Rah Ahan Tehran F.C. facts for kids
| Full name | Rah Ahan Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2 January 1927 | ||
| Ground | Shahid Derakhshan Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 12,000 | ||
| League | Tehran Province league | ||
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Rah Ahan Sports Club, also known as Rah Ahan Football Club, was an old and famous Iranian football team from Tehran. They were one of the oldest football clubs in Iran. Their last league was the Azadegan League.
Contents
Club History
How Rah Ahan Started
Rah Ahan was started in 1927 in Tehran by Iran Railways. This makes them one of the oldest football clubs in Iran! Later, a company called Mehr Afarin Holding bought the club.
Their first official game was on January 4, 1940. They played against Bazargani F.C. and won with a huge score of 11–0.
The 1950s: A New Start
During the 1940s, the club stopped playing football for a while. They started their team again in the 1950s. At first, the team was called Pirouz and played on dirt fields near the railway station. The players were mostly railway workers.
In 1955, a player named Rasoul Madadnavi joined from Tabriz. The club then changed its name back to Rah Ahan. They also started to welcome players who were not railway workers. In 1958, Rah Ahan played very well and was promoted to the 1st Division Tehran League. However, new rules stopped them from playing, and the club closed down again for a short time.
Before the Revolution
Rah Ahan was started up again in 1963. They began playing in the 2nd Division Tehran Local League. By 1966, Rah Ahan was promoted to the top division of the Tehran Local Leagues.
In 1973, Iran's first national league, the Takht Jamshid Cup, began. Rah Ahan did well in their first two years, finishing 7th and 9th. In 1976, they moved down to the 2nd Division. But they quickly bounced back! They finished 1st in the 2nd Division and were promoted back to the Takht Jamshid Cup. In 1978, they were relegated again. The league season could not finish because of the Iranian Revolution.
Playing in the Iran Pro League
When the Iran Pro League started in 2001, Rah Ahan was in the second-level league, the Azadegan League. In 2005, Rah Ahan finished second in the Azadegan League. This meant they were promoted to the Iran Pro League!
For many years, they were an average team, usually finishing in the middle of the league table. When Ansarifard became the chairman, the team became more stable. In the 2008–09 season, they finished 11th. They managed to avoid moving down to a lower league in the very last week of the next season.
Ali Daei as Coach
In the 2012–13 season, famous Iranian football player Ali Daei became the coach. The team started strong and was 4th in the Iran Pro League early on. They ended the season in 8th place. That year, they also traveled to Turkey. They won against Galatasaray A2 4–1 and lost to Super Lig team Istanbul BB 3–2. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Ali Daei left Rah Ahan to coach Persepolis.
Later Years and Challenges
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh became Rah Ahan's new coach for the 2013–14 season. Under him, the team finished 11th. After that season, Ebrahimzadeh left. Former Persepolis coach Hamid Estili took over. Rah Ahan faced big money problems and did not play well under Estili. He was soon replaced by former Rah Ahan player Farhad Kazemi.
In the 2015–16 season, Rah Ahan continued to have financial difficulties. They finished 15th in the Persian Gulf Pro League and were moved down to a lower league. This was the first time in 12 years that Rah Ahan played in the Azadegan League.
Season Results
This table shows how Rah Ahan F.C. performed each season from 1968 onwards.
| Season | Div. | League | Position | Hazfi Cup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | 1 | Tehran League | 10th | Not held | |
| 1969–70 | 1 | Tehran League | 8th | ||
| 1970–71 | 1 | Tehran League | 10th | ||
| 1973–74 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 7th | ||
| 1974–75 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 9th | ||
| 1975–76 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 15th | Quarterfinal | Relegated |
| 1976–77 | 2 | 2nd Division | 1st | 1/16 Final | Promoted |
| 1977–78 | 1 | Takht Jamshid Cup | 16th | Not held | Relegated |
| 1978–79 | 2 | 2nd Division | N/A | League not finished | |
| 1979–80 | 1 | Tehran League | Not held | ||
| 1980–81 | 1 | Tehran League | Not held | ||
| 1981–82 | 1 | Tehran League | 5th | ||
| 1982–83 | 1 | Tehran League | 9th | ||
| 1983–84 | 1 | Tehran League | 10th | ||
| 1984–85 | 1 | Tehran League | N/A | League not finished | |
| 1985–86 | 1 | Tehran League | 8th | ||
| 1986–87 | 1 | Tehran League | 6th | ||
| 1987–88 | 1 | Tehran League | 6th | ||
| 1988–89 | 1 | Tehran League | 12th | ||
| 1989–90 | 1 | Tehran League | 9th | Not held | |
| 1990–91 | 1 | Tehran League | 17th | Relegated | |
| 1991–92 | 4 | Tehran 2nd Division | 5th | ||
| 1992–93 | 4 | Tehran 2nd Division | 2nd | Not held | Promoted |
| 1993–94 | 3 | Tehran League | 7th | ||
| 1994–95 | 3 | Tehran League | 2nd | Promoted | |
| 1995–96 | 2 | 2nd Division | 5th | ||
| 1996–97 | 2 | 2nd Division | 6th | ||
| 1997–98 | 2 | 2nd Division | 6th | Not held | |
| 1998–99 | 2 | 2nd Division | 4th | ||
| 1999–00 | 2 | 2nd Division | 6th | ||
| 2000–01 | 2 | 2nd Division | 4th | ||
| 2001–02 | 2 | Azadegan League | 8th | ||
| 2002–03 | 2 | Azadegan League | 11th | ||
| 2003–04 | 2 | Azadegan League | 11th | ||
| 2004–05 | 2 | Azadegan League | 2nd | Promoted | |
| 2005–06 | 1 | Pro League | 13th | ||
| 2006–07 | 1 | Pro League | 16th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2007–08 | 1 | Pro League | 12th | Quarterfinal | |
| 2008–09 | 1 | Pro League | 11th | Final | |
| 2009–10 | 1 | Pro League | 14th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2010–11 | 1 | Pro League | 15th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2011–12 | 1 | Pro League | 11th | 1/16 Final | |
| 2012–13 | 1 | Pro League | 8th | 1/8 Final | |
| 2013–14 | 1 | Pro League | 11th | 1/4 Final | |
| 2014–15 | 1 | Iran Pro League | 12th | 1/8 Final | |
| 2015–16 | 1 | Iran Pro League | 15th | 1/16 Final | Relegated |
| 2016–17 | 2 | Azadegan League | 15th | 1/32 Final | |
| 2017–18 | 2 | Azadegan League | 18th | 1/32 Final | Relegated |
| 2018–19 | 3 | 2nd Division | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate | Relegated |
Team Managers
Iran Pro League Managers
Here are some of the coaches who managed Rah Ahan when they were in the Iran Pro League:
| Name | Country | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firouz Karimi |  |
June 2004 | February 2006 |
| Abbas Razavi | |
February 2006 | November 2006 |
| Akbar Misaghian | |
December 2006 | February 2008 |
| Davoud Mahabadi | |
February 2008 | October 2008 |
| Mahmoud Yavari | |
October 2008 | April 2009 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
April 2009 | June 2009 |
| Ernie Brandts |  |
July 2009 | December 2009 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
December 2009 | June 2010 |
| Rasoul Korbekandi | |
June 2010 | September 2010 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
September 2010 | July 2011 |
| Ali Daei | |
July 2011 | May 2013 |
| Mansour Ebrahimzadeh | |
July 2013 | June 2014 |
| Hamid Estili | |
June 2014 | February 2015 |
| Ali Latifi (Interim) | |
February 2015 | February 2015 |
| Farhad Kazemi | |
February 2015 | September 2015 |
| Mehdi Tartar | |
September 2015 | February 2016 |
| Ioannis Topalidis |  |
February 2016 | May 2016 |
| Mehdi Pashazadeh | |
July 2016 | January 2017 |
| Sirous Dinmohammadi | |
January 2017 | October 2017 |
| Mohsen Bayatinia | |
October 2017 | present |
Coaching Staff
This table shows the coaching staff of Rah Ahan:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Mohsen Bayatinia |
| Goalkeeping Coach |  Niko Sternberg |
| Athletic Coach | Dominic Palmer |
See also
In Spanish: Rah Ahan Yazdan F.C. para niños
