Real Kashmir FC

Real Kashmir Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir that competes in the I-League, the second tier of Indian football. Real Kashmir is the first club from Kashmir to compete in any top flight competition or highest tier football league in the country.
History.
Formation as a club.
The seeds of Real Kashmir FC were sowed in 2014 after devastating floods swept through the region causing massive loss of life and property. To keep the youth, who had lost much during the floods -- engaged, Shamim Mehraj, editor of a local newspaper named "Kashmir Monitor", and Sandeep Chattoo, a local businessman, came together to arrange footballers.
What began as a community outreach programme garnered massive support from the local populace and it soon started evolving into something more. Real Kashmir FC as a club, formalised in 2016 and affiliated with Jammu & Kashmir Football Association under the tireless efforts by Chattoo, currently the owner of the club. Founded in 2016, Real Kashmir FC emerged as the first ever top flight professional football club in Jammu and Kashmir, the most militarized zone on Earth.
Participation in tournaments.
Shortly after its formation, the club participated in their first national competition in September 2016 when they competed in the 2016 Durand Cup. In July 2017, Real Kashmir became the first club from Jammu & Kashmir to play on foreign soil by playing 4 matches in Scotland. They have been participating in all four categories of the AIFF.
In May 2018, Real Kashmir FC earned promotion to the I-League by winning the 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division after defeating Hindustan FC in the final game of the season by a score of 3–2.
On 30 May 2018, Real Kashmir became champions of the I-League 2nd Division. This was only their second season at this level, after the club's inception in 2016, earning promotion to the I-League for the first time ahead of the 2018–19 season.
In August 2018, the Real Kashmir FC youth team travelled to Germany for pre-season training with one of the best football clubs in the world: Borussia Dortmund (BVB). The youth team visited the training centers where official BVB teams train. They also visited the famous BVB stadium Westfalenstadion.
On 19 December 2020, the "Snow Leopards", as they are fondly called, added another golden chapter in their short yet eventful history by winning the 123rd edition of the IFA Shield tournament, defeating George Telegraph in Kolkata. It is the first major domestic triumph since their inception in 2016.
For I-League 2021, they borrowed three players (Danish Farooq Bhat, Adnan Ayoub, Farhan Ganaie) from Jammu & Kashmir Bank Football Club. In the 2020–21 I-League, the club finished their campaign in fifth place (Play-off), accumulating 21 points with 5 wins in 15 matches.
Worldwide attention.
Real Kashmir have received international acclaim following their participation in a BBC Scotland documentary named "Return to Real Kashmir FC" that followed the team and their Scottish manager David Robertson, which won the 'Single Documentary' category at the British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) or BAFTA Film Awards Scotland.
Women's team.
In September 2020, Real Kashmir FC launched Women’s Development Programme named "She Power Programme" in collaboration with Delhi Public School (DPS) Srinagar for U-14 Women’s team and U-10 Soccer School girls team.
Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors.
On 22 October 2018, Adidas India announced its official partnership with Real Kashmir Football Club, the first football team from the Kashmir valley to qualify for the country's top tier I-League. Beginning with the 2018–2019 I-league season, Adidas became the official kit partner for the club. Also, beyond kit sponsorship, Adidas India aims at redefining the ‘Real’ Kashmir through the lens of sports and becoming a proponent of changing lives in Kashmir through football.
Stadium.
Real Kashmir FC are currently using 10,000 seater TRC Turf Ground as their home ground until the renovation of Bakshi Stadium.
In the 2019–20 I-League season, they might play their home matches at Bakshi Stadium, which is right now under construction.