ONGC

Full name	Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Football Club
Nickname	The Oilmen
Short name	ONGC, ONGCFC
Founded	1990s (asOil & Natural Gas Commission) 2006; 19 years ago (2006) (asONGC FC)
Ground	Cooperage Ground
Capacity	5,000
Owner	ONGC
Chairman	Vivek Bhowmik
Head coach	Dharmesh Patel
League	MDFA Elite League
Website	ongcindia.com/football

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Football Club (known simply asONGC FC)^[1][2][3][4] was an Indian professionalfootball club based inMumbai.^[5][6][7][8] The club was an institutional arm of theOil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and part of itsmulti-sports club.^[9][10]

Nicknamed "The Oilmen", they competed in both the domestic top tiersNational Football League, andI-League,^[11][12] alongside the regional competition namedMDFA Elite League.^{[13][14][15][16]} The club also operated a non-professional football section that participates in regional corporate tournaments, including All-India Public Sector League.^[17]

In 2006, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation revived its football section and renamed it asONGC F.C.,^[18][19] in hope of expanding their involvement in Indian football, which included title sponsoring the oldNational Football League,Durand Cup andNehru Cup.^[9] In 2007, ONGC reached final of the prestigiousBordoloi Trophy, in which they were beaten byPort Authority of Thailand 3–0 at the end.^[20] In their inaugural season in theI-League 2nd Division, the club finished on 6th place.^[9] After their first season, the club offered their players full-time contracts and higher salaries, as well as inducting youth sections.^[9] These changes helped the club finish on 5th place in the final round of the2009 I-League 2nd Division,^[21][22][23] after topping the group stage.^[9] The next season would finally see ONGC get promoted,^[24] after the club won the2010 I-League 2nd Division and went undefeated in the final round.^[9] It was the club's biggest achievement in domestic football.^[25]

In 2010,Caetano Pinho became the head coach of ONGC and helped the team winning theI-League 2nd Division and qualified for the2010–11 season ofI-League.^[26] Unfortunately, after one season in the I-League, the club were relegated back into the 2nd Division and Pinho's job was on the line as ONGC were considering folding the club. Even Pinho himself said: "The club's poor showing had not gone down well with the management, who it was believed were even considering the most extreme of repercussions. For a company which supports 16 different disciplines of sports around the country, they had after all pumped in the maximum amount of money into the football club's coffers."^[27][28]

After earning promotion into the I-League, ONGC made some unexpected signings with the signatures of Nigerian playmakerDavid Opara and re-signing strikerBadmus Babatunde, who was the overall top-scorer during the2010 I-League 2nd Division,^[29][30][31] and signing formerIndia national football team goalkeeper Rajat Ghosh Dastidar.^[9] ONGC played their first match of the2010–11 on 4 December 2010 againstEast Bengal at theSalt Lake Stadium, in which they lost 1–0. It took the club register first win till 9 January 2011 againstViva Kerala at home with David Opara scoring the lone goal for ONGC.^[32] Then on 12 February 2011, ONGC created the biggest shock of the season after defeating East Bengal, who were undefeated before the game, 1–0 with Babatunde scoring in 58th minute at Cooperage Ground.^[33] Despite the unexpected result, ONGC could only do so much as despite scoring 11 more goals in the 2nd half of the season, they ultimately finished on last 14th place, which meant straight relegation back into 2nd Division after only one season.^[34]

ONGC began their mission for a comeback to the I-League by entering the2012 I-League 2nd Division.^[35] The immediately made an impact after finishing the group stage in first place and entered thefinal round as automatic contenders.^[36] After a tough 12 matches inSiliguri andSikkim, ONGC again finished in a promotion spot, second place, and thus qualified for the2012–13 I-League, which was confirmed on 17 April 2012, after the club drew 1–1 withAizawl.^[37][38][39]Santosh Kashyap managed the club in 2012–13 I-League.^[40][41][42] ONGC finished the next I-League season on 9th position with 31 points in 26 matches.^[43][44]

The club has also participated in the2013 IFA Shield unlikely. On 4 March 2013, it was announced thatMuktijoddha Sangsad of Bangladesh would not participate in this tournament and instead currentI-League clubONGC would take their place.^[45] But they failed to qualify for the knockout stages. In 2014, they participated in the 14thDarjeeling Gold Cup and won the tournament with a 5–0 win overDalhousie AC of Kolkata in final.^[46]

In October 2014, ONGC participated inSikkim Governor's Gold and reached to the final with a 2–1 win overGangtok Himalayan.^[47][48][49] They clinched the trophy defeatingManang Marshyangdi Club of Nepal onpenalty shoot-out.^[50][51]

Since their inception, ONGC became a member ofWestern India Football Association (WIFA) andMumbai District Football Association (formerly BDFA).^[52][53][54] They participated in later editions ofMumbai Harwood League alongside Maharashtra Football League.^[55][56]

Before getting revived in 2006, they participated in B.D.F.A League, andW.I.F.A. Super Division from 1990 to 1999 and clinched BDFA title in 1993.^[56] ONGC also participated inMDFA Elite Division,^[57] and lifted trophies in 2015–16 and 2017–18 season.^[58]

In spite of finishing 9th in the2012–13 I-League table with 36 points, ONGC were excluded from the next season,^[59] because they did not meet theAFC's club licensing criteria.^[60][61]New clubOil India has taken sponsorship and majority of ONGC's squad in the following years.

ONGC played all their home matches for National Football League and I-League at theCooperage Ground,^[62][63] which is located at theNariman Point,Mumbai.^[64] It has a capacity of 5,000.^[65][66]

During the2010–11 I-League season,Rajarshi Shahu Stadium inKolhapur, hosted numerous matches of Mumbai teams due to unavailability ofCooperage Ground. ONGC played its home games at this ground throughout the season.^[67]

For all former notable players of ONGC FC with a Wikipedia article, see:ONGC FC players.

• I-League 2nd Division
  • Champions (2):2010,^[68]2012^[69]
• Mumbai Football League/MDFA Elite Division
  • Champions (4): 1993, 2011–12, 2015–16, 2017–18^[70][71]
  • Runners-up (1): 2016–17

• Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup
  • Champions (2): 2010, 2014^[72][73]
• Bordoloi Trophy
  • Runners-up (1): 2007^[20]
• Durand Cup
  • Runners-up (1):2013^[74]
• Kalinga Cup
  • Champions (1): 2014^[75]
• Darjeeling Gold Cup
  • Champions (1): 2014^[76]
• All-India Petroleum Sports Control Board Inter-unit Championship^[77][78]
  • Champions (8): 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
  • Runners-up (1): 2007
• All-India Public Sector Football Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2010^[79]
• YMFC Centennial All India Football Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2016^[80]
• Nadkarni Cup
  • Champions (1): 2014^[81][82]
  • Runners-up (1): 2007
• Gadhinglaj United Cup
  • Champions (1): 2016^[17]
  • Runners-up (1): 2015^[83]
• ONGC Invitational Trophy
  • Champions (1): 2016^[17]
• YMFC Centennial All India Cup
  • Champions (1): 2016^[84]
• Hot Weather Football Championship
  • Runners-up (1): 2007^[85]
• All-India Ballarpur Industries Limited Trophy
  • Runners-up (2): 2001–02, 2002^[86][87]
• Principal Harbhajan Singh Memorial All-India Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2018^[88]

Competition	Round	Year	Opposition	Score	Venue	City	Ref
Bordoloi Trophy	Semi-final	2007	Abahani Limited Dhaka	0–0 (5–4p)	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium	Guwahati	[89]
Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup	Semi-final	2011	Manang Marshyangdi	1–0	Paljor Stadium	Gangtok	[90]
Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup	Final	2014	Manang Marshyangdi	2–2 (2–0p)	Paljor Stadium	Gangtok	[50]

Club's cricket team competes in the Maharaja Padam Singh Cricket Tournament and other regional competitions affiliated to theDelhi & District Cricket Association.^[91][92] Noted Indian international playersGautam Gambhir,Praveen Kumar,Ishan Kishan,Tanmay Srivastava, and other first class players likeSandeep Sharma,Mithun Manhas,Taruwar Kohli,Unmukt Chand, andSumit Narwal appeared with the team in domestic tournaments.^{[92][93][94][95][96][97]}

Honours

• Lala Raghubir Trophy
  • Champions (1): 2012^[98]
• Maharaja Padam Singh Cricket Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2013^[91]
• DDCA Hot Weather Championship
  • Champions (1): 2013^[92]
• DY Patil T-20 Trophy
  • Runners-up (1): 2016^[99]

ONGC has itsfield hockey team.^[100] It previously competed inBeighton Cup, one of world's oldest hockey tournaments.^{[101][102][103][104]} They finished as runners-up in the prestigious trophy in 2011 and 2013. Affiliated with the Bombay Hockey Association, ONGC also appeared inBombay Gold Cup and Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup.^[105]

Honours

• Beighton Cup^[106]
  • Runners-up (2): 2011,^[107] 2013^[108]
• Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2010^[109]
• Surjit Memorial Hockey Tournament^[110]
  • Runners-up (1): 2017
• Senior Nehru Hockey Tournament^{[111][112][113]}
  • Champions (1): 2011
  • Runners-up (1): 2010
• UP Hockey Championship
  • Champions (1): 2013–14^[100]
• PSPB Hockey Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2014^[100]
• Murugappa Gold Cup
  • Champions (1): 2017^[114]
• AIPSSPB Hockey Trophy
  • Champions (1): 2018^[100]
• Inter-Unit PSPB hockey tournament
  • Champions (1): 2018^[100]

ONGC operates men's volleyball team, that participates in domestic state and national level tournaments. In 2011, ONGC clinched IOB Platinum Jubilee National Volleyball Championship title, and qualified to represent India at the Asian Club Volleyball Championships in China.^[115][116]

Honours

• IOB Platinum Jubilee National Volleyball Championship
  • Champions (1): 2011^[115]
• All India Public-Sector Volleyball Championship
  • Champions (2): 2015,^[117] 2019^[118]
• All-India Volleyball Championship
  • Champions (1): 2017^[119]
• PSPB Inter-Unit Volleyball Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2014^[120]
  • Runners-up (1): 2019–20^[121]
• Chand Agarwala Memorial National Volleyball Championship
  • Runners-up (1): 2003^[122]

ONGC operates men's basketball teams.

Honours

• Federation Cup Basketball Championship
  • Champions (1): 2013–14^[123]
• JCI All India Basketball Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2013^[124]

Club's kabaddi team competes in the PSPB Inter-unit Kabaddi Tournament and other regional tournaments.^[125]

Honours

• PSPB Inter-unit Kabaddi Tournament
  • Champions (1): 2013^[125]

ONGC has men's athletics division, and operating teams competing in the Open National Athletic Championship.^[126] At the 52nd Open National Athletic Championship held inChennai in September 2012, the team finished at third position with 6 gold, 3 silver and 10 bronze medals.^[126] In December 2013, the team clinched All India Public Sector Athletics Meet title, which was hosted at the Maharaja College Ground inKochi.^[127] ONGC also won the Federation Cup Athletic Championship in 2013.^[128]

• Sports in Maharashtra
• List of football clubs in Mumbai
• Oil India FC

Bibliography

• Kapadia, Novy (2017).Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Penguin Random House.ISBN 978-0-143-42641-7.
• Martinez, Dolores; Mukharjiim, Projit B (2009).Football: From England to the World: The Many Lives of Indian Football.Routledge.ISBN 978-1-138-88353-6. Archived fromthe original on 2 July 2022.
• Dineo, Paul; Mills, James (2001).Soccer in South Asia: Empire, Nation, Diaspora.London, United Kingdom: Frank Cass Publishers. p. 33.ISBN 978-0-7146-8170-2. Archived fromthe original on 25 July 2022.
• Nath, Nirmal (2011).History of Indian Football: Upto 2009–10. Readers Service.ISBN 9788187891963. Archived fromthe original on 22 July 2022.
• Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006).A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score.Routledge.ISBN 9780415348355. Archived fromthe original on 29 June 2021.
• Basu, Jaydeep (2003).Stories from Indian Football. UBS Publishers' Distributors.ISBN 9788174764546. Archived fromthe original on 11 October 2022.

Cited sources

• Anand, Chetan (29 April 2023)."The Lone Ballad for a Mahindra United Comeback".iftwc.com. Mumbai: Indian Football Team for World Cup. Archived fromthe original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved29 April 2023.
• Noronha, Anselm (11 October 2012)."Churchill Brothers SC 5–0 ONGC FC: The Red Machine demolish Subrata Bhattacharya's side".Goal.com. Archived fromthe original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved22 October 2012.
• "I-league leaders Prayag cautious about title dream".archive.indianexpress.com. New Delhi:Indian Express. Press Trust of India. 25 October 2012. Archived fromthe original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved5 January 2020.
• "Subrata to replace Berber as Vasco coach".news18.com. Panaji: News18. Press Trust of India. 3 January 2013. Archived fromthe original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved27 January 2013.
• "Subrata to replace Berber as Vasco coach".business-standard.com. Panaji: Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 29 January 2013. Archived fromthe original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved27 January 2013.
• "Santosh Kashyap, lone Indian selected for FIFA/AFC Futsal Instructor Course".Kick off India. 18 October 2010. Archived fromthe original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved2 August 2011.
• Bera, Kaustav."Pailan Arrows 4–1 ONGC FC: Papas' boys trounce 10-man ONGC with ease".Goal.com. Archived fromthe original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved26 December 2012.
• "Champions Air India finish season unbeaten".timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Mumbai:The Times of India. TNN. 4 July 2023.Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved23 September 2018.
• Williams, Joe (25 September 2017)."The Goa and Maha Derby: A thing past in I-League".khelnow.com. Khel Now News. Archived fromthe original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved20 July 2021.
• "AIFF XI open account in I-League".timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Gurgaon:The Times of India. PTI. 8 December 2010. Archived fromthe original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved31 August 2012.
• Rodrigues, Mario (19 October 2011)."Indian football: Suspects vs outsiders".livemint.com. Mumbai: LiveMint News. Archived fromthe original on 1 June 2018. Retrieved8 January 2023.
• Ghoshal, Amoy (1 July 2011)."Players To Watch: India Under-23's Saba Saleel".Goal.com. Archived fromthe original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved5 May 2012.
• "Federation Cup: United Sikkim FC Down ONGC 3–2 In Their Opening Group B Fixture".Goal.com. 9 September 2011. Archived fromthe original on 1 May 2014. Retrieved26 August 2017.

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• ONGC FC
• Association football clubs established in 2006
• Football clubs in Mumbai
• I-League clubs
• I-League 2 clubs
• 2006 establishments in Maharashtra
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
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