Samaleswari SC

Samaleswari Sporting
Full nameSamaleswari Sporting Club
NicknameThe Goddess's XI
Short nameSSC
Founded30 March 2006; 20 years ago (2006-03-30)
GroundBirsa Munda Athletic Stadium
Sambalpur FA Ground
Capacity15,000
9,000
OwnerJayanarayan Mishra
Head coachAbdul Azim Siddique
LeagueIndian Football League
2026–27TBA
Websitesambalpurfootballacademy.org

Samaleswari Sporting Club, also known as Samaleswari Sporting Odisha, is an Indian professional football club based in Sambalpur, Odisha. They participated in the 2025–26 I-League 3, the fourth tier of the Indian football league system. In the 2012 season, they participated in the I-League 2nd Division, the then second tier of football in India. The club has been confirmed to make its Indian Football League debut in the 2026–27 season, taking the place of Delhi FC.

History

Sambalpur Football Academy
Logo till 2026

The club was founded on 3 March 2006 at Pitapali located near Hirakud Reservoir, about 15 kms from the city of Sambalpur. The club's academy, known as Sambalpur Football Academy, was established on 22 November 2008. The academy was the initiative of the area's MLA Jayanarayan Mishra, Gouri Shankar Sahani and former Chief Minister Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo. Mishra serves as the Managing Trustee and Administrator of the academy. Samaleswari Sporting have played in state and regional level tournaments such as Churachand Singh Trophy, All-India knockout tournaments, Sambalpur Cup, and Biju Patnaik Memorial Trophy.

In January 2012, they were officially certified by the All India Football Federation to participate in the I-League 2nd Division, marking its official transition to professionalism. Samaleswari finished fifth in the group A and thus did not qualify for the next round. In the 2013 I-League 2nd Division, Samaleswari won once, drew once, and lost six times, which saw them second-last in their group.

Samaleswari played their first match in the 135th Durand Cup on 26 July, against Indian Army FC, under lights at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. On 2 August 2026, they pulled off a historic upset against Mohammedan SC in the same tournament, beating the Indian Super League side 3-2.

Players

First-team squad

As of October 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  IND Aaryan Saroha
3 DF  LBR Jamal Arago
4 DF  IND Kartik Choudhury
7 FW  IND Lalthanmawia Renthlei
8 MF  IND Bekey Oram
9 FW  USA Veer Joshi
10 FW  IND Sahil Harijan
11 FW  IND Ankith P.
13 GK  IND Md. Rafique Ali Sardar
14 MF  IND Jayesh Rane
18 DF  IND Shahid Nazir
20 MF  GHA Kamal Issah
21 MF  IND Sukham Yoihenba Meitei
23 MF  IND Basit Ahmed Bhat (captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 DF  IND Lalhmangaihsanga
26 FW  IND Ishan Pandita
30 FW  ARG Jorge Pereyra Díaz
32 MF  IND Amarjit Singh Kiyam
34 MF  IND Sahil Murmu
45 DF  IND Tankadhar Bag
47 DF  IND Raunak Nagul
60 FW  IND Roshan Panna
66 FW  IND Fredy Chawngthansanga
91 DF  IND Calvin Baretto
94 DF  MAR Mohammed El Jaaouani

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player

Honours

Regional

  • All-India Knock-out Football Tournament
    • Winners: 2012
  • Sambalpur Cup
    • Runners-up: 2011
  • Biju Patnaik Memorial Trophy
    • Runners-up: 2011

References

  1. ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/ifl-set-for-oct-30-kick-off-dempo-make-another-bid-for-top-spot/articleshow/133938495.cms
  2. ↑ Chaudhuri, Arunava (5 March 2013). "Mumbai's Kenkre FC name squad for 2nd Division I-League". sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  3. 1 2 "5 city teams in the 2nd Division". Calcutta Telegraph. 2 January 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "SAMALESWARI SPORTING". AIFF.
  5. ↑ "Silent soccer revolution taking place in Sambalpur". The Hindu. 30 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Bend it like an Orissa MLA". The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "Brothers win 5-0 - Poor show by Sambalpur Football Academy medios". The Telegraph. 14 December 2008.
  8. ↑ "Samaleswari outs Ludhiana SC". Orisports. 27 February 2009.
  9. ↑ "Oram hero in Samleswari victory". Orisports. 1 March 2009.
  10. ↑ "Jammu & Kashmir Bank FC lift Sambalpur Cup". Orisports. 18 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "BFC beat Samaleswari to lift Biju memorial football trophy". Orisports. 21 February 2011.
  12. ↑ "FAO XI emerge Tata Utkalika Cup champions". Orisports. 8 March 2018.
  13. ↑ Staff (29 July 2026). "The Goddess's XI: How Samaleswari Sporting found its way to Asia's oldest football tournament". Durand Cup.
  14. ↑ Bureau, Sports (2 August 2026). "Durand Cup: Samaleswari stuns Mohammedan SC". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 August 2026. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ↑ "Samaleswari Sporting emerge champions". Orisports. 4 March 2011.
  16. ↑ "BFC beat Samaleswari to lift Biju memorial football trophy". Orisports. 21 February 2011.