Sreenidi Deccan FC

Sreenidi Deccan Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh. Established on 1 January 2015 as a football academy, the club currently competes in the I-League. On 5 June 2020, All India Football Federation (AIFF) issued an invitation to accept bids for new clubs to join the I-League and on 12 August, Sreenidi Deccan FC were granted playing rights directly in 2021–22 I-League.

History

Formation and journey

Sreenidi football academy was founded in January 2015 in Aziznagar. It received the first accreditation from the AIFF in June 2019 and in its initial years the club played in the football leagues for the age groups of U13, U15 & U18.

On 5 June 2020, the AIFF issued an invitation to accept bids for new clubs to join the league, and on 12 August Sreenidi Deccan FC were granted playing rights directly in 2021–22 I-League. Sreenidi Deccan Football Club was formally launched on 7 July 2021 in Visakhapatnam by state sports minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao.

In 2021, they participated in the IFA Shield and reached the final, losing to Real Kashmir FC by 2–1 and finished as runners-up.

The club began its league campaign on 27 December against NEROCA with a 3–2 defeat. In the next game, they defeated TRAU by 3–1 with a brace from Colombian striker David Castaneda, and later lost 3–1 to Mohammedan Sporting. After finishing fourth in group stage with six wins in twelve matches, they moved to the championship stage. At the end, the club finished their maiden league campaign in third place with 32 points in 18 matches, and won the last match against Churchill Brothers on 14 May.