Pakistan Railways FC serves as the football section of Pakistan Railways, a state-owned railway company. Based in Lahore, the club play at the Railway Stadium.[1] Nicknamed the Railwaymen, they are one of the oldest football clubs in Pakistan and were created by Pakistan Railway workers. The club used to compete in the National Football Championship and Pakistan Premier League. The club regularly participates in the PFF National Challenge Cup.
 Pakistan Railways FC logo | |||
| Full name | Pakistan Railways Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Railwaymen | ||
| Short name | PRFC | ||
| Founded | 1950 | ||
| Ground | Railway Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Owner | Pakistan Railways | ||
| Chairman | Javaid Anwar Bobak | ||
| Head coach | Muhammad Rasheed | ||
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History
editEarly years
edit
Founded in 1950 by workers of the Pakistan Railways, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Pakistan.[2] In the 1953 National Football Championship, it finished runner-up after falling to Punjab Blue in the final. In the 1956 season of the National Football Championship, the club entered as Railway White, again finishing as runner-up after losing against Balochistan.[3] Two years later, the club lost against Punjab Blue. Between 1963 and 1966, the club finished as runner-up three seasons consecutively, losing against Karachi in all the finals. In 1963, the club won its first title after winning the Aga Khan Gold Cup.[4] In 1969, they beat Karachi to win the first of their two National Football Championship titles.[3] The second was in 1984, when they pushed WAPDA into second.[5]
Pakistan Premier League era: 2006–2015
editAfter the revamp in Pakistani football and the discontinuation of the National Football Championship, the club competed in the second-tier, winning the 2005–06 PFF National League, returning to the top flight. They were relegated from Pakistan Premier League after two years in the 2007–08 Pakistan Premier League. Chaudhary Asghar was Pakistan Railways football coach till that time. The coaching was then passed to Muhammad Rasheed, the ex-national player and Pakistan Railways legend who scored the only goal in the National Championship 1984 final.[6]
Railways again qualified to the top-tier by winning their departmental leg of the 2013 PFF League.[7] It remained in the top-tier until getting relegated again in the 2014–15 Pakistan Premier League.
2023–present
editFollowing the domestic football revamp in the country in 2023, departmental clubs including Railways remained competing in the PFF National Challenge Cup.[8][9]
Honours
editDomestic
editLeagues
edit- National Football Championship
- Winners (2): 1969, 1984[3]
- Football Federation League
Invitational
edit- Aga Khan Gold Cup
- Winners (1): 1963[4]
Notable players
editReferences
edit- ^ "Pakistan - Pakistan Railways - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
- ^ "Pakistan - Foundation Dates of Clubs". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ a b c Ali Wahidi, Syed Akber (March 17, 2016). "Pakistan – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Tom Lewis; Neil Morrison; Novan Herfiyana; Karel Stokkermans (2003). "Aga Khan Gold Cup (Dhaka, Bangladesh)". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Pakistan 1984". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ "Railways hold Airmen 0-0 in PFF league". Brecorder. 2009-01-01. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2013-12-22). "Railways, Baloch FC Quetta promoted to PPFL". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ Wasim, Umaid (2023-01-25). "Domestic football returns as Challenge Cup kicks off". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
- ^ "PFF National Challenge Cup kicks off today". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
External links
edit- Pakistan Railways FC at Global Sports Archive
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