JCT Mills Football Club
Encyclopedia
JCT Football Club, founded in 1971, was an India
n professional football
club
based in Phagwara
, Punjab (India)
. They were sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills
under the leadership of Samir Thapar and have emerged as one of the most successful Indian football clubs in recent years. They played in the national I-League
and Punjab State Super League.
JCT FC had long been synonymous with football in Punjab and northern India. Like the other two institutional teams from the state, Border Security Force SC and FC Punjab Police
, JCT have played a pivotal role in raising the standard of football in Punjab.
JCT have won many prestigious tournaments and brought laurels to the State of Punjab. They won the inaugural edition of the National Football League in 1996. The success of the outfit can be partly attributed to the fact that their owners, the Thapars, apart from being business moguls, are also keen followers of the game.
constituted the football club in 1971. However, the club got recognition from 1974 onwards when several players joined the club from the Leader Club of Jalandhar
. Included among these players was Inder Singh
, who had captained the Indian national team in previous years and won the Arjuna Award in 1969. The Leader Club, started by Lala Dwarka Das Sehgal had played a major role in popularizing football in Northern India in the 1960s and 1970s. Though the Leader Club is no more, JCT Mills have since taken the mantle and become the biggest and most successful football club in this part of India.
JCT Limited
has been involved in the Punjab Football Association (PFA) for the last three decades. JCT won the innagural NFL
title in the 1996-1997 season. In January 2007, the JCT management decided to change the club name from JCT Mills FC to JCT FC.
In May 2008, JCT announced a partnership with Wolverhampton Wanderers
of the English Premier League in England
.
On June 20 it was announced by JCT FC that the club would disband following the 2010-11 I-League season due to lack of interest for football in India but they did say that they would still run the club at grass-root level and still run the JCT academy.
JCT was the first Indian team outside Kolkata to win the IFA Shield
.
JCT is a part of the flagship JCT group that was started by the late Karam Chand Thapar
.
Baichung Bhutia
Carlton Chapman Sunil Chhetri G.S. Parmar Inder Singh
Kuldip Singh Parminder Singh P. Renedy Singh
Sukhwinder "Sukhi" Singh I. M. Vijayan
Academy league which JCT FC Academy won.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club
Football team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
based in Phagwara
Phagwara
Phagwara is a city and a municipal council in Kapurthala district in North India, in the central part of the Punjab.-Location:Phagwara lies on the Delhi–Amritsar national highway No.01 and is also served by the rail link between Delhi and Amritsar. It is located between the two big cities of...
, Punjab (India)
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
. They were sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills
JCT Limited
JCT Limited is a large manufacturer of textiles and is the flagship company of the Thapar Group, a large Indian conglomerate. BILT and Crompton Greaves being other companies of this group. L. M. Thapar is one of the groups leading names....
under the leadership of Samir Thapar and have emerged as one of the most successful Indian football clubs in recent years. They played in the national I-League
I-League
The I-League is an Indian football league for association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation of two teams each year with the I-League 2nd Division...
and Punjab State Super League.
JCT FC had long been synonymous with football in Punjab and northern India. Like the other two institutional teams from the state, Border Security Force SC and FC Punjab Police
FC Punjab Police
FC Punjab Police, more commonly called The Policemen, is an Indian institutional football club based in Jalandhar, Punjab . They are currently playing in the NFL 2nd Division....
, JCT have played a pivotal role in raising the standard of football in Punjab.
JCT have won many prestigious tournaments and brought laurels to the State of Punjab. They won the inaugural edition of the National Football League in 1996. The success of the outfit can be partly attributed to the fact that their owners, the Thapars, apart from being business moguls, are also keen followers of the game.
History
Jagatjit Cotton and Textile MillsJCT Limited
JCT Limited is a large manufacturer of textiles and is the flagship company of the Thapar Group, a large Indian conglomerate. BILT and Crompton Greaves being other companies of this group. L. M. Thapar is one of the groups leading names....
constituted the football club in 1971. However, the club got recognition from 1974 onwards when several players joined the club from the Leader Club of Jalandhar
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
. Included among these players was Inder Singh
Inder Singh (footballer)
Inder Singh was a former Indian football player and football administrator. In 1969, he received the Arjuna Award for his contribution to Indian football.-Awards and honors:*AFC Asian Cup top scorer, 1964*Arjuna Award, 1969...
, who had captained the Indian national team in previous years and won the Arjuna Award in 1969. The Leader Club, started by Lala Dwarka Das Sehgal had played a major role in popularizing football in Northern India in the 1960s and 1970s. Though the Leader Club is no more, JCT Mills have since taken the mantle and become the biggest and most successful football club in this part of India.
JCT Limited
JCT Limited
JCT Limited is a large manufacturer of textiles and is the flagship company of the Thapar Group, a large Indian conglomerate. BILT and Crompton Greaves being other companies of this group. L. M. Thapar is one of the groups leading names....
has been involved in the Punjab Football Association (PFA) for the last three decades. JCT won the innagural NFL
National Football League (India)
The National Football League was an association football league competition in India between 1996 and 2007 which was organised into three divisions. The league is now transformed into the I-League and continues with that name...
title in the 1996-1997 season. In January 2007, the JCT management decided to change the club name from JCT Mills FC to JCT FC.
In May 2008, JCT announced a partnership with Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
of the English Premier League in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
On June 20 it was announced by JCT FC that the club would disband following the 2010-11 I-League season due to lack of interest for football in India but they did say that they would still run the club at grass-root level and still run the JCT academy.
Facts
JCT was the first Indian club to hire a foreign coach.JCT was the first Indian team outside Kolkata to win the IFA Shield
IFA Shield
The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. It is the fourth oldest club cup competition in the world after the English and Scottish FA cup's and the Durand Cup.-Results of IFA Shield:...
.
JCT is a part of the flagship JCT group that was started by the late Karam Chand Thapar
Karam Chand Thapar
Karam Chand Thapar was the founder of the Thapar Group of companies.He was originally from Punjab. He started his career in 1920 as a coal trader in Calcutta, and built up the family fortune through . He then started JCT Limited that is into textiles as well as molasses and alcohol...
.
Performance in AFC competitions
- Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
-
- 1997: Second Round
Final roster
Notable former players
Jo Paul AncheriJo Paul Ancheri
Jo Paul Ancheri is a leading Indian football player and was the former Indian Football team Captain. He was named the AIFF Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation in 1994 and 2001.-Career:...
Baichung Bhutia
Baichung Bhutia
Baichung Bhutia is an ex Indian footballer. He is currently contracted by the club he owns, United Sikkim. He is considered to be the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He plays for United Sikkim FC. He is often nicknamed the Sikkimese Sniper because of his shooting skills...
Carlton Chapman Sunil Chhetri G.S. Parmar Inder Singh
Inder Singh (footballer)
Inder Singh was a former Indian football player and football administrator. In 1969, he received the Arjuna Award for his contribution to Indian football.-Awards and honors:*AFC Asian Cup top scorer, 1964*Arjuna Award, 1969...
Kuldip Singh Parminder Singh P. Renedy Singh
P. Renedy Singh
Potsangbam Renedy Singh or just Renedy Singh is an Indian professional football player, who plays for the midfield position. For the current season, he has signed with United Sikkim F.C. in the I-League 2nd Division....
Sukhwinder "Sukhi" Singh I. M. Vijayan
I. M. Vijayan
Inivalappil Mani Vijayan is one of the leading Indian football players of modern times. Playing in the striker position, he formed a successful attacking partnership with Baichung Bhutia for the Indian national team in the late nineties and early 2000's...
Team Management
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
 Samir Thapar |
Chairman/President |
| Parminder Singh |
Head Coach |
| Harjinder Singh |
Manager |
| Kuldip Singh |
Assistant Coach |
| Dr.Manjeet Singh |
Doctor |
| Dr.Vishal Kumar |
Physio |
Achievements
n last 3 decades of its existence, the JCT is the first Indian team outside Kolkata to win the IFA Shield. Apart from this, the JCT Club have won many prestigious tournaments and brought laurels to the State of Punjab. They also won the opening edition of the National Football League in 1996. JCT Club has also been the winner of the Asian Club Championship and finished 3rd in the 2007-2008 season of the newly formed I-League. The team has been 8 times winner of the Punjab Football League and 5 times winner of the Durand club. The success and the constant good performance of the club is attributed to its owner, the Thapars who apart from being business moguls, have been in constant effort to enhance the bar of their club at all the levels.- Indian LeagueI-LeagueThe I-League is an Indian football league for association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation of two teams each year with the I-League 2nd Division...
: 1
-
- 1996/97
- Durand CupDurand CupThe Durand Football Tournament was started by then, India's Foreign Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Simla, India, in 1888. The initial matches were played in Dagshai. It was basically initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. The Durand Cup was twice suspended, during the two...
: 5
- Durand Cup
- 1976, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996
- Federation Cup (India)Federation Cup (India)The Federation Cup is an annual knockout style club football tournament in India. It has started in 1977. From its inception till I-League has been started in 1997 , it was the most prestigious national level club football tournament in India...
: 2
- Federation Cup (India)
- 1995, 1996
- IFA ShieldIFA ShieldThe IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. It is the fourth oldest club cup competition in the world after the English and Scottish FA cup's and the Durand Cup.-Results of IFA Shield:...
: 1
- IFA Shield
- 1996
- Punjab Football League: 9
- 1987, 1990/91, 1991, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
- 1996/97
- Gurdarshan Memorial Cup: 10
-
- 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2002
- Sait Nagjee Cup: 4
-
- 1976, 1979, 1985, 1995
- Madura Coats Trophy:
-
- 1978
- Scissors Cup:
- 1995
- Rovers Cup:
- 1997
- Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Memorial Trophy:
- 2002
- Principal Harbhajan Singh Memorial Football Trophy:
- 2005
- 1978
Academy
Even though JCT FC senior side is disbanded the Academy side of JCT FC is still running and still developing young footballers. The JCT FC Academy made its mark during the 2011 I-League U192011 I-League U19
The 2011 I-League U19 is the first edition of the I-League U19.All teams played the other teams in their group once and the group winners play 3 final fixtures against each other, producing 6 games a season for the group winners and just 3 games for the other teams that did not make the final...
Academy league which JCT FC Academy won.