Founded | 2010 as AIFF XI |
---|---|
Dissolved | 2013 |
Ground | Salt Lake Stadium |
Capacity | 120,000 |
Chairman | All India Football Federation |
2012–13 | I-League, 12th |
Pailan Arrows was an Indian football club located in Kolkata, West Bengal that compete in the I-League. The club was formed with the main goal of nurturing young Indian football talents in the hope of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Pailan Arrows was founded as the AIFF XI in 2010 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 2010 against JCT FC in the Federation Cup, 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.