Full name | Sikkim Himalayan Sporting Club [1] | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Himalayans [2] | ||
Short name | GHSC SHSC | ||
Founded | 2012[3] | (as Sikkim Himalayan SC)||
Ground | Paljor Stadium [4] | ||
Capacity | 30,000 | ||
Owner | Tenzing Lamtha | ||
Head coach | Puspa Gurung | ||
League | SFA A-Division S-League | ||
Gangtok Himalayan Sporting Club (also known as Sikkim Himalayan) is an Indian professional football club based in Gangtok, Sikkim. [5] The club plays in the SFA "A" Division S-League. [6] [7] [8]
The club is also a frequent participant of the Sikkim Gold Cup, [9] [10] a premier club tournament in the state. [11]
Gangtok Himalayan FC (originally known as Sikkim Himalayan SC) [12] [13] [14] was founded in 2012 in Gangtok, [15] the capital city of the Indian state Sikkim, and affiliated with Sikkim Football Association (SFA). [16] [17] [18] Since then, they have been participating in various domestic and amateur tournaments regionally. [19] The club was founded by Tenzing Lamtha. [20] In October 2014, Gangtok Himalayan participated in Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup and reached to the semi-finals, but their journey ended with a 2–1 defeat to ONGC FC. [21] [22] [23] In September 2015, former India international Arjunan Shanta Kumar was appointed as manager of the club. [24]
In January 2016, they were officially certified by the All India Football Federation to participate in the I-League 2nd Division, [25] the second tier of football in India, after finishing 2nd in the Sikkim Premier Division League. This move began a new chapter for Gangtok-based side as they became one of first professional football clubs from the North East India. [26] 2016 was the most successful season for Gangtok Himalayan, in which they participated in the I-League 2nd Division, Durand Cup, [27] [28] Sikkim Gold Cup and Sikkim Premier Division League. After finishing 2nd in the group A of the 2015–16 I-League 2nd Division, [29] Gangtok Himalayan qualified for the 2015–16 I-League 2nd Division final round. There they finished as 5th and failed to qualify for the I-League. [30]
In 2016 Durand Cup, the Himalayans finished 5th, behind Indian Navy in the group A with 6 points. [31] [32] In 2019, they reached to the final of 39th edition of the Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup final defeating Royal FC Siliguri 3–1, [33] [34] but lost the title winning match to Mohammedan Sporting by 2–1 margin. [35] [36] In that year, Gangtok Himalayan lifted Independence Day Football Tournament trophy defeating Sikkim Aacraman FC via penalty shoot-out.
The All India Football Federation were all set to invite bids for vacant spots in the I-League and Gangtok-based Sikkim Himalayan was one of the front-runners to join, but it was not materialized. [37]
In 2020, Gangtok Himalayan went to Nepal for participating in the 18th Aaha! Rara Gold Cup, but their journey ended after a 3–0 defeat to Three Star Club in quarter-finals. [38] [39] In November 2024, the club took part in the 2024 edition of Sikkim Gold Cup. [40] [41] [42] In that tournament, they defeated visiting Malaysian team Kelantan Darul Naim by 3–0 in the quarter-finals. [43] [44] The club later reached the final, but lost the title in penalty shoot-out with the margin of 0–0 (4–3) to NorthEast United. [45] [46]
Gangtok Himalayan has a rivalry with their fellow Sikkim based club United Sikkim FC, [47] whom they usually face in regional tournaments including Sikkim Premier Division League. [48] [49] The rivalry is commonly referred to as "Sikkim Derby". Both the clubs mostly use Paljor Stadium as their home ground. One of their most memorable matches was on 9 November 2019 during Sikkim Governor's Gold Cup, and Gangtok Himalayan won by 3–1. [50]
For I-League 2nd Division, the club announced that they would play their home matches at the 30,000 seater Paljor Stadium in the capital of Sikkim, Gangtok. [51] [52] The club has also used the stadium for matches of regional tournaments like Sikkim Premier Division League. [53] [54] [55] [56] It was opened in 1943 and has artificial turf. [57] [58]
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
2015—2020 | Vamos [59] | Organic Sikkim |
The club has been operating various youth men's teams for regional tournaments. In 2013, their U-14 team took part in Snow Lion Cup, hosted by United Sikkim. [77]
Gangtok Himalayan has men's futsal section, that participated in tournaments like Chandmari Futsal Championship. [78] [79]
United Sikkim Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Gangtok, Sikkim. Incorporated in 2011, the club usually competed in the Sikkim Premier Division League. United Sikkim is the only club from Sikkim to have played in the I-League, which was then the top tier of the Indian football league system.
Paljor Stadium is a football stadium located in Gangtok, Sikkim, India. It can host 30,000 spectators. Besides earlier hosting the I-League and the I-League 2, the stadium also hosts matches of various local divisions and tournaments.
The Sikkim Gold Cup, known as the All India Governor's Gold Cup, is an Indian football tournament held in Sikkim and organized by the Sikkim Football Association (SFA). Some of the past champions include New Road Team of Nepal in 2007, Three Star Club in 2008, ONGC FC in 2010, Mohammedan Sporting in 2016, and Mohun Bagan in 2017.
The Sikkim Football Association (SFA) is one of the 36 Indian state football associations that are affiliated with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), based out of Gangtok, Sikkim. It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Senior Women's National Football Championship.
Ong Tshering Lepcha is an Indian footballer who plays as a forward for Sikkimese Gangtok Himalayan SC.
Shahensha Ansari is an Indian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sikkim Premier Division League club Sikkim Aakraman.
Nadong Bhutia is an Indian former footballer who played as a striker or winger.
Sonam Bhutia is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Machhindra FC in the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League.
Rakshit Dagar is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Inter Kashi in the I-League.
Kelantan Darul Naim Football Club is a Malaysian professional football club based in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. The club currently plays in the Malaysia Super League.
Palsang Lama is a Nepalese professional footballer who plays as a defender. He last played for Minerva Punjab in the I-League.
Zikahi Léonce Dodoz is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward. He is of Beninese descent.
The Sikkim Football League is a group of state-level football leagues in the Indian state of Sikkim, organised by the Sikkim Football Association. It was founded in 2012 as the Sikkim Premier Division League. The SFA "A" Division S-League is the premier state-level football league in Sikkim. United Sikkim is the most successful club with three league titles.
The 2018 Sikkim Premier Division League was the seventh season of the Sikkim Premier Division League, the top division football league in the Indian state of Sikkim. The league kicked off from 21 July with eight teams competing.
The 2019 Sikkim Premier Division League was the eighth season of the Sikkim Premier Division League, the top division football league in the Indian state of Sikkim. The league kicked off from 24 August with eight teams competing.
Sikkim Aakraman Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Gangtok, Sikkim. The club currently competes in the SFA "A" Division S-League, the top local division, and the Sikkim Premier League, the franchise league in Sikkim. It is part of the multi-sports club Sikkim Aakraman Sporting Club. Founded in 2010, The club won the inaugural edition of the Sikkim Premier League in 2023.
Church Boys United is a Nepali professional football club from Balkumri, neighborhood of Lalitpur, that competes in the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League. The club was first promoted to Martyr's Memorial A-Division League in 2022, having won the 2022 Martyr's Memorial B-Division League.
The Sikkim Premier League is a state-level men's franchise football league in Sikkim, India. The first season was started in 2023, organised by the Football Development Private Limited and the Sikkim Football Association.
The 2023 Sikkim Premier Division League was the ninth season of the Sikkim Premier Division League, the top division football league in the Indian state of Sikkim. The league kicked off from 21 June and ended on 22 July, with eight teams competing.
The 2024 Sikkim Gold Cup was the 40th edition of the Sikkim Gold Cup, hosted by the Sikkim Football Association.
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