• Source: JCT FC

Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club (formerly known as JCT Mills FC; abbreviated as JCT FC, or simply JCT) is an Indian football academy based in Phagwara, Punjab. Founded in 1971, the club was sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills under the leadership of Samir Thapar and participated in the National Football League which was later rebranded as I-League. The club currently participates in Punjab State Super Football League after disbanding their senior squad in 2011.
Nicknamed "The Millmen", JCT have won many tournaments and brought laurels to the State of Punjab. They won the inaugural edition of the National Football League in 1996. They were one of the benchmark teams in North Punjab along with Border Security Force and Punjab Police, winning prestigious state level tournaments. It was the first team from India to sign a foreign coach and the first team outside of Calcutta to win the IFA Shield, second oldest football tournament in India. JCT's corporate team also took part in All India Public Sector tournaments.
In 2011, JCT emerged as sixth ranked Indian team, and 957th universally, in the international rankings of clubs during the first ten years of the 21st century (2001–2010), issued by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.




History


Jagatjit Cotton, Sahil Bagga and Textile Mills constituted the football club in March 1971. However, the club got recognition from 1974 onwards when several players joined the club from the Leaders Club of Jalandhar. Included among these players was Inder Singh, who captained the India national team in previous years, won the Arjuna Award in 1969, and managed the club until 2001. The Leader Club, started by Lala Dwarka Das Sehgal had played a major role in popularizing football in Northern India in the 1960s and 1970s. After the end of Leaders Club era, JCT Mills have since taken the mantle and become the biggest and most successful football club in this part of India. In 1983, British coach Bob Bootland took charge of JCT and guided the team winning the Durand Cup same year.
JCT Limited had been involved in the Punjab Football Association (PFA) for the three decades. On 1 July 1992, the club appointed former Indian international Sukhwinder Singh, who previously played for the club, as chief coach; He served as deputy general manager and joint secretary as well. In 1995, they clinched Scissors Cup title, defeating Malaysia Premier League side Perlis F.A. by 1–0. In 1996, they emerged champions in the Federation Cup, defeating East Bengal 5–3 through penalties. JCT won the inaugural NFL title in the 1996–97 season. In that season, they clinched the prestigious IFA Shield title, defeating Iraqi Premier League side Al-Karkh SC by 1–0. In January 2007, the JCT management decided to change the club name from JCT Mills FC to JCT FC.

In 2007, JCT announced an association with the English club Wolverhampton Wanderers, as part of the Wolverhampton-India Project launched at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. In the inaugural season of I-League, JCT achieved third place, with 33 points.
In 2011, two members from the Wolves Academy members visited the club with an intention "to start special training programmes". However, a few months later, in June, the club announced of its disbanding. In a statement, the club said, "Today football teams worldwide have become self-sustaining enterprises for which high exposure is needed to build viewership and spectators in the stadium. JCT won the inaugural national league in 1996, where there was high quality TV exposure and widespread public interest. But since then the league has had negligible exposure and the teams have been going almost unnoticed." It added, "JCT Limited, being a corporate, needs to justify to its stakeholders the effort vs visibility of the football team."

In 2014, reports said that the club was planning on a return to professional football through I-League 2nd Division the following season; however, it failed to materialize. Though the official club body maintained JCT's football-centric activities and academies, and trials until 2015, alongside acquiring services of Spanish UEFA A license holder coach Juan Jose Royan Balco.




Stadium



JCT Mills used Guru Nanak Stadium of Ludhiana. It served as club's home ground for National Football League and Punjab State Super League matches. The stadium has a capacity of approximately 30,000 spectators.

JCT Mills has also used Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Jalandhar for some seasonal home matches of the National Football League and Punjab State Football League.




Rivalries


JCT shared rivalry with local side FC Punjab Police, which emerged as one of the strongest sides in Punjab State Super Football League. They have also enjoyed rivalries with two other local sides: Leaders Club (Jalandhar), and Border Security Force. In the 1960s nd 70s, the club shared a fierce rivalry with Mohammedan Sporting of Kolkata.




Notable players


For all former notable JCT Mills FC players with a Wikipedia article, see: JCT Mills FC players.
Noted Indian internationals

Sunil Chhetri – all-time top goalscorer of the India national team, played for the club from 2005 to 2008.
I. M. Vijayan – three-time AIFF Player of the Year winner (among those, won with JCT in 1997)
Inder Singh – AFC Asian Cup top scorer in 1964, and AFC Asian All Stars inductee in 1968.
Bhaichung Bhutia – captained both India and JCT, recipient of Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri (golden boot winner in the NFL with JCT in 1996–97).
Sukhwinder Singh – served as both captain and head coach of India, first chief coach of JCT (who managed the club from late 1990s to 2001); recipient of Dhyan Chand Award in 2020.
Jo Paul Ancheri – captained both India and JCT, and was awarded the AIFF Player of the Year by All India Football Federation in 1994 and 2001.
Deepak Mondal – recipient of both the Arjuna Award and AIFF Player of the Year; represented JCT from 1998 to 2000.
Foreign international(s)

Julius Akpele (2004–2006; 2008–09) – represented Nigeria between 1992 and 1994.




Performance in AFC competitions



Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
1996–97: Second Round




Achievements


In last 3 decades of its existence, the JCT FC is the first Indian team outside Kolkata to win the prestigious IFA Shield, (in 1996, in which they defeated Iraqi Premier League club Al-Karkh, by 1–0). Apart from this, the JCT Club won many prestigious tournaments. They also won the opening edition of the National Football League in 1996–97. JCT has also participated in the Asian Club Championship during its 1996–97 season and reached the second round. They also achieved third place in 2007–08 season of the newly formed I-League.
The club was an eight-time winner of the Punjab State Football League and five-time winner of the Durand Cup. The success and the constant good performance of the club is attributed to its owner, the Thapars who apart from being business moguls, have been in constant effort to enhance the bar of their club at all the levels.




Affiliated clubs


The following clubs were affiliated with JCT FC:

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (2007–2011)
Hindustan FC (2010–2011)




Honours






= League (domestic)

=
National Football League
Champions (1): 1996–97
Runners-up (1): 2006–07
I-League
Third place (1): 2007–08
National Football League III
Runners-up (1): 2006–07




= League (regional)

=
Punjab State Super Football League
Champions (9): 1987, 1990–91, 1991, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07
Runners-up (4): 1985–86, 1988, 1992–93, 1999




= Cup

=
Federation Cup
Winners (2): 1995, 1996
Durand Cup
Winners (5): 1976, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1996
Runners-up (7): 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1985, 2006, 2010
IFA Shield
Winners (1): 1996
Rovers Cup
Winners (1): 1997
Runners-up (3): 1979–80, 1984, 1992
Indian Super Cup
Runners-up (1): 1997
Punjab State Senior Championship
Champions (6): 1977, 1979–80, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1989
Runners-up (2): 1984–85, 1985




= Other honours

=
Gurdarshan Memorial Cup
Winners (10): 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2002
Runners-up (2): 1991, 2003
Sait Nagjee Football Tournament
Winners (4): 1976, 1979, 1985, 1995
Madura Coats Trophy
Winners (1): 1978
Scissors Cup
Winners (1): 1995
Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Memorial Trophy
Winners (1): 2002
Runners-up (1): 1998
Principal Harbhajan Singh Memorial Football Trophy
Winners (2): 2005, 2009
DCM Trophy
Runners-up (3): 1977, 1987, 1993
Mohan Kumar Mangalam Football Tournament
Runners-up (2): 2005, 2006
Aurungabad Mayor's Trophy
Runners-up (1): 2006




Partnership


India On Track
In 2015, JCT FC entered into the partnership with India On Track to re-launch the club in the 2015–16 season of the I-League 2nd division. The aim of the partnership is to provide elite residential training and uplifting the development of its academy at Hoshiarpur, Punjab.




Academy






= JCT FC academy and youth

=
JCT FC launched their U-19 academy in 1998 and participated in the first National Football League (under-19) in October 2001. In the next edition between May and June 2003, they reached the finals. JCT Football Academy won the 2011 I-League U19. In 2011, their senior team was disbanded, but the academy continued to operate. The academy team later participated in the 2012 Durand Cup. JCT academy team later participated in Punjab State League. They incorporated under-16 academy in 2005 at Rurka Kalan, and participated in Subroto Mukherjee Cup and Inter-school Games organized under the banner of School Games Federation of India. Club's U-15 team also took part in Manchester United Premier Cup of India. Later in 2022, JCT FC academy competed in Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Memorial Tournament in Banga.

Academy honours
I-League U19
Champions (1): 2011
National Football League U19
Runners-up (1): 2002–03




= Futsal

=
Beside football, JCT FC is operating futsal teams, currently competing in the AIFF Futsal Club Championship.




See also



List of football clubs in India
Defunct football clubs in India




Footnotes






References






Further reading


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 from the 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 from the original on 25 July 2022.
Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006). A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score. Routledge. ISBN 9780415348355. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021.
"Regionalism and club domination: Growth of rival centres of footballing excellence". Soccer & Society. 6:2–3 (2–3). Taylor & Francis: 227–256. 6 August 2006. doi:10.1080/14660970500106410. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
Basu, Jaydeep (2003). Stories from Indian Football. UBS Publishers' Distributors. ISBN 9788174764546. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022.
Shreekumar, S. S. (15 August 2020). THE BEST WAY FORWARD FOR INDIA'S FOOTBALL. HSRA Publications. p. 244. ISBN 9788194721697. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
Nath, Nirmal (2011). History of Indian Football: Upto 2009–10. Readers Service. ISBN 9788187891963. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022.
Cited sources

Chatterjee, Siraj (10 December 2020). "Punjabi Football on a Roar!". footballindia.co.in. Football India. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
Williams, Joe (25 September 2017). "The Goa and Maha Derby: A thing past in I-League". khelnow.com. Khel Now News. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
"I-League 2010/11: Promising Young Performers – The Unpolished Diamonds". The Hard Tackle. 14 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
Vaz, Armstrong (2 August 2011). "'Institutional Clubs will die a slow death'". indianfootballnetwork.com. India Footy (Indian Football Network). Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
Anand, Chetan (29 April 2023). "The Lone Ballad for a Mahindra United Comeback". iftwc.com. Mumbai: Indian Football Team for World Cup. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
Sengupta, Rahul (17 January 2010). "I-League: Viva Ride Reuben Goal To Win At Home". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018.
"JCT trio signs two-year deal with Salgaocar". The Times of India. PTI. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
"Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Mills FC (India)". worldfootball.net. WorldFootball. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
Sarkar, Dhiman (25 March 2018). "India's football past gasping for survival". hindustantimes.com. Kolkata: Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
Rakshit, Rony (22 November 2016). "Minerva Academy FC: All You Need To Know". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
Selvaraj, Jonathan (6 January 2017). "Minerva FC set for the big leap ahead of I-league debut". espn.in. ESPN. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
Das, Shibashis (7 March 2022). "I-League 2: Looking back at when Dempo SC dominated Indian Football". footballexpress.in. Goa: Football Express India. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
Saxena, Sandeep. "Chirag United lifts Durand Cup". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
Vinod, A. (4 May 2002). "A futile exercise, to say the least". sportstar.thehindu.com. Sportstar. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
Basu, Ritayan (8 March 2018). "2017–18 I-League: Minerva Punjab FC crowned champions". indiatoday.in. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
Vasavda, Mihir (11 March 2018). "Minerva Punjab FC: The Mavericks and new I-League Champions". indianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.




External links


Official website

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Liga-I 2010–2011
• Balwant Singh
• Perlis FA
• Tokyo
• Skuad Piala Asia AFC 2011
• JCT FC
• JCT
• Balwant Singh (footballer)
• Sunil Chhetri
• Guru Nanak Stadium
• Kalyan Chaubey
• Asim Hassan
• Surjit Singh (footballer)
• Renedy Singh
• Namdhari FC