Indian Arrows
Association football club in India
title: "Indian Arrows" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["indian-arrows", "football-clubs-in-india", "association-football-clubs-established-in-2010", "i-league-clubs", "2010-establishments-in-india", "2022-disestablishments-in-india", "india-national-football-team", "association-football-clubs-disestablished-in-2022", "defunct-football-clubs-in-india", "indian-women's-league-clubs", "indian-women's-league-2-clubs"] description: "Association football club in India" topic_path: "geography/india" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Arrows" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Association football club in India ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox football club"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| clubname | Indian Arrows |
| image | Indian Arrows.svg |
| upright | 0.7 |
| fullname | Indian Arrows football team |
| founded | |
| dissolved | |
| ground | Kalinga Stadium |
| capacity | 15,000 |
| owner | All India Football Federation |
| mgrtitle | Head coach |
| league | I-League (M) |
| IWL 2 (W) | |
| season | 2021–22 (M) |
| 2025–26 (W) | |
| position | I-League, 10th of 13 (M) |
| IWL 2, 2nd of 15 (W) | |
| pattern_la1 | _ind24h |
| pattern_b1 | _ind24h |
| pattern_ra1 | _ind24h |
| pattern_sh1 | _ind24h |
| leftarm1 | 0080FF |
| body1 | 0080FF |
| rightarm1 | 0080FF |
| shorts1 | 0080FF |
| socks1 | 0080FF |
| pattern_la2 | _ind24a |
| pattern_b2 | _ind24a |
| pattern_ra2 | _ind24a |
| pattern_sh2 | _ind24a |
| pattern_so2 | _ind24a |
| leftarm2 | FA5628 |
| body2 | FA5628 |
| rightarm2 | FA5628 |
| shorts2 | FA5628 |
| socks2 | FFFFFF |
| :: |
| clubname = Indian Arrows | image = Indian Arrows.svg | upright = 0.7 | fullname = Indian Arrows football team | nickname = | founded = | dissolved = | ground = Kalinga Stadium | capacity = 15,000 | owner = All India Football Federation | mgrtitle = Head coach | manager = | league = I-League (M) IWL 2 (W) | season = 2021–22 (M) 2025–26 (W) | position = I-League, 10th of 13 (M) IWL 2, 2nd of 15 (W) | current = | pattern_la1 = _ind24h | pattern_b1 = _ind24h | pattern_ra1 = _ind24h | pattern_sh1 = _ind24h | pattern_so1 = | leftarm1 = 0080FF | body1 = 0080FF | rightarm1 = 0080FF | shorts1 = 0080FF | socks1 = 0080FF | pattern_la2 = _ind24a | pattern_b2 = _ind24a | pattern_ra2 = _ind24a | pattern_sh2 = _ind24a | pattern_so2 = _ind24a | leftarm2 = FA5628 | body2 = FA5628 | rightarm2 = FA5628 | shorts2 = FA5628 | socks2 = FFFFFF
::data[format=table] | Departments of Indian Arrows | [[File:Football pictogram.svg|30px]] | [[File:Football pictogram.svg|30px]] | Football (Men's) | Football (Women's) | |---|---|---|---|---| ::
Indian Arrows (formerly known as Pailan Arrows) is an Indian developmental football team that competes in the Indian national football tiers. They competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, with a main goal of nurturing young Indian football talents.
After disbanding in 2013, the project was revived as Indian Arrows in 2017. In September 2022, the technical committee of the All India Football Federation decided to discontinue the participation of the Indian Arrows in the I-League because of the difficulty in fulfilling the AFC licensing criteria. Instead, it was decided to invest the funding in youth competitions such as Reliance Foundation Development League.
History
AIFF XI (2010–2011)
The AIFF XI was formed under the recommendation of then India head coach Bob Houghton and All India Football Federation president Praful Patel after Bob noticed that almost all the India U19 and India U23 players were on the bench during the I-League season and were never getting any game time. The club was originally slated to join the I-League 2nd Division but after the disbanding of Mahindra United the AIFF allowed AIFF XI into the I-League automatically. The club participated in their first competition in 2010 which was the Federation Cup and played their first ever professional match on 21 September against JCT FC, in which AIFF XI won 1–0 with Malsawmfela scoring the first goal in the team's history. The team finished third in the group in the end, missing out on going to the next round by four points. The club then participated in their first I-League match on 3 December 2010 against Chirag United in which the club lost 1–2 and with Lalrindika Ralte scoring the first goal for the club in the league. The club then earned their first points on 8 December 2010 against ONGC F.C. after drawing 1–1. On 11 January 2011 it was announced that AIFF XI would change their name to Indian Arrows which would take effect on 1 February 2011. Arrows finished the 2010–11 I-League season in 9th place.
Pailan Arrows (2011–2013)
2011–12 season
In the summer of 2011 they changed the name to Pailan Arrows, after the All India Football Federation reached an agreement with Pailan Group to sponsor the team. With the deal, Pailan Arrows were relocated to Kolkata and the Salt Lake Stadium. On 13 August, head coach Desmond Bulpin was sacked due to his "style of football", while Sukhwinder Singh was signed to take over. They also lost many of the stars of the previous season, Lalrindika Ralte, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Manandeep Singh and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. They again participated in the 2011 Indian Federation Cup, winning two matches and losing one, ending knocked out in the group stage. Pailan Arrows then began the next campaign against Mohun Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium on 23 October 2011. They lost 1–3 after Lalrozama Fanai gave them the early lead. On 7 February 2012 Sukhwinder Singh resigned as coach of Pailan Arrows for personal reasons. Pailan had not won a single match in the I-League and had only managed eight draws in 17 matches. Assistant coach Sujit Chakravarty took over the team for the remainder of the season.
2012–13 season
The All India Football Federation signed Australian Arthur Papas as the new head coach of the India U23 and Pailan Arrows on 24 May 2012. Papas came after coaching his former club Oakleigh Cannons FC to the 2011 Victorian Premier League runners-up title.
Disbanding
On 29 August 2013, it was announced that Pailan Arrows had been disbanded by the All India Football Federation as Pailan Group could not financially support the team.
Revival as Indian Arrows (2017–2022)
After successful hosting of 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, AIFF revived the project as Indian Arrows with the aim of giving regular game time to U–17 world cup players as a team, and fielded the team in 2017–18 I-League. They were immune from relegation. Despite being praised for their competitive showings in 2017–18 I-League season, they finished bottom of the league with 15 points from 18 games. In the 2018–19 I League, with six wins and three drews, the Arrows finished eighth in the table among 11 teams. They qualified for the 2019 Super Cup by defeating Kerala Blasters 2–0. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the 2019–20 season was cancelled after 16 matches and the Arrows were placed at the bottom. In the 2021–21 I League season, they were placed tenth in the league.
Disbanding
In September 2022, the AIFF executive committee accepted the recommendation of its new technical committee, to discontinue Indian Arrows because of the difficulty in fulfilling the AFC Licensing criteria. They also announced that the finances used for the Indian Arrows will be invested in creating a new Elite Youth League in the country.
Women
The Indian Arrows Women participated in the 2021–22 Indian Women's League, where they finished fifth. In February 2025, AIFF announced the Indian Arrows Women Juniors for the 2024–25 IWL 2.
Crest and colours
The club's colours were blue and white, just like the India national football team. During the first season Pailan Arrows started with a dark blue kit but eventually during the 2010–11 season the club started using a normal blue kit with black shorts. For the 2011–12 season Pailan used a dark blue jersey and a white kit with black or red socks.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
::data[format=table]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2010—2011 | Nike | None |
| 2011—2013 | POTO Potato Flakes | |
| 2017—2018 | None | |
| 2018—2022 | Six5Six | Hero |
| :: |
In October 2018, Government of Odisha signed Rs.50 million sponsorship deal with AIFF for the Arrows. The sponsorship deal will also cover India's under-15 football team. As part of the deal, the state government will host the Arrows and under-15 national team at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The deal also covers the two teams’ stay in Bhubaneswar, providing them with the ground facility as well as boarding/lodging during the I-league and off-season.
Stadium
For the 2010–11 I-League season the club played at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon, Haryana when they were originally due to play at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi but due to the pitch condition the club was moved to Gurgaon. After relocating to Kolkata the club started to play at the Salt Lake Stadium which is also home to East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Prayag United. In 2017–18, the team played in Goa and Delhi. In 2018–19, they used the Barabati Stadium and Kalinga Stadium. Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha were the last home base of the Indian Arrows before getting disbanded in September 2022.
Notable former players
For all former or notable Indian Arrows players with a Wikipedia article, see: Indian Arrows players.
Final staff
::data[format=table]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | IND Shanmugam Venkatesh |
| Team manager | IND Shalak Patade |
| Assistant coach | IND Mahesh Gawli |
| Goalkeeping coach | IND Abhijeet Mondal |
| Team analyst | IND Prashanth Murthy |
| Physiotherapist | IND Neeraj Churi |
| :: |
Team records
Overview
::data[format=table]
| Season | Division | Teams | Position | Attendance | Super Cup | Durand Cup | IFA Shield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | I-League | 14 | 8 | — | Group stage | DNP | DNP |
| 2011–12 | 14 | 13 | — | Group stage | DNP | DNP | |
| 2012–13 | 14 | 12 | — | Group stage | Group stage | DNP | |
| 2017–18 | 10 | 10 | — | Qualification round | DNP | DNP | |
| 2018–19 | 11 | 8 | — | Round of 16 | DNP | DNP | |
| 2019–20 | 11 | 11 | — | DNP | DNP | DNP | |
| 2020–21 | 11 | 11 | — | DNP | DNP | Group stage | |
| 2021–22 | 13 | 10 | — | DNP | DNP | Group stage | |
| :: |
Overall records
::data[format=table]
| Season | Division | Top scorer | Division | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | I-League | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 31 | 49 | IND Jeje Lalpekhlua | 13 | ||
| 2011–12 | 26 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 40 | IND Chinadorai Sabeeth | 9 | |||
| 2012–13 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 45 | 40 | IND Halicharan Narzary | ||||
| IND Milan Singh | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2017–18 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 24 | IND Abhijit Sarkar | 4 | |||
| 2018–19 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 19 | 28 | IND Rohit Danu | 4 | |||
| 2019–20 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 20 | IND Vikram Pratap Singh | 4 | |||
| 2020–21 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 31 | IND Harsh Patre | 3 | |||
| 2021–22 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 20 | IND Parthib Gogoi | 1 | |||
| :: |
Head coaching history
This is a full list of Indian Arrows's coaches and their records, from 2010 until they were disbanded in 2022.
Only competitive matches are counted. Wins, losses and draws are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shoot-outs are not counted.
::data[format=table]
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Bulpin | August 2010 | August 2011 | ||||||||
| Sukhwinder Singh | 15 August 2011 | 7 February 2012 | ||||||||
| Sujit Chakravarty | 8 February 2012 | 7 May 2012 | ||||||||
| Arthur Papas | 22 May 2012 | 28 May 2013 | ||||||||
| Sanjoy Sen | 20 July 2013 | 29 August 2013 | ||||||||
| Luís Norton de Matos | 17 August 2017 | 18 July 2018 | ||||||||
| Floyd Pinto | 25 July 2018 | 29 November 2019 | ||||||||
| Shanmugam Venkatesh | 29 November 2019 | April 2022 | ||||||||
| :: |
Women team records
Coaching staff
The coaching staff of the Indian Arrows Women Juniors for the 2024–25 Indian Women's League 2.
::data[format=table]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | SWE Joakim Alexandersson |
| Assistant coach | IND Nivetha Ramadoss |
| Goalkeeping coach | IND Hameed KK |
| :: |
Overall records
::data[format=table]
| Season | Division | Continental | Top scorer | Division | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Indian Women's League | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 9 | Not qualified | IND Apurna Narzary | |||||||||
| IND Priyangka Devi Naorem | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2024–25 | Indian Women's League 2 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 4 | Second division | IND Anushka Kumari | 6 | ||||||||
| :: |
References
References
- Mukherjee, Soham. (1 February 2019). "I-League 2018-19: Katsumi Yusa's brace helps NEROCA do the double over Indian Arrows". Goal.
- "IWL 2 Group Stage draw conducted, league to begin on March 28 {{!}} I-League".
- (20 July 2022). "Young Indian Goalkeepers Look to Make a Mark in SAFF U20 Championship". CNN News18.
- "Hero I-League 2021–2022 TABLE". FootballDatabase.
- Sharma, Siddharth. (17 April 2012). "Vital steps to improve the Indian U23 football team". Sportskeeda.
- (18 September 2022). "IM Vijayan chairs Technical Committee meeting in Kolkata". AIFF.
- Bali, Rahul. "Why Pailan Arrows isn't India's best bet for talent but the rest of the clubs are". goal.com.
- "I-League to start in November with 14 teams". Tha Indian.
- "Federation Cup results". Sam80dev3.
- Sengupta, Rahul. "Federation Cup: Group C Match Day Three – JCT Hold Dempo, ONGC Bow Out With A Win". goal.com.
- "Chirag United 2–1 AIFF XI". Soccerway.
- "AIFF XI open account in I-League". [[The Times of India]].
- "AIFF XI rechristened as Indian Arrows". Indian Express.
- (25 September 2017). "The Goa and Maha Derby: A thing past in I-League". Khel Now News.
- "I-League: Kolkata Based Pailan Group Are The New Sponsors Of Indian Arrows". Goal.com.
- "Football coach Desmond Bulpin sacked by AIFF". Zee News.
- (22 September 2011). "Salgaocar beat Pailan Arrows to enter Federation Cup semis". [[The Times of India]].
- lahiri, Debjit. "I-League: Pailan Arrows 1–3 Mohun Bagan AC – Odafa Okolie Hat-trick Powers A Second Half Bagan Rally". Goal.com.
- Bali, Rahul. "I-League: Sukhwinder Singh resigns from Pailan Arrows". Goal.com.
- Noronha, Anselm. "Chirag United Kerala 0–3 Pailan Arrows: CS Sabeeth's hat-trick sinks his former side into second division". Goal.com.
- Noronha, Anselm. "HAL Bangalore 1–2 Pailan Arrows: Allwyn scores late in his side's second successive win". Goal.com.
- "Arthur Papas to coach India U-23 football national team". DNA India.
- Bali, Rahul. "AIFF decide to shut down Pailan Arrows". Goal.com.
- "I-League: Arrows project to be reinstated this season | Goal.com".
- "How I-League clubs with an all-Indian squad have fared in the past! {{!}} Goal.com".
- "Kerala Blasters v Indian Arrows Match Report, 15/03/19, AIFF Super Cup {{!}} Goal.com".
- (Apr 18, 2020). "Remaining I-League matches cancelled in view of COVID-19 lockdown {{!}} Football News - Times of India".
- Mergulhao, Marcus. (27 September 2022). "AIFF set to ban foreign players from lower leagues".
- Mukherjee, Sayan. (27 September 2022). "Six foreigners recommended for matchday squads as I-League returns on Oct 29".
- (2022-09-21). "No Longer Part of I-League, Indian Arrows Players to Not Play Football Till January".
- "IWL 2 Group Stage draw conducted, league to begin on March 28".
- http://www.the-aiff.com/siteadmin/uploads/1285427823ONGC-%26-India-XI-match-in-Ludhiana-2.jpg Pailan vs. ONGC 2010
- link. (24 June 2016 Pailan vs Pune as Indian Arrows)
- http://footballkerala.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Pailan-Arrows-striker-CS-Sabeeth-dribbles-past-a-horde-of-Chirag-Kerala-defenders-500x275.jpg {{Webarchive. link. (13 May 2012 Pailan vs Chirag United 2011–12)
- http://www.chrispd.de/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/20111022-2-650x291.jpg {{Webarchive. link. (13 May 2015 Pailan in the white kit 2011–12)
- Zaidi, Waseem. (21 January 2022). "I-LEAGUE: Introducing shirt sponsors of every I-league club for 2021-22 season". Khel Now.
- (25 October 2018). "Odisha Government to sponsor I-league team Indian Arrows". Times of India.
- (11 January 2011). "Wedding reception at Ambedkar stadium spoils turf, forces AIFF XI to shift base to Gurgaon". Indian Express.
- "Pailan Arrows muff chances, settle for a draw". The All India Football Federation.
- (13 November 2018). "Odisha AIFF sign MoU for football development, state becomes home of Indian Arrows". Outlook India.
- "Indian Arrows Women Juniors battle-ready for IWL 2".
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