Association football club in Manipur, India
Football club
NEROCA Football Club (known fully asNorth Eastern Re-Organising Cultural Association Football Club ) is an Indian professionalfootball club based inImphal ,Manipur , that currently competes in theI-League 2 . It previously competed in theI-League , the second tier of theIndian football league system .[ 2] [ 3] [ 4] Founded in 1965, and nicknamed "Orange Brigade",[ 5] the club made theirI-League 2nd Division debut in the2015–16 season.[ 6] Winning the2016–17 league , they secured promotion to the I-League.[ 7]
NEROCA is the first club fromNortheast India to reach the final of the covetedDurand Cup . The club also competes in theManipur State League .
Formation and early years [ edit ] North Eastern Re-Organising Cultural Association [ 8] (abbreviated asNEROCA )[ 9] was established in 1965,[ 10] with the hope of improving quality in the field of cultural activities and sports in the Indian state ofManipur .[ 11] It was registered under the Manipur State co-operative Society Registration Act bearing registration No. 1016 of 1972.[ 12] NEROCA is a registered football club of the Imphal East District Football Association, and affiliated withAll Manipur Football Association (AMFA).[ 13] NEROCA has participated in every edition of theManipur State League since its inception.[ 14] [ 15] [ 16] [ 17] [ 18] [ 19] The club has a record of second-place finish for the first time in the 2007 edition.[ 20] The club is also a regular participant ofSir Churachand Singh Memorial Football Tournament .[ 21]
In the 9th season of Manipur State League (2014), NEROCA won championship trophy.[ 22] The club as per norms of theAll India Football Federation (AIFF), changed the nomenclature from "NEROCA" to "NEROCA Football Club Imphal",[ 23] aiming to join I-League 2nd Division.[ 24] [ 25] NEROCA then went on to compete in the 2015–16[ 26] [ 27] and 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division seasons.[ 28] [ 29] They emerged as champions of the 2016–17 season with 26 points in 10 matches from thefinal round , and qualified for the 2017–18 season of theI-League .[ 30] They also clinched the title of Manipur State League in2016 .[ 31]
The biggest achievement of NEROCA is emerging as the runners-up in the2017–18 I-League .[ 32] Under the coaching ofGift Raikhan ,[ 33] they finished campaign with 32 points from 18 matches.[ 34] In that season, NEROCA brought Vector X as their official shirt sponsor.[ 35] In the2020–21 I-League , NEROCA finished bottom of theRelegation Stage and got formally relegated, but were reinstated by AIFF after viewing the situation ofCOVID-19 pandemic .[ 36] [ 37]
On 4 July 2021, NEROCA signedKhogen Singh as their head coach for the2021–22 I-League season ,[ 38] and began the league journey with a 3–2 win againstSreenidi Deccan on 27 December 2021.[ 39] They achieved seventh position in league table.[ 40] They later participated in2022 Durand Cup .[ 41] In 2022–23 I-League, NEROCA they finished on tenth position, and later, failed to qualify for the2023 Indian Super Cup .[ 42] In October, the club roped in Malaysian managerJacob Joseph as head coach for 2023–24 league season.[ 43] In April 2024, NEROCA along with TRAU, refused to travel to Mizoram to playAizawl in their away matches and the games were cancelled by the AIFF; Both the teams from Manipur were relegated to I-League 2.[ 44] [ 45] [ 46] The club took part in the2024–25 I-League 2 ,[ 47] in which they later fought in the relegation stage alongside city rival TRAU.[ 48]
Crest, colours & kits[ edit ] In the official club crest, there is map ofManipur in background and ananchor of sailing boat in foreground.[ 49]
The official colours of NEROCA areorange andgreen .[ 50]
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors [ edit ] Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor 2015—2016 Glory Sports[ 51] Classic Group of Hotels[ 52] 2016—2017 Bee Athletic[ 51] 2017—2018 Vector X[ 35] 2018—2019 Sqad Gear[ 51] 2019–2020 Vicky Transform[ 53] Living 3D[ 51] 2020–2021 Ambition Sportswear[ 54] GMT[ 55] 2021–2022 Nivia Sports [ 56] Vintel Infracom Pvt. Ltd.[ 57] 2022–2023 Ambition Sportswear[ 58] GOELD Frozen Foods[ 59] 2023–2024 King[ 60] 2024–present Vamos M/s. Kim & Sons
Khuman Lampak Main Stadium inImphal ,Manipur , is used as the home ground of NEROCA Football Club for all their home matches in both the domestic and regional leagues.[ 61] [ 62] [ 63] Opened in 1999, the stadium is owned byAll Manipur Football Association and has a capacity of 35,285 spectators. Their first home match in theI-League was played on 15 December 2017 againstChennai City FC .[ 64]
Support and rivalry [ edit ] NEROCA had the 2nd highest average attendance for the 2018–19 I League season. In the 2017–18 season, NEROCA had the highest attendance in the I-League, with the record attendance of 35,285 at the Khuman Lampak Stadium.[ 65]
NEROCA have participated in theImphal Derby with city rivalTRAU .[ 66] [ 67] [ 68] The two clubs are the only two from Imphal to have played professional league football.[ 69] The Imphal Derby gained fame in 2022 during the131st edition ofDurand Cup when competitive football returned to the city afterCOVID-19 pandemic in India .[ 70] [ 71] TheGovernment of Manipur declared a half-holiday for all governmental and educational institutions in build-up to the match on 18 August,[ 72] where NEROCA defeated TRAU by 3–1 in Group-C opener.[ 73] However, in 2025 Durand Cup Group F, opening again, held at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal, TRAU and NEROCA clashed ferrociously. Notably, TRAU played with only 10 men from 80 minutes onwards due to a red card. The opening match ended in a 1–1 draw.[ 74]
In theNortheast Derby (I-League) , they have a rivalry withMizoram -based clubAizawl .[ 75] [ 76]
As of 30 January 2024 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules ; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Current technical staff [ edit ] As of 20 July 2022 Role Name Refs. Head coach Gyan Moyon[ 77] Assistant coach Premkanta SinghSecretary Leimapokpam Rojit MeiteiGoalkeeping coach Premkanta SinghTeam manager Laishram Rajiv SinghPhysio Kshterimayum Karan SinghKit manager Lairellakpam Shobha Singh
Key Tms. = Number of teams Pos. = Position in league Attendance/G = Average league attendance updated on 28 May 2017
As of 4 May 2023 Past and present internationals [ edit ] The players below had senior/youth international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing forNEROCA FC .[ 81] Information correct after match played on 7 March 2022. Only competitive matches are counted.
NEROCA operatesfutsal departments and is affiliated to theFutsal Association of India (FAI). The club clinched AMFA (All Manipur Football Association) Futsal Cup in 2005, defeating SSU in final.[ 148] The club is currently competing in Col. Arunkumar Memorial Inter-club Futsal Tournament, achieved third place in the 2023 edition.[ 149] [ 150]
Honours AMFA Futsal Cup Col. Arunkumar Memorial Championship Third place (1): 2023[ 149] Cited sources
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Further reading
Sarkar, Dhiman (25 March 2018)."India's football past gasping for survival" .hindustantimes.com . Kolkata:Hindustan Times . Archived fromthe original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved16 April 2023 . "NEROCA FC vs. Aizawl FC – Football Match Summary – January 30, 2021" .ESPN . 30 January 2021. Archived fromthe original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved6 July 2021 .Quadri, Abreshmina S. (2 January 2018)."Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen steps down after loss to Chennai City FC" .indiatoday.com .India Today . Archived fromthe original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved5 February 2020 . "DEBUTANT NEROCA FC BOLSTER SQUAD FOR MAIDEN I-LEAGUE APPEARANCE" .theindianleague.in . 21 June 2017. Archived fromthe original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved10 July 2017 ."I-League: Kanoute brace propels Aizawl past TRAU, Arrows draws with NEROCA" .sportstar.thehindu.com .Sportstar . 11 February 2020. Archived fromthe original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved19 June 2022 .Mukherjee, Soham (1 February 2019)."I-League 2018–19: Katsumi Yusa's brace helps NEROCA do the double over Indian Arrows" .goal.com . Goal. Archived fromthe original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved13 May 2021 . Sharda, Deepankar (12 December 2016)."Minerva FC to debut in 2017 I-League" .tribuneindia.com . Chandigarh: The Tribune India News. Archived fromthe original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved20 December 2016 . Bhutkar, Prasad (13 April 2017)."10-men Kenkre FC pay the penalty as they slump to a 1–0 defeat" .footballcounter.com . Mumbai: Football Counter India. Archived fromthe original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved11 February 2018 . "I-League 2018/19: Neroca's Katsumi Yusa hits new record in the I-League history" .xtratime.in . Kolkata. 15 December 2018. Archived fromthe original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved12 December 2018 .Guha, Sayantan (8 June 2022)." "Wanted to show India that even a 28-year-old could coach a team at this level" — Rajasthan United boss Francesc Bonet opens up about the ups and downs of the I-League season" .sportskeeda.com . Sportskeeda. Archived fromthe original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved27 December 2022 . "Thank You Manuel Retamero Fraile" . Facebook.com. 11 March 2019.Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved7 March 2022 .Ingale, Shreyash (4 July 2019)."NEROCA set to appoint Gift Raikhan as head coach for upcoming I League season" .iftwc.com . Indian Football Team for World Cup. Archived fromthe original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved28 December 2022 . "I-League: Juan Quero Barraso's strike helps Minerva Punjab secure 1–0 win over Neroca FC" .The Indian Express . PTI. 23 February 2019. Archived fromthe original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved26 January 2024 ."I-League: Sergio Mendi hat-trick leads NEROCA 3–2 win over Sreenidi Deccan" .The Times of India . Kolkata. PTI. 27 December 2021.Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved28 March 2022 ."Shillong Lajong return to Hero I-League after four years" .the-aiff.com . New Delhi:All India Football Federation . 21 May 2022. Archived fromthe original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved22 May 2023 ."Sreenidi Deccan begin campaign in style; slam four past hapless Neroca FC" .i-league.org . Hyderabad: All India Football Federation. 29 October 2023. Archived fromthe original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved29 October 2023 ."Shillong Lajong held by NEROCA in season's first home game" .i-league.org . Shillong: All India Football Federation. 9 November 2023. Archived fromthe original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved9 November 2023 ."I-League 2023–24: Shillong Lajong held by NEROCA in season's first home game" .sportstar.thehindu.com . Shillong:Sportstar . Press Trust of India. 9 November 2023. Archived fromthe original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved9 November 2023 .Media Team, AIFF (18 June 2024)."16 tournaments, 11,000 players: A hectic 2023–24 domestic season with class and character" .the-aiff.com . New Delhi:All India Football Federation . Archived fromthe original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved18 June 2024 . "Resilient Real Kashmir begin season with 3 points against NEROCA" .i-league.org . 13 November 2022. Archived fromthe original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved20 November 2022 .
Stadiums Rivalries Key personnel Owners NEROCA Football Club Pvt. Ltd Head coach Gyan Moyon
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