JCT FC

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JCT F.C.
Logo
Full nameJagatjit Cotton & Textile Mills FC[1]
Nickname(s)The Millmen[2][3]
Founded1971; 50 years ago (1971)
Dissolved2011; 10 years ago (2011)[4]
GroundGuru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana
Capacity22,000
ChairmanSamir Thapar
LeagueNational Football League
(later, I-League)
Punjab State Super Football League
WebsiteClub website

Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club, often abbreviated as JCT FC, founded in 1971, was an Indian professional football club based in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.[5] They were sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills under the leadership of Samir Thapar and participated in the National Football League which was later renamed I-League.[6][7][8] They also participated in Punjab State Super Football League under licence from Punjab Football Association. The club was disbanded in 2011.[9]

JCT have won many tournaments and brought laurels to the State of Punjab. They won the inaugural edition of the National Football League in 1996.[10][11][12] They were one of the benchmark teams in North Punjab along with Border Security Force SC and FC Punjab Police, winning prestigious state level tournaments. It was the first team from India to sign a foreign coach and the first team outside of Calcutta to win the IFA Shield, second oldest football tournament in India.[13]

History[]

Jagatjit Cotton, Sahil Bagga and Textile Mills constituted the football club in March 1971.[14][15] However, the club got recognition from 1974 onwards when several players joined the club from the Leaders 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 Leaders 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.[16]

JCT Limited has been involved in the Punjab Football Association (PFA) for the last three decades. JCT won the inaugural NFL title in the 1996–1997 season.[17] In January 2007, the JCT management decided to change the club name from JCT Mills FC to JCT FC.

JCT players (in red) during the inauguration of 2006–07 National Football League.
Mohammedan Sporting vs JCT Mills FC in the 2006–07 National Football League at Ambedkar Stadium.

In 2007, JCT announced an association with the English club Wolverhampton Wanderers, as part of the Wolverhampton-India Project launched at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.[18] In 2011, two members from the Wolves Academy Staff visited the club with an intention "to start special training programmes".[19] However, a few months later, in June, the club announced of its disbanding. In a statement, the club said, "Today football teams worldwide have become self-sustaining enterprises for which high exposure is needed to build viewership and spectators in the stadium. JCT won the inaugural national league in 1996, where there was high quality TV exposure and widespread public interest. But since then the league has had negligible exposure and the teams have been going almost unnoticed." It added, "JCT Limited, being a corporate, needs to justify to its stakeholders the effort vs visibility of the football team."[9]

Baljit Saini of JCT (in white and red) against Dempo during the 2008–09 I-League at Guru Nanak Stadium.

In 2014, reports said that the club was planning on a return to professional football through I-League 2nd Division the following season. However, it failed to materialize.[20]

Stadium[]

Main article: Guru Nanak Stadium
Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on a matchday

JCT Mills Football Club used Guru Nanak Stadium of Ludhiana for their National Football League and Punjab State Super Football League matches.[21] The stadium has a capacity of approximately 30,000 spectators.

Guru Gobind Singh Stadium, also used for some home matches of JCT Mills FC

JCT Mills has also used Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Jalandhar for some seasonal home matches of the National Football League and Punjab State Football League.[22][23]

Guru Gobind Singh Stadium on a matchday

Rivalries[]

JCT shared rivalry with local side FC Punjab Police, which emerged as one of the strongest sides in Punjab State Super Football League.[24][25] They have also enjoyed rivalries with two other local sides Leaders Club (Jalandhar) and Boarder Security Force FC.[26]

Affiliated companies[]

Performance in AFC competitions[]

See also: Indian football clubs in Asian competitions
  • Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
1997: Second Round[28]

Achievements[]

In last 3 decades of its existence, the JCT FC is the first Indian team outside Kolkata to win the IFA Shield. Apart from this, the JCT Club won many prestigious tournaments. They also won the opening edition of the National Football League in 1996.[29] 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 club was an eight-time winner of the Punjab State Football League and five-time winner of the Durand Cup. 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.[30]

Affiliated clubs[]

The following club was affiliated with JCT FC :

  • England Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (2007–2011)[31]

Honours[]

Main article:

League (Domestic)[]

Simple cup icon.svg Winners (1): 1996–97[11][32]
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 2006–07[33]
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Third place (1): 2007–08[34]

League (Regional)[]

Simple cup icon.svg Winners (9): 1987, 1990–91, 1991, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006[36]
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (4): 1985–86, 1988, 1992–93, 1999

Cup[]

The Durand Cup trophy won by JCT Mills FC for five times
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (2): 1995, 1996[37]
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (5): 1976,[38] 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996[39]
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (7): 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1985, 2006,[40] 2010[41][42]
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (1): 1996[43]
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (1): 1997[44]

Other honours[]

  • Gurdarshan Memorial Cup
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (10): 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2002[45]
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (4): 1976, 1979, 1985, 1995[46]
  • Madura Coats Trophy
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (1): 1978
  • Scissors Cup
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (1): 1995[47][48]
  • Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Memorial Trophy
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (1): 2002[49]
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (1): 1998
  • Principal Harbhajan Singh Memorial Football Trophy
Simple cup icon.svg Winners (1): 2005
  • DCM Trophy
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runners-up (3): 1977, 1987, 1993[50]

Academy[]

Main article: JCT Football Academy

JCT FC launched their Under-19 team in 1998 and participated in the first National Football League (under-19) in October 2001.[51] In the next edition between May and June 2003, they reached the finals.[52][53] JCT Football Academy made its mark and emerged victorious in the 2011 I-League U19.[54] In 2011 their senior team was disbanded, but the academy continued to operate. The academy team later participated in the 2012 Durand Cup.[55] The JCT Football Academy made its mark during the 2011 I-League U19 Academy league which JCT FC Academy won.

Academy honours[]

  • I-League U19
1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (1): 2011[56]

See also[]

References[]

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  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Menon, Ravi (17 March 1997). "JCT wins inaugural Philips NFL title". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 April 1997. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
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  14. ^ India - List of Foundation Dates RSSSF. Retrieved 17 August 2021
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  27. ^ India on Track official Retrieved 25 July 2018
  28. ^ JCT Mills lost 1-2 aggregate to New Radiant S.C. of Maldives in the Second Round of the Asian Club Championship 1997
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  37. ^ "From the history book, roll of honour". All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  38. ^ Joint winners with Boarder Security Force FC
  39. ^ List of Durand Cup tournament winners and runner-ups Archived 29 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine RSSSF. Retrieved 7 May 2021
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  47. ^ List of Winners/Runners-Up of the Scissors Cup: Kerala indianfootball.de. Retrieved 15 August 2021
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  50. ^ List of winners and runners-ups of the DCM Trophy Archived 23 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine RSSSF.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021
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  52. ^ "National Football League (under-19) 2002/03". Indianfootball.de.
  53. ^ "National Football League (under-19) 2004/05". Indianfootball.de.
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  55. ^ "Durand Cup 2012". rsssf.com.
  56. ^ "JCT wins u-19 I-League title". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2011.

External links[]

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