Wikipedia - Aizawl FC

Aizawl Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Aizawl, Mizoram. The club competes in I-League, the second tier of Indian football league system. Founded in 1984, Aizawl earned entry in I-League in 2015–16 season, after winning the 2015 I-League 2.

Nicknamed "the people's club", it became first club from the Northeast to win a top flight Indian football league. They also participate in Mizoram Premier League. Aizawl also went on to compete in continental stages, while the club appeared in 2017 edition of AFC Cup.

History

Aizawl FC was founded in 1984 in Aizawl, the capital of the Indian state of Mizoram and have since participated in various amateur tournaments. The club is affiliated with Mizoram Football Association (MFA) and is under the ownership of Robert Romawia Royte.

In January 2012, they were officially certified by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to participate in the I-League 2nd Division, then second tier of football league system in the country. This move would begin a new chapter for Aizawl Football Club as they would officially become professional.

Jahar Das managed Aizawl in 2016, helped the team reaching Federation Cup final in that season.
Aizawl (in red) and Mohun Bagan line-up at the 2015–16 Indian Federation Cup final

In September 2012, they participated in 2012 Indian Federation Cup qualifiers. Finally, the team qualified for I-League 2nd Division after its second attempt. In 2013, Aizawl reached the final of Bordoloi Trophy, but lost 1–0 to Bhawanipore. In 2015, they won the 2015 I-League 2nd Division, defeating Chanmari 4–2 in the final match. Thus they granted permission to participate in India's top-tier football tournament I-League in 2015–16 season, the first team from Mizoram to do so. Later Jahar Das was appointed head coach, and the club achieved runners-up position at the 2015–16 Indian Federation Cup.

Khalid Jamil, Aizawl's 2016–17 I-League winning manager.
Aizawl players lining up (in red) during the 2016–17 Indian Federation Cup match against Bengaluru.

On 20 December 2016, Khalid Jamil was announced as the head coach of the first team for 2016–17 I-League. On 30 April 2017, Aizawl won the 2016–17 I-League, topping the league table with 37 points from 18 games. Aizawl became the first team from the north-east to win the top flight of Indian football. In the 2017–18 I-League season, Aizawl finished the league on the 5th position, garnering 24 points from 18 games. Aizawl has also participated in the 2018 Indian Super Cup and reached the quarter-finals. In January 2019, Aizawl announced Stanley Rozario as their new head coach, and ended their 2018–19 I-League season on the 7th spot on the table, with 24 points from 20 games. In the next season, Aizawl garnered 16 points from 15 games, with 5 games left in hand. On 18 April 2020, the All India Football Federation, the organising body of the league announced the cancellation of the remaining matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The club [Aizawl FC] always wants to promote the players of the state of Mizoram and players from the academy, which is fantastic and which I also strongly believe in. They are the factory of Mizoram football. I am really blessed to be working with such a bunch of talented youngsters. It is a young squad and for them to be performing under this pressure, at this age, is a great experience that many people do not get. It's not easy for these youngsters to cope with but I think they've been doing a good job and I am really happy to be part of Aizawl FC.

— Head coach Yan Law, on Aizawl FC's impact in Indian football.
Aizawl player (in white), in action against Rajasthan United on a matchday of I-League, at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in March 2022.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, 2020–21 I-League season's format was shortened. All teams faced each other once in the first leg of the league. The league was then divided into two different groups. According to points table from first leg, top six teams faced each other once again in the Championship stage. The rest of the five teams played against each other in the Relegation stage. Aizawl ended the first phase of the season at the 7th position, with 15 points from 10 games. They couldn't qualify for the Championship stage, and hence were put in the Relegation stage, in which they topped the stage with 24 points from 14 games. For the 2021–22 I-League, Aizawl roped in Yan Law as their new head coach and finished the season on eighth place in league table. In April 2023, the club earned qualification to 2023 Indian Super Cup after winning play-off matches. Aizawl began group stage campaign on 9 April, against Hyderabad, in which Belarusian Ivan Veras scored a goal in their 2–1 defeat.