Pakistan Air Force FC

Last updated
PAF F.C.
PakAFC.png
Full namePakistan Air Force Football Club
Short namePAF
Ground PAF Complex
Capacity2,000
Owner Pakistan Air Force
Chairman AM Asim Suleman
ManagerSalman Chaudhry

Pakistan Air Force Football Club, abbreviated as PAF FC, serves as the football section of Pakistan Air Force. The club used to compete in the National Football Championship and Pakistan Premier League. It regularly participates in the PFF National Challenge Cup.

Contents

History

Early years

In the 1950s, Pakistan Air Force played the Inter-Services Football Championship at the domestic level in Pakistan. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] In August 1960, PAF won the fifth Ismail Gold Shield Football Tournament, which featured guest teams from India and Iran. [6] [7] In 1961, PAF played a friendly game against the Iranian club Shahin F.C., with PAF international forward Faqir Hussain scoring all 4 goals for his team in a match which ended in a 6–4 defeat. [8]

In 1963, the club were runners-up in the Mohammad Ali Bogra Shield, losing 1–3 to Victoria SC in the final held in Rawalpindi. [9] In the 1981 National Football Championship, it finished as runner-up, losing to Pakistan Airlines in the final. [10] Their first national title came in 1986, defeating Pakistan Airlines in the final of the National Football Championship. [10]

Pakistan Premier League era: 2008–2019

They were promoted to the Pakistan Premier League from the PFF League after finishing second to Baloch Nushki in the 2007–08 season.

At the end of 2013 after the appointment of coach Shahzad Anwar, Air Force ended up in fourth position in the 2013–14 Pakistan Premier League season, [11] and ended up champions in the 2014 National Football Challenge Cup. [12]

It won the National Challenge Cup, after defeating WAPDA 2–1 in the finals of 2018 National Challenge Cup. [13] [14]

2023–present

Following the domestic football revamp in the country in 2023, departmental clubs including Air Force remained competing in the PFF National Challenge Cup. [15] [16]

Honours

Domestic

Notable players

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References

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  2. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 04 January 1959" . Retrieved 2024-05-22 via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 20 September 1958" . Retrieved 2024-05-22 via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Wednesday 12 October 1960" . Retrieved 2024-05-22 via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Monday 17 October 1960" . Retrieved 2024-05-22 via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 03 September 1960" . Retrieved 2024-05-22 via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 26 August 1960" . Retrieved 2024-05-22 via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. Special Edition: Thirty years of History of Persepolis Soccer Club: From Shahin til Pirouzi, Kayhan Publishing.
  9. "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 02 July 1963". p. 10. Retrieved 20 June 2024 via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. 1 2 "Pakistan - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  11. "A flawed league | Sports | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  12. "Good, but not good enough | Sports | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  13. "PAF clinch National Challenge Cup title". Daily Times. May 12, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  14. "PAF clinch Challenge Cup title". DAWN. May 11, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  15. Wasim, Umaid (2023-01-25). "Domestic football returns as Challenge Cup kicks off". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  16. "PFF National Challenge Cup kicks off today". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.