra for Mumbai Premier League matches.[40] Ahead of the 2023–24 I-League 2, the club announced AIFF Centre of Excellence ground in Kharghar as their home venue.[41]

Players[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK India IND Yasheel Shah
2 DF India IND Pawan Venkatrathnam Pattem
3 DF India IND Suraj Sapke
4 DF India IND Aniket Gunjal
6 DF India IND Jayraj Ghelani
7 MD India IND Raul Almeida
8 MD India IND Akshay Pawar
9 MD India IND Abner Fernandes
10 MD India IND Silvester Sarao
11 MD India IND Laishram Milan Singh
12 DF India IND Al Azhar Delhiwala
13 GK India IND Harsh Patil
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF India IND Shaun Fernandes
16 MF India IND Azfar Noorani
17 MF India IND Abhijit Tawhare
20 MF India IND Loken Meitei
21 MF India IND Dhruv Tina Pinto
21 FW India IND Subha Ghosh
22 DF India IND Tarif Akhand
46 MF India IND Aman Gaikwad
49 DF India IND Daniel Muthu
66 DF India IND Paogoumang Singson
77 MF India IND Aravindraj Rajan
99 FW India IND Khanngam Horam

Personnel[edit]

Current technical staff[edit]

As of 27 march 2024
Role Name Ref.
Head coach India Sushant Shripath Pawar
Assistant coach India Deepak Dattu Kamble
Team manager India Vishal Patel
Team doctor India Prasad Risaldar
Team Analyst India Nilesh Pal

Management[edit]

As of December 2022

President India Adib Krishna Sinai Kenkre
Chief Executive Officer India Joshua K.Lewis
Team Photographer India Pravin Saru
Operations & Accreditions India Christopher Shriodkar
Logistics India Shouvik Das

Managerial history[edit]

Head coaching record[edit]

As of 14 November 2022
Name Nationality From To P W D L GF GA Win% Ref.
José Luís Lopes Costa  Portugal 2015 2015 0 0 0 0 0 0 !— [15]
Soibam Ekendra Singh  India 2015 2021 0 0 0 0 0 0 !— [42][43]
Akhil Kothari  India 1 June 2021 31 Dec 2023 46 9 14 23 19 30 019.57 [44]

Honours[edit]

League[edit]

Cup[edit]

Notable players[edit]

Past and present internationals[edit]

Other departments[edit]

Women's section[edit]

Kenkre has its women's team which played in the Indian Women's League, the top flight of Women's football league system organised by the All India Football Federation.[58][59][60][61] They also participate in WIFA Women's Football League.[62][63]

Honours

Youth and academy[edit]

Since the inception of Kenkre, the club kept focus on nurturing youth talents and running academies.[38][65] In Mumbai, the club built and runs eight academies with more than a thousand kids enrolled before the Covid-19 pandemic in India.[38] Club's U17 team, which was managed by both Floyd Pinto and Akhil Kothari, previously participated in MSSA (Mumbai Schools Sports Association) tournaments.[66] The club also took an initiative of grassroots development, organizing 'Go Green Cup' (with six categories including U-17, U-14, U-12, U-10, U-8 and open-age group of girls) in 2015, at the Don Bosco Grounds in Matunga.[67] They also organized 'Kenkre Champions League', another academy-based tournament, in Mumbai.[68][69]

Club's U-19 team participated in Maharashtra zone of 2014 I-League U19.[70] The U17 team later took part in group stages of 2022–23 U-17 Youth Cup.[71][72] The U19 team also participates in MDFA Super Division League.[73][74] Club's U17 team has also competed in MFA Third Division league.[75]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^
    Represented Tibet national football team in CONIFA tournaments internationally.

References[edit]

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Further reading[edit]

Bibliography

Other sources

External links[edit]

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