Mumbai Kenkre FC
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| Full name | Mumbai Kenkre Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Mumbaikars | |||
| Founded | 13 January 2000 | |||
| Ground | Cooperage Ground | |||
| Capacity | 5,000 | |||
| Owner | Adib Krishna Sinai Kenkre | |||
| Head coach | Akhil Kothari | |||
| League | ||||
| 2022–23 | I-League, 11th of 12 (relegated) | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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| Departments of Kenkre FC | |
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| Football (Men's) | Football (Women's) |
Mumbai Kenkre Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. The club currently competes in the I-League 2, the third division of the Indian football league system. Founded in 2000 as Kenkre FC, the club usually competes in MFA Elite Division of Mumbai Football League. Nicknamed "Mumbaikars", they previously participated in I-League, then highest division of the Indian football league system.
Mumbai Kenkre was relegated into I-League 2 at the end of the 2022–23 I-League season. They previously enjoyed consecutive spells in the I-League 2nd Division.
History
Formation and journey
The club was founded on 13 January 2000 as Kenkre Academy FC, under the patronage of former footballer and coach Adib Kenkre, and CEO Joshua Lewis.
When we first started this club, the players themselves contributed Rs. 100 each. With that, we were able to buy our half-time refreshments, and we paid for a train pass for those who couldn't afford it. While it feels surreal to think that we're actually going to play in the I-League, it's something we've worked extremely hard for. This academy [Kenkre FC academy] and club are all his doing. He [Adib Kenkre] could've easily given up and shut shop like the many clubs in Mumbai, but his perseverance is tremendous. This club is going to be in the top divisions of India football for a long time, now that it has finally entered the door.
— Joshua Lewis (CEO of Kenkre), on club's early days and journey towards I-League.
Kenkre FC were crowned champions of the Maharashtra Football League in 2010 for the first time in the club's history, after defeating Bengal Mumbai 3–0, thanks to goals from Nigerian striker Mathew Odje, Francisco Salin and Charanjeet Singh. After achieving this result, Kenkre FC were granted admission into the I-League 2nd Division, then second-tier of Indian football.
In March 2013, ahead of the I-League Second Division kickoff, Kenkre roped in Portuguese manager Jose Luis Lopes Da Costa as head coach and brought three of their first foreigners, Portuguese Rodilson Felisberto Fernandes Dias, Domingo De Jesus Gomes, Bruno Daniel Alciaes, and Australian Daniel Atkins.
2020–present
In December 2021, the AIFF club licensing committee has unanimously decided to not grant the exemption sought by former I-League champion Chennai City FC, after having failed to receive the ICLS licence. As a result, Kenkre replaced them in the 2021–22 I-League. In June 2021, Akhil Kothari, India's youngest AFC A license holder, as new head coach of Kenkre. The club began their league journey on 4 March 2022 against Real Kashmir with earning a historic point in the 1–1 draw. Kenkre finished bottom after the phrase 1 and was placed in relegation stage. They achieved 12 points and got relegated to the 2022–23 I-League 2nd Division.
After being relegated at the end of the season, Kenkre was reinstated on sympathetic grounds and allowed to participate in the 2022–23 I-League season. The club later participated in Baji Raut Cup in Odisha, in which they reached semi-finals. After struggling since beginning of the 2022–23 league season, Kenkre along with Sudeva Delhi, relegated from I-League.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | Hummel | Kenkre Sports Foundation |
Stadium
Cooperage Ground in Nariman Point, Mumbai, serves as the home ground of Kenkre. It has artificial turf and has a seating capacity of 5,000. The club qualified for the I-League in 2021, but due to COVID-19 pandemic in India, league format was shortened and matches were played in few centralised venues. As the league came back with home-away format, Kenkre played its first home match at the Cooperage Ground against Churchill Brothers on 24 November 2022.
In later years, the club used Neville D'Souza Turf in Bandra for Mumbai Premier League matches.
Personnel
Current technical staff
- As of 22 December 2022
| Role | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Akhil Kothari | |
| Assistant coach | Mangesh Desai | |
| Assistant coach | Sachin H.Narsappa | |
| Team manager | Vishal Patel | |
| Team doctor | Sanket Thakkar | |
| Kit manager | Allwyn Madurai |
Management
As of December 2022
| President | Adib Krishna Sinai Kenkre |
| Chief Executive Officer | Joshua K.Lewis |
| Team Photographer | Denzil Vitkar |
| Operations & Accreditions | Christopher Shriodkar |
| Logistics | Shouvik Das |
Managerial history
Head coaching record
- As of 14 November 2022
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Luís Lopes Costa | Portugal | 2015 | 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| Soibam Ekendra Singh | India | 2015 | 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| Akhil Kothari | India | 1 June 2021 | till date | 46 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 19 | 30 | 19.57 |
Honours
League
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I-League 2nd Division
- Runners-up (1): 2021
-
MFA Elite Division
- Champions (1): 2010
- Runners-up (1): 2019–20
Cup
-
Nadkarni Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2009
Notable players
Past and present internationals
- The players below had senior/youth international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players with listed names represented their countries before or after playing for Kenkre FC.
- Orok Essien (2011–2012)
- Young Chimodzi Jr. (2014–2015)
- Boubacar Keita (2011–2013)
- Tenzin Samdup (2021–)
- Anjan Bista (2023)
Other departments
Women's section
Kenkre has its women's team which played in the Indian Women's League, the top flight of Women's football league system organised by the All India Football Federation. They also participate in WIFA Women's Football League.
Honours
-
WIFA Women's Football League
- Champions (1): 2019–20
Youth (men's)
Since the inception of Kenkre, the club kept focus on nurturing youth talents and running academies. In Mumbai, the club built and runs eight academies with more than a thousand kids enrolled before the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Club's U17 team, which was managed by both Floyd Pinto and Akhil Kothari, previously participated in MSSA (Mumbai Schools Sports Association) tournaments.
Club's U-19 team participated in Maharashtra zone of 2014 I-League U19. The U17 team later took part in group stages of 2022–23 U-17 Youth Cup. The U19 team also participates in MDFA Super Division League. Club's U17 team has also competed in MFA Third Division league.