Sudeva Delhi

Full name	Sudeva Delhi Football Club
Short name	SDFC
Founded	2014; 12 years ago (2014) (asSudeva Moonlight FC)
Ground	Ambedkar Stadium Chhatrasal Stadium
Capacity	35,000 16,000
Owner(s)	Anuj Gupta Vijay Hakari
Head coach	Zahid Shafi Mir
League	Delhi Premier League
Website	www.sudeva.in
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Sudeva Delhi Football Club is an Indian professionalfootball club based inDelhi.^[1][2] The club competed in theI-League 2, the third tier of theIndian football league system, after getting relegated from the second tierI-League in2022–23.^[3] It currently competes in theDelhi Premier League.

Founded asSudeva Moonlight FC in 2014,^[4] and affiliated withFootball Delhi (FD).^[5] They joined I-League in2020–21 season and became the first club from the capital city to do so.^[6][7] Paul Williams, local English publican, has brought a 20% stake in the club.

Sudeva as a sporting organization, was incorporated in 2014 in Delhi by two young entrepreneurs, Anuj Gupta, asolicitor inEngland and Vijay Hakari, anenvironmentalist, sharing a common passion for raising the standards of football training in the country.^[8][9] The organization runs grassroots programs for potential talent, starting from the age of 9, right up to the senior level.^[8]

In 2016, Sudeva acquired "Moonlight Football Club", a Delhi-based club that appeared in DSA Senior Division (now known as Football Delhi Senior Division League) andDCM Trophy,^{[10][11][12][13]} having clinched league title twice in 1985 and 1990 (alongside runner-up finishes in 1988 and 1999).^[14][15][16] The club had submitted its bid in 2016 to center into the I-League, but it eventually failed through.^[17] Sudeva Moonlight debuted inI-League 2nd Division during the2016–17 season,^[18][19] and appointedCarlton Chapman as head coach.^[20] In 2018, Sudeva acquiredSudeva Olimpic Residential Academy, a club that currently competes in theSpanish Tercera Division, and became the first club in the history of Indian football to acquire a European club.^[21]

In 2018, they participated in J&K Invitational Cup in Srinagar.^[22][23] In that edition, they ended their campaign reaching semi-finals.^[24]

In June 2020,All India Football Federation (AIFF) invited bids for a new team to join the I-League. Sudeva was one of three football clubs that submitted the bid documents and on August 12, 2020, AIFF announced that Sudeva would take part in the 2020–21 I-League season, after winning the bid for direct entry.^[25][26][27] Thus the club became first Delhi-based team to compete in the I-League.^[28][29]

Sudeva Delhi was launched by Delhi Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia on November 27, 2020.^[30] Ahead of the 2020–21 I-League season, Sudeva Delhi appointedChencho Dorji as their head coach.^[31] Dorji is the firstBhutanese coach at the helm of any club in the history of the I-League.^[32]

It is a great honour to be part of the I-League. I really thank the president and the vice-president for believing in me and deciding to give the huge responsibility. lf you do well, you will survive and I am very excited about this challenge. As with every head coach, I also want to win. l want to win all the matches, but that does not happen in football.

The first club from the national capital to play in the I-League, Sudeva Delhi FC have opted for an all-Indian squad in their first season and the concept was supported by coach Dorji: "The message was always clear that we will go with an all-Indian squad".^[34][35][36] The club began their very first top flight competitive season on 9 January with a match againstMohammedan Sporting, which ended as their 1–0 loss.^[37][38] After struggling in lots of matches, they managed to win against teams likeChennai City,^[39]NEROCA andIndian Arrows. They managed to get 18 points from 14 games, which includes five wins, six losses and there draws and finished in eighth position of the league table.^{[40][41][42][43]} In 2021, club's youth prodigyShubho Paul was roped in as one of the fifteen global youth players by the German giantFC Bayern Munich's world squad andtheir U19 team.^[44][45][46]

Sudeva began their 2021–22 season with2021 Durand Cup inKolkata, and bowed out of the tournament from group stages.^[47][48] In2021–22 I-League, after moving to relegation stage, the club ended their campaign in eleventh position.^[49] In January 2022, Sudeva Delhi entered into a strategic partnership under the name of "Bellmare Asia Football Alliance", with JapaneseJ1 League clubShonan Bellmare.^[50] After Dorji's departure, the club was managed byMehrajuddin Wadoo till September 2022.^[51] In September 2022, the club roped in Japanese managerAtsushi Nakamura as new head coach, who was replaced in the mid-season bySankarlal Chakraborty.^[52][53] The club struggled a lot in2022–23 season, and relegated from I-League, alongsideKenkre.^{[54][55][56][57][58]} Until August, Chakraborty managed Sudeva.^[59]

In the2023–24 I-League 2, Sudeva Delhi ended their campaign achieving third place with 23 points, 8 wins in 14 matches, missing the opportunity to secure promotion in the2024–25 I-League.^[60][61] In November 2024, the club took part in the2024 edition ofSikkim Gold Cup, in which they bowed out facing a penalty shoot-out defeat to local sideGangtok Himalayan in pre-quarterfinals.^{[62][63][64][65]} In October 2024, the club withdrew from the2024–25 I-League 2.^[66] In 2024, the club entered into a strategic partnership with Bundesliga clubVfB Stuttgart focusing on youth development.^[67]

Ambedkar Stadium, located inDelhi, is the home ground of Sudeva Delhi.^[74][75] Since 2022, the club also plays some of their home matches ofI-League atChhatrasal Stadium.^[76]

In previous editions of I-League, due toCOVID-19 pandemic in India, played league games in centralized venues in West Bengal.^[77] In 2023–24 I-League 2, the club used Ambedkar Stadium.^[78]

Position	Name
Head coach	Zahid Shafi Mir
Goalkeeping coach	Sandip Dhole
Team manager	Ravi Hooda
Physiotherapists	Soumya Purkhait Chirag Sharma
Head coach U17	Uttam Singh
Head coach U15	Deepak Deswal

Information correct after match played on 5 March 2022. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name	Nationality	From	To	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win%	Ref.
Frederik Bägerfeldt	Sweden	3 September 2016	1 October 2016	0	0	0	0	0	0	!—	[79]
Carlton Chapman	India	1 October 2016	31 May 2017	6	1	2	3	6	9	016.67	[80]
Arjunan Shanta Kumar	India	31 May 2017	2017	0	0	0	0	0	0	!—	[81]
Pushpender Kundu	India	7 January 2018	8 November 2020	0	0	0	0	0	0	!—	[82]
Chencho Dorji	Bhutan	22 September 2020	9 November 2021	14	5	3	6	16	14	035.71	[83]
Mehrajuddin Wadoo(caretaker)	India	13 November 2021	September 2022	13	2	4	7	9	19	015.38	[84]
Atsushi Nakamura	Japan	1 September 2022	13 December 2022	6	0	0	6	3	13	000.00	[85]
Sankarlal Chakraborty	India	14 December 2022	3 August 2023	15	3	4	8	0	0	020.00	[86]
Chencho Dorji	Bhutan	20 September 2023	present	0	0	0	0	0	0	!—	[87]

As of 6 June 2023

Season	League								Second Phase	Super Cup	Other competitions	Top league scorer(s)		Ref.
	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	Position			Durand Cup	Player	Goals
2016–17	6	1	2	3	6	9	5	4th	DNQ	did not exist ▼	DNP	Syed Shoaib Ahmed	2
2020–21	14	5	3	6	16	14	18	8th	2nd	Tournament Suspended	DNP	Kean Lewis	3
2021–22	17	4	5	8	13	23	17	11th			Group stage	Abhijit Sarkar	1
2022–23	22	3	4	15	25	56	13	12th		DNQ	DNQ	Alexis Gómez	8	[88]

• I-League 2
  • Third place:2023–24^[89]

• Hot Weather Football Championship
  • Champions (1): 2019^[90]
• LAHDC Climate Cup
  • Champions (1): 2025^[91][92]

The following foreign players of Sudeva Delhi – have been capped atsenior/youth international level for their respective countries. Years in brackets indicate their spells at the club.^[93]

• Peterson Joseph (2016–2017)^[94]
• Daneil Cyrus (2022)^[95]
• Shavkati Khotam (2023)^[96]

The following clubs are currently affiliated with Sudeva Delhi FC:

Strategic affiliation

• VfB Stuttgart (2024–present)^[97][98]

Acquisitive affiliation

• CD Olímpic de Xàtiva (2018–present)^{[99][100][101]}

Affiliation as part of the "Bellmare Asia Football Alliance"

• Shonan Bellmare (2022–present)^[102][50]
• Boeung Ket (2022–present)^[50]
• Wuhan Three Towns (2022–present)^[50]
• FC Chanthabouly (2022–present)^[50]
• Davao Aguilas (2022–present)^[50]

Sudeva Delhi is known for running football academics, grassroot developments, full-fledged residential facilities, through the formation of Sudeva Sports Village in Delhi.^[103] Since the inception of youth section, the club has been operating its U13,^[104] Club's football academy gained an 'elite category' accreditation by theAIFF.^[105] U15, U19 teams, and participating in various age-group leagues conducted by both the Football Delhi (FD) and AIFF.^{[106][107][108]} In 2018–19 Hero Sub-Junior League, the team was managed by Nigerian coach Oladipupo Joseph Odu.^[109] In 2022, Sudeva tied-up withHCL Foundation for the advancement of residential football program.^[110]

Club's U17 team for the first time, took part in the2022–23 U-17 Youth Cup in January 2023, after going through the qualification stages.^{[111][112][113]} In semi-finals, they defeatedChennaiyin.^[114][115] In final on 31 January, the club finished as runner-up, after a 2–0 defeat to Classic FA.^[116] Sudeva Delhi participated in2023 Reliance Foundation Development League, in which they moved to "National championship stage", and ended up as runners-up.^[117][118] In May, they participated inPremier League's 2023 edition ofNext Gen Cup in Mumbai and faced teams likeEverton.^{[119][120][121]}

Honours

• JSW U-13 Youth Cup
  • Champions (1): 2022^[122]
• FD U-18 Youth League
  • Champions (1): 2022–23^[123]
• Hero U-17 Youth League
  • Runners-up (2):2022–23,^[124] 2023–24^[125]
• FD U-13 Youth League
  • Champions (1): 2022–23^[126]
• FD U-15 Youth League
  • Champions (1): 2022–23^[126]
• Shaheed Bhagat Singh Cup (U-18)
  • Runners-up (1): 2022^[127][128]
• Reliance Development League
  • Runners-up (1): 2023^[129][130]

Sudeva Delhi began its women's football section in May 2022, to compete indomestic leagues.^[131] The club then roped in Disha Malhotra Julka as head coach, who is India's first femaleFA license holder.^[131][132] In 2023–24 season ofFD Women's League, Sudeva Delhi secured third-place finish.^[133]

Honours

• FD Women's Premier League
  • Third place (1): 2022–23^[134]

Thefutsal section of Sudeva Delhi has participated in theinaugural edition ofAIFF Futsal Club Championship under coaching of Prakhar Agarwal,^{[135][136][137][138]} in which they failed to reach the knock-out stages.^[139][140] In the 2021–22 season, the club secured two big wins, defeated Classic FA 6–1,^[141] andReal Kashmir 9–5.^[142]

• List of football clubs in Delhi
• Sport in Delhi
• Sudeva Delhi Futsal

• "Sudeva Delhi FC retracts, decides not to appoint Alex Ambrose as coach".thebridge.in. The Bridge. Press Trust of India. 18 May 2023. Archived fromthe original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved18 May 2023.
• "DSA Senior Division Open League begins Tuesday".The Times of India.New Delhi. 21 January 2013.Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved26 January 2013.
• Norbu, Rinchen (5 January 2014)."No Money, More Problems".millenniumpost.in. New Delhi: The Millennium Post India. Archived fromthe original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved29 July 2021.
• "123RD IFA SHIELD RESULTS 2020–21: Awards after the FINAL (VYBK)".kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata Football. 19 December 2020. Archived fromthe original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved20 December 2020.
• "The Groups for the Football Delhi Senior Division 2021 are out!".Twitter.com. Archived fromthe original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved10 October 2021.
• "I-League: Former Premier League footballer Gifton Noel replaces Wadoo as Real Kashmir FC coach".ksportswatch.com. Srinagar: Kashmir Sports Watch. 7 February 2023. Archived fromthe original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved8 February 2023.
• "Sudeva Delhi FC signs former Mohun Bagan player Kean Lewis for 2020–21 I-League season".Indian Express. 9 October 2020. Archived fromthe original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved16 January 2021.
• "Ali Faisal's strike hands Mohammedan win over Sudeva in I-League season opener".Indian Express. 9 January 2021. Archived fromthe original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved16 January 2021.
• "Newcomers Sudeva Delhi register maiden win in I-League".Times of India. 14 January 2021. Archived fromthe original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved16 January 2021.
• "NEUFC beat Sudeva Delhi, Emil and Jithin make debut for Highlanders".indiansuperleague.com. 2 September 2022. Archived fromthe original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved12 September 2022.
• "Sudeva Delhi Football Club — Squad". int.soccerway.com. Archived fromthe original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved20 July 2020.
• Mazumdar, Subhajit (22 March 2024)."From East to West: T10 Sports lets you achieve on and off the field".The Bridge. Archived fromthe original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved10 December 2024.

• Sudeva Delhi FC at Global Sports Archive
• Sudeva Delhi FC onTwitter
• Sudeva Delhi FC onFacebook
• Sudeva Delhi FC at Soccerway
• Sudeva Delhi FC at FBref
• Sudeva Delhi FC atthe-aiff.com
• Sudeva Delhi FC at scorebing.com

• Sudeva Delhi FC
• Football clubs in Delhi
• I-League clubs
• I-League 2 clubs
• 2014 establishments in Delhi
• Association football clubs established in 2014

• Webarchive template wayback links
• CS1: unfit URL
• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)
• CS1 Bengali-language sources (bn)
• CS1 Swedish-language sources (sv)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from December 2016
• Use Indian English from December 2016
• All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English
• Football team templates which use short name parameter
• Facebook ID not in Wikidata