{{Short description|Pakistani football club}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = PAF F.C. | image = PakAFC.png | upright = 0.6 | fullname = Pakistan Air Force Football Club | nickname = | short name = PAF | founded = {{Start date and age|1947}} | ground = PAF Complex | capacity = 2,000 | coordinates = | owntitle = | owner = Pakistan Air Force | chrtitle = Chairman | chairman = AM Asim Suleman | mgrtitle = Manager | manager = Salman Chaudhry | league = | season = | kit_alt1 = | pattern_la1 = _mvfc_left_arm_2013 | pattern_b1 = _lightblue_vertical | pattern_ra1 = _mvfc_left_arm_2013 | pattern_sh1 = _lightblue stripes | pattern_so1 = _3_sky_stripes | leftarm1 = FFFFFF | body1 = FFFFFF | rightarm1 = FFFFFF | shorts1 = FFFFFF | socks1 = FFFFFF | kit_alt2 = | pattern_la2 = _ whiteshoulders | pattern_b2 = _ whiteshoulders | pattern_ra2 = _ whiteshoulders | pattern_sh2 = _whitesides | pattern_so2 = _whitetop | leftarm2 = 1D2E5F | body2 = 1D2E5F | rightarm2 = 1D2E5F | shorts2 = 1D2E5F | socks2 = 1D2E5F | current = | website = }}
'''Pakistan Air Force Football Club''', abbreviated as '''PAF FC''', serves as the football section of Pakistan Air Force. The club used to compete in the National Football Championship and Pakistan Premier League. It regularly participates in the National Football Challenge Cup.
== History ==
=== Early years (1947–1970s) === Pakistan Air Force football team was established in 1947, shortly after the Partition of British India, and the consequent partition of the British Indian military forces. Members serving in the Royal Indian Air Force both as employees and players, such as Moideen Kutty, immediately became part of the newly established Pakistan Air Force and their sport teams.<ref name=":33">{{Cite web |date=2023-06-20 |title=Remembering Moideen Kutty, the 'iron man' from Kerala who captained Pakistan football team |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/remembering-moideen-kutty-the-iron-man-from-kerala-who-captained-pakistan-football-team-8675157/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620124253/https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/remembering-moideen-kutty-the-iron-man-from-kerala-who-captained-pakistan-football-team-8675157/ |archive-date=20 June 2023 |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> In their early years, from 1947 till 1956, the football team was named as Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Thursday 19 February 1948 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19480219/107/0006 |website=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 07 May 1948 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19480507/141/0008 |website=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Monday 01 May 1950 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19500501/095/0005 |website=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref>
In the 1950s, Pakistan Air Force played the Inter-Services Football Championship at the domestic level in Pakistan.<ref name=":1242">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 20 September 1958 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19580920/150/0010 |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref name=":127">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 04 January 1959 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19590104/176/0010 |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref name=":124">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 20 September 1958 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19580920/150/0010 |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref name=":122">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Wednesday 12 October 1960 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19601012/203/0008 |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref name=":123">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Monday 17 October 1960 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19601017/128/0006 |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> In August 1960, PAF won the fifth Ismail Gold Shield Football Tournament, which featured guest teams from India and Iran.<ref name=":126">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 03 September 1960 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19600903/171/0008 |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref name=":125">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 26 August 1960 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19600826/183/0008 |access-date=2024-05-22 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref> In 1961, PAF played a friendly game against the Iranian club Shahin F.C., with PAF international forward Faqir Hussain scoring all 4 goals for his team in a match which ended in a 6–4 defeat.<ref>Special Edition: Thirty years of History of Persepolis Soccer Club: From Shahin til Pirouzi, Kayhan Publishing.</ref> [[File:Victoria_Sporting_Club_vs_Pakistan_Air_Force,_1963.jpg|left|thumb|Victoria SC and Pakistan Air Force during the 1963 All-Pakistan Mohammad Ali Bogra Memorial Tournament final pictured with Ayub Khan]] In 1963, the club were runners-up in the All-Pakistan Mohammad Ali Bogra Memorial Football Tournament, losing 1–3 to Victoria SC in the final held in Rawalpindi.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19630702/180/0010|access-date=20 June 2024|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 02 July 1963|page=10|via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref>
=== Early success and continental debut (1980s–1990s) === In the 1981 National Football Championship, it finished as runner-up, losing to Pakistan Airlines in the final.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Pakistan - List of Champions |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/pakichamp.html |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref>
Pakistan Air Force clinched gold in the first edition of football when it was introduced in the National Games of Pakistan.
Their first National Football Championship title came in 1986, defeating Pakistan Airlines in the final.<ref name=":0" /> Consequently, at the 1987 Asian Club Championship qualifying round in Dhaka from 8 till 16 June 1987, the team was placed in a group stage with winning sides from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Iraq. India's Mohun Bagan outplayed PAF 4–1. With 3–0 lead at interval, the margin widened by another goal in the second half. PAF's only goal came in the second half from Abdul Rahman.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pakistan_Year_Book/P9NFAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22The+7th+Asian+Clubs+Football+(+Group+-+four+)+Championships+were+held+at+Dhaka%22&dq=%22The+7th+Asian+Clubs+Football+(+Group+-+four+)+Championships+were+held+at+Dhaka%22&printsec=frontcover |title=Pakistan Year Book |date=1987 |publisher=East & West Publishing Company |pages=130 |language=en}}</ref> Nepal's Manag Marshyangdi trounced PAF 4–1. The lone goal for PAF was scored by Abdul Shakoor.<ref name=":1" /> The Iraqi Club Al-Rasheed defeated PAF by 10–0 . This was the third defeat in a row for the PAF, thus the team failed to qualify for the final round of the Asian Clubs Championship.<ref name=":1" />
=== Pakistan Premier League era: 2008–2019 === They were promoted to the Pakistan Premier League from the PFF League after finishing second to Baloch Nushki in the 2007–08 season.
At the end of 2013 after the appointment of coach Shahzad Anwar, Air Force ended up in fourth position in the 2013–14 Pakistan Premier League season,<ref>{{Cite web |title=A flawed league {{!}} Sports {{!}} thenews.com.pk |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/555778-flawed-league |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref> and ended up champions in the 2014 National Football Challenge Cup.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Good, but not good enough {{!}} Sports {{!}} thenews.com.pk |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/556112-good-good-enough |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>
It won the 2018 National Challenge Cup, after defeating WAPDA 2–1 in the finals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/238892/paf-clinch-national-challenge-cup-title/ |title=PAF clinch National Challenge Cup title |date=May 12, 2018 |website=Daily Times |access-date=August 28, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1406898 |title=PAF clinch Challenge Cup title |date=May 11, 2018 |website=DAWN |access-date=August 28, 2018}}</ref>
=== 2023–present === Following the domestic football revamp in the country in 2023, departmental clubs including Air Force remained competing in the National Football Challenge Cup.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wasim |first=Umaid |date=2023-01-25 |title=Domestic football returns as Challenge Cup kicks off |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1733459 |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PFF National Challenge Cup kicks off today |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1033655-pff-national-challenge-cup-kicks-off-today |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>
== Performance in AFC competitions == {{See|Pakistani football clubs in Asian competitions}}{{legend2|#CCFFCC|Win|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{legend2|#FFFFCC|Draw|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{legend2|#FFCCCC|Loss|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {| class="wikitable" !Season !Competition !Round !Club !First leg !Second leg !Aggregate |- | rowspan="4" |1987–88 | rowspan="4" |Asian Club Championship | rowspan="4" |Qualifying Stage | align="left" |{{flagicon|IND}} Mohun Bagan | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;" |1–4 |- | align="left" |{{flagicon|BAN}} Dhaka Mohammedan | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;" |1–3 |- | align="left" |{{flagicon|NEP}} Manang Marsyangdi | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC" |1–4 |- | align="left" |{{flagicon|IRQ}} Al Rasheed | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC" |0–10 |}
==Honours==
=== Domestic === * '''National Football Championship''' ** '''Winners (1)''': 1986 * '''National Challenge Cup''' ** '''Winners (2)''': 2014, 2018 *'''National Games''' ** '''Winners (2):''' 1982, 2025
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://globalsportsarchive.com/team/soccer/pakistan-air-force-fc/14166/ Pakistan Air Force FC] at Global Sports Archive
Category:Pakistan Air Force Category:Military football clubs in Pakistan Category:1947 establishments in Pakistan {{Pakistan Premier League}}