New Delhi Heroes
Somnath_Sengupta
3 Points
In the 1950s, The Heroes, also known as The Yellow Submarines, were blessed with a talented crop of players, who took the club to the pinnacle of Delhi football, winning the Delhi Football Association League four years in a row, from 1953 to 1956. They went on to win again in 1958 and 1959. This was the most successful decade in the club’s history and the team competed in various renowned competitions such as the IFA Shield, Rovers Cup, DCM and Durand Cup. Unfortunately, after that the Heroes failed to achieve anything of note, but were the first-ever club to qualify for the Federation Cup from Delhi.
In May, 2007, one of India’s leading Sports and Entertainment companies – IOS India – acquired the New Delhi Heroes. Thereafter, the club was restructured into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. The promoters then ambitiously courted and signed Chima Okorie, arguably the best foreigner to have played in India, to coach the first team squad. IOS also partnered with Osian’s for the club’s principal sponsorship. After the takeover, fortunes of the club changed drastically and The Heroes went on to capture the Delhi League. The club also went on to acquire the second division license of the I-League, becoming the only club from Delhi to do so.
After the painful disbanding of Mahindra United, which was the only club from Mumbai to win the Durand Cup, at the end of the 2009-10 season, there were reports that the New Delhi Heroes will not participate in any AIFF-affiliated tournaments in 2011 and would disband. The story couldn’t be confirmed and the storm soon died down. Then the unthinkable happened – JCT, the flag-bearers of North Indian football, suddenly closed down their senior team after getting relegation from the I-League first division. The Ludhiana-based outfit cited lack of return on investment, inadequate coverage, close to negligible support as the primary reason for taking this drastic step. The football fans in India were shocked, and couldn’t help but feel guilty for their lack of support to Indian football.
The fall of JCT and the absence of another club with a pan-India presence left a huge gulf in North India, in terms of football. We, at TheHardTackle, felt that there was no club which could fill the void left by JCT, but there was one club which could rise again to carry forward the legacy, but we hadn’t heard about them for sometime. To clarify our doubts and put all our fears to rest, we contacted the promoters of New Delhi Heroes for an interview, and they gracefully obliged.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.thehardtackle.com/index.php/new-delhi-heroes-the-forgotten-football-club-of-india/">http://www.thehardtackle.com/index.php/ ... -of-india/</a><!-- m -->
In May, 2007, one of India’s leading Sports and Entertainment companies – IOS India – acquired the New Delhi Heroes. Thereafter, the club was restructured into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. The promoters then ambitiously courted and signed Chima Okorie, arguably the best foreigner to have played in India, to coach the first team squad. IOS also partnered with Osian’s for the club’s principal sponsorship. After the takeover, fortunes of the club changed drastically and The Heroes went on to capture the Delhi League. The club also went on to acquire the second division license of the I-League, becoming the only club from Delhi to do so.
After the painful disbanding of Mahindra United, which was the only club from Mumbai to win the Durand Cup, at the end of the 2009-10 season, there were reports that the New Delhi Heroes will not participate in any AIFF-affiliated tournaments in 2011 and would disband. The story couldn’t be confirmed and the storm soon died down. Then the unthinkable happened – JCT, the flag-bearers of North Indian football, suddenly closed down their senior team after getting relegation from the I-League first division. The Ludhiana-based outfit cited lack of return on investment, inadequate coverage, close to negligible support as the primary reason for taking this drastic step. The football fans in India were shocked, and couldn’t help but feel guilty for their lack of support to Indian football.
The fall of JCT and the absence of another club with a pan-India presence left a huge gulf in North India, in terms of football. We, at TheHardTackle, felt that there was no club which could fill the void left by JCT, but there was one club which could rise again to carry forward the legacy, but we hadn’t heard about them for sometime. To clarify our doubts and put all our fears to rest, we contacted the promoters of New Delhi Heroes for an interview, and they gracefully obliged.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.thehardtackle.com/index.php/new-delhi-heroes-the-forgotten-football-club-of-india/">http://www.thehardtackle.com/index.php/ ... -of-india/</a><!-- m -->
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