The history of football in Mahindra & Mahindra goes back four and a half decades, i.e. 1962. The Mahindra & Mahindra & Allied Company Sports Club which started as a simple set up way back in 1950, has certainly come a long way – from a club with just a few games and a few amenities to an establishment running a professional team and offering high quality facilities, incentives and allowances.

The originators behind this concept were a few sports oriented members of the company, they received vital support initially from the late K C Mahindra & Late J C Mahindra and later on from Keshub Mahindra, Harish Mahindra and Suresh Mahindra, who were sports men in their own right. 

In 1956 inspired by the activities, a group of youngsters enrolled themselves as M&M official team in the Bombay football League and made every effort to reach the top of Bombay football. 

To further improve the standards the company provided a full size football field which has been used for practice and training. 

At this point of time with the football teams representing the company at tournaments in Bombay the need arose to structure the activities as a sports club as well as give it a positive direction thus a Sports club was formed in 1962. Since then the team has gone from strength to strength, getting into Bombay ’s Senior Division Harwood League in 1964.  Understandably they earned the sobriquet “ The Giant Killers”. 

As football developed in Maharashtra so did it in Mahindras.  In 1969 Mr. Harish Mahindra was elected Vice President of Western India Football Association (WIFA).  Mahindra & Mahindra Allied Sports Club then known as the Orange Brigade was one of the popular team in Maharashtra after strong teams like TATA’s, Mafatlal’s, Caltex, etc.  The late 80’s saw Mahindras emerge one of the most talented team in the country, teams like East Bengal , Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting went all out to recruit the talented Mahindra Players.  Mahindra’s were a potential threat to all the top teams in the Country.  International Players like P M Shivdas, C Mustafa, Jerry Bassi, Henry Menezes, Santosh Kashyap, Godfrey Pereira, turned out to represent Mahindra Football Team.

In the year 2000 Mahindra Football Team underwent a total revamp wherein the orange brigade turned red and Football turned to be the main sports in Mahindras.  The team was rechristened “MAHINDRA UNITED” under the leadership of Mr. Alan Durante – Executive Director & President of Automotive Sector and a committed support from the Chairman Keshub Mahindra and Managing Director and Vice Chairman Anand Mahindra set the ball rolling. 

Coaches like Raghavan, International Derek  Desouza, Harish Rao, World Cupper Karel Stromsik, English man David Booth, Dhornacharya Awardee Syed Nayeemuddin, have coached the team and brought laurels. 

In 2002 the management brought in Former Football International Henry Menezes as Manager of Mahindra United. 

The management designed an Activity Center with Gymnasium, dressing rooms and bathing facility. Players are put up at Players Quarters with mess facility maintained by the company close to the training ground. Swimming pool facility is also provided to the players.  

In the year 2003 Mahindra United recruited Coach David Booth from UK, who had a 5 yrs stint with Ghana, 3 and a Half years with Brunei National Team and 3 yrs with Myanmar National Team before signing to coach Mahindra United. The Team won The Mumbai League, Super Cup, Federation Cup which gave us an entry in the AFC CUP 2004 where Mahindra United were listed in the World Club Ranking and improved our rank from 166 to 152, the team was placed 3rd in the National Football League. Mahindra United created History by winning their First International tournament the President's Cup of Maldives (POMIS CUP).  

The team boasts of top international footballer’s like Khalid Jamil, Virendra Singh, , Jules Alberto Covan Lawrence (Salgoacars), Debjit Ghosh, Naseem Akhtar, I Surkumar Singh, R.P. Singh (all East Bengal), Abhisek Yadav, Jame Singh R.C. Prakash, Raman Vijayan Gouramangi Singh ( Mohun Bagan), , Tapan Ghosh. Sandip Nandy, Mahesh Gawali, K Koluthungan, I Surkumar Singh, S. Venkatesh, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Deepak Mondal, Subhash Charaborty (All from East Bengal) Dipendu Biswas and Khalid Siddique (Mohammedan Sporting), Jatin Bisht (Salgaocars), Debabatra Roy, (TFA), N S Manju (HAL)., K Ajayan ,Surajit Bose ,Steven Dias ,Sushanth Matew. 

Jose Marcio Barreto Ramires & Yusuf Yakubu are the best foreign recruits Mahindra United ever made. 

The year 2005 saw a young 43 yrs old Professional License Coach Derrick Pereira signing for Mahindra United and along with AFC ‘B’ Licencse Coach Santosh Kashyap and AFC ‘C’ license Coach Arshad Hussain straight away took the team to become the Federation Cup Champions. Mahindra United qualified for the AFC Cup 2006 and are in Group A with Bahrain , Lebanon and Bangladesh. 

Mahindra United of Mumbai is the only team in Maharashtra to win the Durand Cup twice, which is the second oldest trophy in the world. Mahindra United is also the first team in Maharashtra to win the Harwood League and the Nadkarni cup three times in a row.

Mahindra United has won the Harwood League Title 5 times in a row

Mahindra’s have inscribed its name on almost all the tournaments in the country

Honours:

2006 AFC Cup

2004 AFC CUP (Asian Football Confederation) 2004 3^rd Place in Group B

2003 President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup

2003, 2005 Federation Cup

2006 10^th   National Football League Champions ,3^rd in 11^th National Football League in 2007.

2003 Super Cup

12x Mumbai Elite Division

1971, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1995, 2000, 2001/02, 2002, 2003,2004,2005

2x Durand Cup
1998, 2001/02

3x Nadkarni Cup
2000, 2001, 2002

1980 Bandodkar Gold Cup

1993 Rovers Cup

1998 Chief Ministers Cup

1999 Mammen Mappillai Cup

 Mahindra United Under - 19

Mahindra United in its attempt to nurture young talents and promote football in Mumbai fielded a Under 19  team from 2003 about 470 players attended a selection camp at our football ground in Kandivali. The team performed extremely well in the NFL league for U-19 and reached the semi-finals beating teams like Churchill Bros, Salgaocars.

This promotion of the U-19  team has help the players to develop & display their talent at top level and has got them instant recognition and offers from some leading clubs of Mumbai. 

Mahindra United Structure  :

Team Colors. 

        RED/BLACK/BLACK

        WHITE/WHITE/WHITE 

(c)    Achievements in Federation Cup and National Football League. 

2003, 2005 Federation Cup

2005 Champions

2004 Fourth Place

2003 Third Place

(d)   Name of Coach. 

    Derrick Pereira - Professional License

(e)    Players to be watched this season. 

 (f)     Any other information which may be highlighted.  

Ranked 85th.   in World Club Ranking and 12th in Asia Club Ranking