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Downtown Heroes Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. It currently competes in the JKFA Professional League. It has also competed in the I-League 2, the I-League 3 and the Durand Cup.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
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| Full name | Downtown Heroes Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Heroes | |||
| Short name | DHFC | |||
| Founded | 2020 | |||
| Ground | TRC Turf Ground | |||
| Capacity | 11,000 | |||
| Chairman | Irfan Shahmiri | |||
| Head coach | Hilal Rasool Parray | |||
| League | JKFA Professional League | |||
| Website | https://downtownheroesfc.com/ | |||
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History
editThe club was founded in 2020 by a group of young professionals with the aim of promoting sports culture and steering the youth away from drug addiction. The club's philosophy is to nurture football talent at the grassroots level and provide high quality training facilities and coaching to develop world-class players. Their motto is "Players are bred, not born".[8]
Downtown Heroes FC aims to channel the energy of the region's youth towards positive goals through sport. Concerned by the growing menace of drug addiction among the valley's young people, they decided to set up a football club to foster a culture of sportsmanship and provide an outlet for young talent.
The club is named after the downtown area of Srinagar where the founders first started holding practices and scouting for talented young players. The club participated in the 2023 and 2024 editions of Durand Cup where they finished at the group stage.[9]
Stadium and facilities
editThe first team trains at Islamia College in the heart of downtown Srinagar. The club's youth academy operates at Rainawari.
The women's team holds its practice sessions at Government Degree College Bemina in Srinagar.
Performance
editThe long-term vision is for Downtown Heros FC to become a powerhouse of Kashmiri football and compete at the highest levels of Indian football, bringing greater sporting glory to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The club also aims to produce players good enough to represent India at international tournaments.
Club culture
editDowntown Heroes FC places strong emphasis on positive values such as teamwork, integrity, and community service. Players are expected to participate in grassroots coaching clinics and charitable initiatives.
The club wishes to be a positive role model and source of aspiration for the valley's youth. It aims to unite people across social and political divides through the power of football.[10]
Honours
edit- Christmas Gold Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2023[11]
References
edit- ^ Sharma, Amitabha Das (27 July 2024). "Durand Cup 2024: Mohun Bagan Super Giant beats Downtown Heroes FC in the opening match". Sportstar. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Downtown Heroes earn historic first IndianOil Durand Cup win". Durand Cup. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "JKFA Professional League". The Away End. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ Downtown Heroes. "Downtown Heroes". Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ SMSala. "Downtown Heroes FC and AG's XI ends with draw". Rising Kashmir. Retrieved 14 January 2023.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Desk, K. R. (28 December 2022). "Downtown Heroes FC management meets AIFF top brass". Kashmir Reader. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Excelsior, Daily (7 June 2022). "Downtown Heroes FC unveils kit for new season". Jammu Kashmir Latest News | Tourism | Breaking News J&K. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "Downtown Srinagar to Durand: Story of how football became antidote to drugs". The Indian Express. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "India: This football club is changing the image of Srinagar's downtown. Here's how". WION. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Downtown Heroes FC: Shaping future stars, inspiring change in J-K". ANI News. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Advisor Bhatnagar witnesses finals of 17th Christmas Gold Cup Football Championship". statetimes.in. 22 December 2023. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
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