Samaleswari Sporting Club, also known as Samaleswari Sporting, is an Indian professional football club based in Sambalpur, Odisha.[1] In January 2012 it was announced that they were to participate in the 2012 I-League 2nd Division, the then second tier (currently 3rd tier) of football in India.[2]
 | ||
| Full name | Samaleswari Sporting Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 (as Sambalpur Football Academy) | |
| Ground | Kalinga Stadium Sambalpur FA Ground | |
| Capacity | 55,000 | |
| League | I-League 2nd Division | |
| 2013 | 8th, Group A Final Round: DNQ | |
History
The club was founded on November 22, 2008, as the Sambalpur Football Academy in order to invest in grassroots in the State and nurture talent in the academy. The academy is located 15 km from the town of Sambalpur and is established on a large 18-acre property very close to the Hirakud Dam.[3]
Playing at district tiers, Samaleswari Sporting have played in state and regional level tournaments such as Churachand Singh Trophy,[4] All-India Knock-out Football Tournament,[5][6] Sambalpur Cup,[7] Biju Patnaik Memorial Trophy[8] etc
In January 2012 they were officially certified by the All India Football Federation to participate in the I-League 2nd Division. This move would begin a new chapter for Samaleswari Sporting Club as they would officially become professional.[2] After the group stage Samaleswari finished fifth in group A and thus did not qualify for the next round. In the 2013 I-League 2nd Division, Samaleswari won once, drew once, and lost six times in eight matches, which saw them place second last in Group A.
Samaleswari Sporting last participated at the state level in the Utkalika Cup in 2018.[9] Since then they mostly participate in local tournaments and also operate as the football academy.
Honours
Regional
- All-India Knock-out Football Tournament
- Winners: 2012[10]
- Sambalpur Cup
- Runners-up: 2011
- Biju Patnaik Memorial Trophy
- Runners-up: 2011