Shillong Lajong F.C.
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| Full name | Shillong Lajong Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Reds |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Ground | Nehru Stadium, Shillong, Meghalaya |
| Capacity | 30,000 |
| Owner | Shillong Lajong Pvt. Ltd. |
| Chairman | P.D. Sawyan |
| Manager | Thangboi Singto |
| League | I-League |
| 2015–16 | I-League, 6th |
| Website | Club home page |
Shillong Lajong Football Club is an Indian professional football club which is based in Shillong, Meghalaya, India and plays in the Indian I-League. The club was established in 1983 with the prime objective of improving the declining standard of football in the state, and to spot, train and nurture local talent. In the local Khasi language Lajong translates to "our own".
Headquartered in Shillong, Lajong has access to the largest student population in the North-East and hence the football talent right from a young age. Lajong is under professional management and has a strong fan base across the North-East, which is being actively developed. Shillong Lajong had an average attendance of 11,308 for the 2013–14 season of I-League.
During the finals of the Meghalaya Invitation Cup in 1982, two football enthusiasts Shri Kitdor Syiem and Shri P. D. Sawyan saddened by the continuous failure of the Shillong teams to make it to the final stages of the tournament formed a football club to reverse the trend.
Together with a group of friends and supporters, they commissioned a semi-professional club aptly called Lajong Football Club literally translating into "Our own" or "of the people".
In 1983, the club played in the 3rd Division of the Shillong Sports Association League and was the champion being then promoted to the 2nd Division and similarly the same year in 1984 was promoted to the First Division of the league. Things started to change rapidly after the title clash for the Shillong Championship was inevitably poised against the Blue Max FC another professionally organized club which later changed itself Langsning Sports Club of today. It was only in 1989 that Lajong FC finally annexed the championship for the first time.
In 1990, Lajong FC became the Meghalaya Invitation Cup champion beating Nabajyoti FC the Guwahati champions in the finals, seven years after its maiden entry.
In 2009, Lajong FC joined the I-League 2nd Division which is the second highest national league in India. After one season in the second division Lajong was promoted to the I-League, which is the highest league in India.
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