JCT F.C.
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| Full name | Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Mills FC |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Millmen |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Ground | Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana |
| Capacity | 22,000 |
| Chairman |
 Mr. Samir Thapar |
| Head Coach |
 Juanjo Royan
|
| Website | Club home page |
Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club, often abbreviated as JCT FC, founded in 1971, is an Indian professional football club based in Hoshiarpur, Punjab (India). They are sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills under the leadership of Mr. Samir Thapar and have emerged as one of the most successful Indian football clubs in recent years. They played in the national I-League and Punjab State Super League.
JCT FC had long been synonymous with football in Punjab and northern India. Like the other two institutional teams from the state, Border Security Force SC and FC Punjab Police, JCT have played a pivotal role in raising the standard of football in Punjab.
JCT have won many prestigious tournaments and brought laurels to the State of Punjab. They won the inaugural edition of the National Football League in 1996. The success of the outfit can be partly attributed to the fact that their owners, the Thapars, apart from being business moguls, are also keen followers of the game.
Jagatjit Cotton, Sahil Bagga and Textile Mills constituted the football club in 1971. However, the club got recognition from 1974 onwards when several players joined the club from the Leader Club of Jalandhar. Included among these players was Inder Singh, who had captained the Indian national team in previous years and won the Arjuna Award in 1969. The Leader Club, started by Lala Dwarka Das Sehgal had played a major role in popularizing football in Northern India in the 1960s and 1970s. Though the Leader Club is no more, JCT Mills have since taken the mantle and become the biggest and most successful football club in this part of India.
JCT Limited has been involved in the Punjab Football Association (PFA) for the last three decades. JCT won the inaugural NFL title in the 1996–1997 season. In January 2007, the JCT management decided to change the club name from JCT Mills FC to JCT FC.
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