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Former India champions JCT are set to revive their senior football team after three years and plan to make their return by entering the 2015 I-League second division.
JCT won the inaugural National Football League in 1996-97 but after 15 straight seasons in the top flight they were relegated in 2011 and the management decided to dissolve their senior football team.
The club’s youth teams continued to function but on Saturday, JCT Limited chairman Sameer Thapa confirmed their return to Indian football.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce that we have decided to bring back our football team. We had formed this team in 1971 but for some reasons we had to dismantle it three years back. I am really happy to announce the formation of the team again. Very soon we will get some good players and make a strong team, which will begin its campaign in the second division,” Thapa was quoted saying by PTI.
The Punjab club has also entered a tie-up with India On Track, that runs the Arsenal Soccer Schools. In collaboration with India On Track, JCT will be starting a new academy in Hoshiarpur.
“We have also decided to establish a football academy in collaboration with Arsenal Soccer School and 'India On Track’. We will take technical help from Arsenal Soccer School and India On Track to make it a professional team.
“In our academy, we will initially induct 50 players from Punjab in the age group of 10 to 16. We will also focus on their studies. The academy will come up at JCT Complex in Hoshiarpur.
"We have an international standard football ground along with good facilities to lodge players. We also have a school till eighth class there. The training will be free of cost for the players,” he concluded.
