Rangdajied United
Full nameRangdajied United Football Club[1]
Short nameRUFC
Founded1987; 37 years ago (1987) (as Ar-Hima)
2012; 12 years ago (2012) (as Rangdajied United)
GroundJawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Capacity30,000
ChairmanKarsing Kurbah
Head coachSubir Dey
LeagueI-League 3
Meghalaya State League
Shillong Premier League
WebsiteClub website

Rangdajied United Football Club (formerly known as Ar-Hima) is an Indian professional football club based in Mawngap-Mawphlang, in the south-west of Shillong, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya.[2][3][4] The club was founded in 1987,[5][6][7] and participated in I-League 2nd Division.[8] They won the league in 2012–13 season.

Rangdajied was featured in the then top tier league in the country, I-league, during 2013–14 season.[9][10][11] The club consecutively participates in Shillong Premier League, the top tier state football league in Meghalaya.[12][13]

Name

The club was formerly known as "Ar-Hima",[14][15][16][17] that literally means 'The Two Kingdoms'. During the 2012–13 season,[18] the club has changed its name to Rangdajied United FC.[19][20]

"Rangdajied" in the Khasi language is an expression which signifies a brave, courageous, patriotic man at the prime of his youth.[19]

History

Rangdajied United was founded in 1987 as Ar-Hima.[21][22] The club has participated in various editions of the Shillong Premier League and enjoyed massive rivalries with their fellow Shillong based clubs Shillong Lajong and Royal Wahingdoh.[23]

The club has participated in the 2013 I-League 2nd Division and qualified for the main round.[24][25][26] Having won the 2013 I-League 2nd Division final round held at Bangalore,[27] Rangdajied qualified for the I-League.[28][29] On 20 November 2013, Rangdajied agreed the signings of India national team stars Gouramangi Singh, Subrata Pal, Sandesh Jhingan, Manandeep Singh, and Tomba Singh,[30][20] and competed in the 2013–14 season.[31][32][33][34][35] They finished as 11th in the league table with 25 points in 24 matches. In the following season Rangdajied was evicted from I-League for not fulfilling the Asian Football Confederation's club licensing criteria.[36][37][38][39]

After clinching the 2013 edition of Shillong Premier League, Rangdajied finished as runners-up in 2016 season.[40] In 2015–16 season, the club was managed by Khlain Pyrkhat Syiemlieh, who cleared the AFC A licence at that time.[41] Rangdajied then became a regular participant in Meghalaya State League, formed in 2017.[42][43][44] Later in 2019 season, they again achieved runners-up position, gaining 22 points in 12 matches.[45] The club finished as runners-up in second edition of the Meghalaya State League.[46] In June 2023, Rangdajied clinched their first ever Meghalaya State League title, defeating Khliehmawlieh YC in final.[47][48][49] In November of the same year, the club returned in nationwide league, joining newly formed I-League 3.[50] Later on 10 November, club CEO Andrew Suting officially announced Meghalaya Tourism as main sponsor, stating "The support from Meghalaya Tourism will undoubtedly contribute to the growth and development of the football club while simultaneously drawing attention to the treasures of the state."[50]

In August 2023, Rangdajied United gained I-League 3 spot to compete in the inaugural edition.[51][52][53] They began league campaign on 13 November in Goa, thrashing Millat FC 5–0 in Group C.[54]

Sponsorship

Rangdajied United was sponsored by Italian athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer Diadora.[55][56] It was the first Indian soccer club to be sponsored by Diadora.[55]

They also had Football Solutions, a New Delhi based Football Consultancy Firm as a sponsor.[57]

Period Kit manufacturers Shirt sponsor
2012–2014 Diadora[55] Football Solutions[57]
2023–present Puma[50] Meghalaya Tourism[58]

Rivalries

Shillong Derby

In I-League, there were consecutive promotions and relegations of Meghalayan teams Rangdajied United (2013–14 I-League), Royal Wahingdoh (2014–15 I-League) and Shillong Lajong (2018–19 I-League).[59][60][61] During the both domestic and regional leagues, Rangdajied played against both Shillong Lajong and Royal Wahingdoh respectively in the "Shillong Derby".[62][63][64]

The first match of the derby in I-League to be played was on 22 November 2013 between Shillong Lajong and Rangdajied United that ended in a 1–1 draw. Both the rivalries continued thereafter in Shillong Premier League for a brief period until the teams were dissolved.[65]

Home stadium

Main article: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong

Rangdajied United plays all their home games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong,[63][66][67][68] which has a capacity of approximately 30,000 spectators.[69][70] It has artificial turf.[71]

Notable players

For all current and former notable players of Rangdajied United with a Wikipedia article, see Rangdajied United FC players.

Past internationals

Honours

Domestic leagues

Other departments

Rangdajied United youth

The club also operates youth age-group teams and academies, alongside participating in regional championships.

Honours

See also

References

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Further reading

Bibliography

Other sources

External links

I-League
I-League 2
I-League 3
Football in Meghalaya
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