Pune: DSK Shivajians Football Club is delighted to announce its entry into the I-League for the 2016 season. The club, founded in 1987, will be the sole representative from Pune in the premier football league of India.
DSK Shivajians Football Club, owned and operated by the diversified business conglomerate DSK Group, is based out of DSK Dream City in Pune which is spread over 300 acres and is a project which will house 9 professional sports academies and 36 disciplines of sport apart from being an integrated township having large commercial spaces and over 14,000 apartments. It’s a first of its kind township which ensures every aspect of life is given attention to.
The football club also spearheads the development of the football division of the DSK Dream City. DSK Shivajians will make its debut in the ninth season of the I-League, which commences on January 9, 2016 and will go on till May 2016. The Pune-based club will play their first match away in Goa against Sporting Club de Goa on 17th January 2016.
Mr. Shirish Kulkarni, President, DSK Shivajians FC said, “This is a proud moment for the DSK Group and DSK Shivajians Football Club as the club prepares to participate in the I-League. It marks the progression of the club over the period of time. To share the stage with some of the biggest names in Indian football will be a matter of great pride for everyone involved with the club.”
Ardeshir Jeejeebhoy, CEO, DSK Shivajians FC, said, “Our state-of-the-art infrastructure and our continued investment in our first team and academy finds us in a position where we are confident of taking the right steps towards establishing DSK Shivajians as one of the leading football clubs in India, with best practices both on and off the pitch.”
Derrick Pereira, Head Coach of DSK Shivajians Football Club said, “We are very excited to take our first steps into the I-League. We have made significant additions to the squad, with players with international pedigree and I-League experience joining the team. Our team has shown strong work ethic over the pre-season. The hard work and dedication shown by the players has been commendable. We hope that we can make Pune proud with an impressive outing.”
Over the past few years, DSK Shivajians have dominated various local and regional tournaments, winning competitions like PDFA League, Chittaranjan Gold Cup, President’s Cup, VOBA Cup, DSK Cup, and more. In 2014, to provide young footballers a platform to showcase and develop their talents, DSK Shivajians tied up with Liverpool FC to form Liverpool FC International Academy – DSK Shivajians at the DSK Dream City. The Academy provides a platform to budding footballers to showcase their talent while developing their skills.
