Azad Sporting Club

Azad Sporting Club
আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাব
Full name	Azad Sporting Club
Nickname(s)	Red and Yellows
Founded	1949; 76 years ago
Ground	Azad Sporting Club Ground, Arambagh
President	Enayet Hossain
V. President	MA Mannan
	Home colours
	Home colours

Azad Sporting Club (Bengali: আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাব), also referred as Azad SC, is an association football club based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club was considered one of the pioneers of Bengali football in East Pakistan and participated in the Dhaka First Division Football League until relegation in 1985. The club has been inactive in the domestic football circuit since the turn of the century.

History

Azad Sporting Club was formed in 1949 by Bengali writers and cultural organizers. Renowned artist Quamrul Hassan chose the colour and designed the club's kit. MA Kayum and Anwar Hossain were appointed as the club's president and general secretary, respectively. They entered the Dhaka Second Division League and were promoted to the First Division within two years after winning the Second Division, becoming joint champions with Fire Service SC in 1950.^[1]

In 1951, the club entered the First Division, the Dhaka League, and were captained by Tofazzel Hossain. They finished runners-up in the top-tier in 1952, 1953 and 1954. The club was almost entirely made up of Bengali players, which was unlike most top-tier teams at the time who favoured Punjabi and Makrani players.

The club transformed with the appointment of general secretary Saifuddin Ahmed as they won their first and only Dhaka League title in 1958.^[2]^[3] With the club tied on points with Central Station & Printing Press after the initial league phase, Tajul Islam Manna scored a brace, and Habib Ahmed added another goal as Azad won the play-off game 3–2 to claim their maiden league title. Manna was the league's top scorer that year with 25 goals. Alongside him, the other notable players in the team were captain Ranjit Das and winger SA Jamman Mukta.^[4]

Their title triumph saw them participate in the first edition of the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1958.^{[note 1]} The club were tagged as Giant Killers after the Independence of Bangladesh, nonetheless, were relegated to the Second Division in 1985. Eventually, in the 1993–94 season, the club descended to the Third Division, and the following season, in 1994–95, they plummeted even further to the Pioneer Division. In 1998, their football department stopped functioning due to financial restraints.^[5]^[6]

Notable players

The most notable player to have represented the club is their all-time top scorer Tajul Islam Manna, who played for them from 1954 to 1963, scoring 77 league goals including 10 hat-tricks in the process.^[7] The East Pakistani striker also represented the Pakistan national team in 1955, scoring the only goal of the game against India in a Non-FIFA Friendly.^[8]

Other notable players include: Tarapada Roy, Ranjit Das,^[9] SA Jamman Mukta,^[10] Jalil Ansari,^[11] Monwar Hossain Nannu, Shahidur Rahman Shantoo,^[12] Anjam Hossain, Ehtesham, Habib Ahmed, Salam Murshedy,^[13] Mari Chowdhury,^[14] Khandoker Nurunnabi,^[15] Elias Hossain,^[16] Md Kamruzzaman,^[17] Anwar Hossain,^[18] Khandoker Abul Hasan^[19] and Subal Das.^[20] Sheikh Monsur Ali Lalu who later played for the Shadhin Bangla football team also began his First Division career with the club.

Club members

President

No.	Name	From	To
1	MA Kayum	1949	1950
2	Alhaj Moti Sardar	1951	1952
3	AA Siddique	1953	1960
4	SR Karim	1961	1962
5	Kofiluddin Mahmud	1963	1971
6	Mohazzem Hossain	1972	1976
7	Mir Shawkat Ali	1977	1980
8	Salam Talukdar	1981	1983
9	Azhar Ali	1984	1987
10	MA Hamid	1988	1989
11	Sayeed Mohammed Anwar Hossain	1992	1993
12	Mosharaf Hossain Shajahan	1994	1998
13	Enayet Hossain	2009	present

General Scretary

No.	Name	From	To
1	Anwar Hossain	1949	1951
2	AA Siddique	1952	1957
3	Saifuddin Ahmed	1958	1989
4	Kazi Anisur Rahman	1994	1995
5	M. A. Rashid	1996	1999
6	Reza Ali Bulu	1996	2001
7	Mujibur Rahman	2009	present

Head coach

Name	From	To
Ranjit Das	1975	–
Abdul Sadek	1978	1979
Ehtesham	1980	1982
Mozzamel Hossain	1983	1983

Records and statistics

Season by season

Record as Dhaka First Division Football League member
Season	Division	League								Federation Cup	Independence Cup	Top league scorer(s)
Season	Division	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	Position	Federation Cup	Independence Cup	Player	Goals
1973	First Division	28	7	8	13	38	44	22	9th	—	—
1974	First Division	15	5	5	5	19	18	16	10th
1975	First Division	30	7	7	16	24	40	21	14th
1976	First Division	15	3	4	8	14	29	10	15th
1977	First Division	15	3	8	4	7	12	14	10th
1978	First Division	24	6	11	7	17	20	20	8th
1979	First Division	16	3	6	7	9	14	12	13th
1980	First Division	22	5	9	8	14	20	19	7th	First round
1981	First Division	16	3	4	9	7	11	10	17th	First round
1982	First Division	16	4	7	5	13	13	15	10th	Second round
1983	First Division	16	2	9	5	14	21	13	11th	First round
1984	First Division	19	3	11	5	10	18	20	14th	Quarter-final
1985	First Division	18	2	8	7	12	19	14	17th	DNP

Note: Azad Sporting Club competed in the Dhaka Second Division League from 1949 to 1950 and entered the First Division in 1951, however, only records after the Independence of Bangladesh are available.

Honours

Dhaka First Division League
- Winners (1): 1958
Dhaka Second Division League
- Winners (1): 1950
Independence Day Cup
- Winners (1): 1959^[21]

Other departments

Volleyball

The club's volleyball team participates in the Premier Division Volleyball league under the Bangladesh Volleyball Federation. They were runners-up to WAPDA SC in the league during the 1975–76 season, which remains their best finish to date.^[6]^[22]

Field hockey

The clubs field hockey team currently plays in the Premier Division Hockey League. They are yet to win the league title although the club's hockey team has been a regular participant in the league since the independence of Bangladesh.^[23] In February 2024, the club withdrew its name from the 2024 Premier Division Hockey League citing financial issues.^[24]

Cricket

The club's cricket team last participated in the 2015 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. They have had national cricket team captains Akram Khan and Shakib Al Hasan represent them in the domestic competitions.^[25]

Kabaddi

Azad Sporting Club has both men's and women's Kabaddi teams playing in the First Division Kabaddi League. In 2015, they became champions in the first open Women's Beach Kabaddi Competition, defeating Judain Janata Club by 53-51 points in the final held in Cox's Bazar.^[26]

Notes

^ The competition is widely regarded as the predecessor of AFC Champions League (held for the first time in 1967), since it was the first organized international competition that involved club teams around Asia, organized by the football authorities of East Pakistan, in collaboration with Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

References

^ Alam, Dhrubo (July 16, 2018). "Kick, Score, Scream! The History of Football in Dhaka". Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
^ Kamruzzaman, Mohammed. "সাইফুদ্দিন সাহেব: আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাবের টানা ৩১ সেক্রেটারি" [Saifuddin Shaheb: Secretary of Azad Sporting Club for 31 consecutive years] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023 – via Facebook.
^ "রণজিৎ দাসের বাড়িতে এক বেলা". Prothomalo (in Bengali). September 28, 2016. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
^ Alam, Masud (April 1, 2022). "How is Sylhet's 'Telegram age' goalkeeper Ranjit Das doing". Prothomalo. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
^ "লিমিটেড কোম্পানী হচ্ছে আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাব". DailyInqilabOnline (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
^ ^a ^b "আজাদ স্পোর্টিংও হচ্ছে লিমিটেড কোম্পানি". Jugantor.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
^ Hossain, Anwar. "চিরনিদ্রায় মান্না ঘুমিয়ে গেছেন" [Manna has gone to eternal sleep] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via Facebook.
^ "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952-1955". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
^ Islam, Rahenur (2024-03-07). "শচীন দেব বর্মণ যেন বিশ্বসেরা গোলরক্ষক দেখেছিলেন". shokalshondha.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2024-06-20. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
^ Mahmud, Dulal (16 November 2007). "এস এ জম্মন মুক্তা: স্বর্ণেরত্নেশোভনলোভন" [SA Jamman Mukta: Lust for gold]. Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 – via Facebook.
^ "পঞ্চাশের দশকে ঢাকার ফুটবলে রক্ষণ ভাগের দুই প্রহরীর গল্প". ctgsangbad24.com (in Bengali). July 2, 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
^ Zubaear, Arafat. "'১:১ বেশি উপভোগ করতাম'". dhakapost.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
^ আমার অর্থ অর্জন সম্মান সব কিছুর মূলে ফুটবল. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
^ "চিহ্লা মং মারী: এক ফুটবল যোদ্ধা". pavilion.com.bd (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
^ "Nurunnabi passes away". The Daily Star. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
^ "তবু স্বপ্ন দেখেন ইলিয়াস". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 21 February 2024.
^ ভালোবাসার কাজটি করতে পেরেছি বলে আনন্দ ছিল অফুরান. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
^ Badiuzzaman. "ফুটবল আনোয়ার কে অনেক কিছু দিয়েছে" [Football has given a lot to Anwar] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2022 – via Facebook.
^ Kamruzzaman, Mohammed. "খন্দকার আবদুল হাসান: একের ভিতর তিন" [Khandaker Abdul Hasan: Three in one] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024 – via Facebook.
^ "Subal Das is no more". The Daily Star. August 18, 2005. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 16 August 1959". p. 8. Retrieved 2024-06-11 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "বঙ্গবন্ধু প্রিমিয়ার ভলিবল লিগ". www.jugantor.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
^ "প্রথম জয় পেয়েছে আজাদ, সজীবের হ্যাট্রিক". Somoy News (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
^ "ফুটবলের পথে কি আজাদের হকিও!". Dhaka Post (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
^ "Azad Sporting Club Team | Azad | Match, Live Score, News". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
^ "মহিলা বীচ কাবাডি চ্যাম্পিয়ন আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাব". The Daily Sangram (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

External links

Azad Sporting Club at National-Football-Teams.com

[5] The competition is widely regarded as the predecessor of AFC Champions League (held for the first time in 1967), since it was the first organized international competition that involved club teams around Asia, organized by the football authorities of East Pakistan, in collaboration with Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

[1] Alam, Dhrubo (July 16, 2018). "Kick, Score, Scream! The History of Football in Dhaka". Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2023.

[2] Kamruzzaman, Mohammed. "সাইফুদ্দিন সাহেব: আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাবের টানা ৩১ সেক্রেটারি" [Saifuddin Shaheb: Secretary of Azad Sporting Club for 31 consecutive years] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023 – via Facebook.

[3] "রণজিৎ দাসের বাড়িতে এক বেলা". Prothomalo (in Bengali). September 28, 2016. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.

[4] Alam, Masud (April 1, 2022). "How is Sylhet's 'Telegram age' goalkeeper Ranjit Das doing". Prothomalo. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.

[6] "লিমিটেড কোম্পানী হচ্ছে আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাব". DailyInqilabOnline (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

[auto-7] "আজাদ স্পোর্টিংও হচ্ছে লিমিটেড কোম্পানি". Jugantor.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

[8] Hossain, Anwar. "চিরনিদ্রায় মান্না ঘুমিয়ে গেছেন" [Manna has gone to eternal sleep] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023 – via Facebook.

[9] "Asian Quadrangular Tournament (Colombo Cup) 1952-1955". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

[10] Islam, Rahenur (2024-03-07). "শচীন দেব বর্মণ যেন বিশ্বসেরা গোলরক্ষক দেখেছিলেন". shokalshondha.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2024-06-20. Retrieved 2024-06-20.

[11] Mahmud, Dulal (16 November 2007). "এস এ জম্মন মুক্তা: স্বর্ণেরত্নেশোভনলোভন" [SA Jamman Mukta: Lust for gold]. Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024 – via Facebook.

[12] "পঞ্চাশের দশকে ঢাকার ফুটবলে রক্ষণ ভাগের দুই প্রহরীর গল্প". ctgsangbad24.com (in Bengali). July 2, 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.

[13] Zubaear, Arafat. "'১:১ বেশি উপভোগ করতাম'". dhakapost.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

[14] আমার অর্থ অর্জন সম্মান সব কিছুর মূলে ফুটবল. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 2018-08-28.

[15] "চিহ্লা মং মারী: এক ফুটবল যোদ্ধা". pavilion.com.bd (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

[16] "Nurunnabi passes away". The Daily Star. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.

[17] "তবু স্বপ্ন দেখেন ইলিয়াস". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 21 February 2024.

[18] ভালোবাসার কাজটি করতে পেরেছি বলে আনন্দ ছিল অফুরান. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-26.

[19] Badiuzzaman. "ফুটবল আনোয়ার কে অনেক কিছু দিয়েছে" [Football has given a lot to Anwar] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2022 – via Facebook.

[20] Kamruzzaman, Mohammed. "খন্দকার আবদুল হাসান: একের ভিতর তিন" [Khandaker Abdul Hasan: Three in one] (in Bengali). Krira Jagat Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024 – via Facebook.

[21] "Subal Das is no more". The Daily Star. August 18, 2005. Archived from the original on June 3, 2024. Retrieved December 7, 2015.

[22] "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 16 August 1959". p. 8. Retrieved 2024-06-11 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[23] "বঙ্গবন্ধু প্রিমিয়ার ভলিবল লিগ". www.jugantor.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

[24] "প্রথম জয় পেয়েছে আজাদ, সজীবের হ্যাট্রিক". Somoy News (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

[25] "ফুটবলের পথে কি আজাদের হকিও!". Dhaka Post (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-02-21.

[26] "Azad Sporting Club Team | Azad | Match, Live Score, News". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.

[27] "মহিলা বীচ কাবাডি চ্যাম্পিয়ন আজাদ স্পোর্টিং ক্লাব". The Daily Sangram (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

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