Pakistan Army F.C.

History

Early years (1950–1991)

The club was established in 1950 by the Pakistan Army. It then regularly featured at the National Football Championship of Pakistan.

In the 1980 National Football Championship, it finished as runner-up after falling against Karachi Red in the final.

League era reboot & first national titles (1992–1994)

In the season of 1992–93 of the Lifebuoy Soap sponsored league structured National A-Division Football Championship, the club finished as runner-up after Pakistan Airlines.

The following season (1993–94), Army clinched its first national league title.

Domestic consistency (1995–2003)

After the National Football Championship reverted to the old knockout format, the team won their second title in 1995. During this decade, Army also made its mark in multi-sport competitions, capturing the football gold medal at the National Games in 1995 and 1997.

Army also won the President PFF Cup in 2000 and 2001, alongside another National Games gold in 2001.

Pakistan Premier League & continental participation (2004–2007)

The club was one of the founding members of newly formed Pakistan Premier League, appearing in the first edition in 2004, where the team finished runner-up after WAPDA.

Army clinched the second 2005 Pakistan Premier League title with 51 points, with striker Imran Hussain as the Golden Boot with 21 goals. As 2005 champions, Army qualified for the 2006 AFC President’s Cup in Kuching, Malaysia, where they lost to Tatung and Transport United but earned a 1–1 draw with Khemara, exiting at the group stage.

They repeated as champions in 2006–07, and subsequently played at 2007 AFC President's Cup on home soil in Lahore, drawing with Ratnam, and narrow defeats to Regar-TadAZ and Transport United.

During this period, Army also won the National Games gold in 2004 and 2007.

Near misses and stability (2007–2015)

Following their two back-to-back titles, Army finished runners-up in three consecutive PPL seasons (2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10). The club later placed second again in 2014–15. In 2016, Pakistan Army defeated Pakistan Airlines in the All-Pakistan Football Tournament at the Peoples Football Stadium in Karachi.

Recent years (2018–present)

After years of turmoil within the Pakistan Football Federation, resulting in domestic football inactivity, Army finished 4th in the league’s return season in 2018–19. Later on, the team won the National Football Challenge Cup in 2019.

Stadium

The Army Stadium in Rawalpindi serve as the team own ground. It has regularly hosted several Pakistan Premier League and National Challenge Cup fixtures.

Competitive record

The club's competitive record since the 2004 season are listed below.

Performance in AFC competitions

Honours

Domestic

• National Football Championship

  • Winners (2): 1993–94, 1995

• Pakistan Premier League

  • Winners (2): 2005–06, 2006–07

• National Football Challenge Cup

  • Winners (3): 2000, 2001, 2019

• National Games

  • Winners (5): 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2007

• Inter-Services Football Championship

  • Winners (1): 1975

References

References

1. (2011-12-08). "When football helped break an Indo-Pak barrier".
2. "Pakistan - Foundation Dates of Clubs".
3. "Pakistan - List of Champions".
4. Ahsan, Ali. (December 23, 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". DAWN.
5. (2010-11-07). "Pakistan Army to face PEL in Premier Football".
6. "Pakistan - List of Cup Winners".
7. "Pakistan 2000".
8. "Pakistan 2001".
9. (2006-05-09). "Army to meet Tatung in AFC opener".
10. (2006-05-15). "Soccer: Shabbir helps Army to draw".
11. (2007-02-04). "AFC President’s Cup football draws held".
12. "Pakistan 2004".
13. "Pakistan 2006/07".
14. (22 March 2016). "Rangers All-Pakistan Football Tournament: Rehman, Hasnain guide Army to title – The Express Tribune".
15. Report, Recorder. (2019-08-06). "Pakistan Army win 28th PFF National Challenge Football Cup".
16. (2019-08-06). "Army stun SSGC 3-2 to win National Challenge Football Cup".
17. InpaperMagazine, From. (2013-01-13). "No competition!".
18. Andrew, Marylou. (2014-07-01). "Beyond cricket".