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 (Persian: باشگاه ورزشی راهآهن, Bashgah-e Vârzeshi-ye Rahâhen), often called Rah Ahan Football Club, is a professional football team from Tehran, Iran. It is one of the oldest football clubs in Iran. They currently play in the Azadegan League.
Contents
History of Rah Ahan FC
How the Club Started
Rah Ahan was created in 1927 in Tehran by the Iran Railways company. This makes it one of the oldest football clubs still playing in Iran today!
In 1939, Rah Ahan joined the Tehran Local League. Their very first official game was on January 4, 1940, against Bazargani F.C. They won that match with an amazing score of 11–0!
Today, the club is owned by a company called Mehrafarin Holding.
The 1950s Comeback
During the World War in the 1940s, Rah Ahan stopped playing football. They didn't start their team again until the 1950s. When they came back, the club was called Pirouz and played on dirt fields near the railway station. Most of the players were 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 didn't work for the railway company. After doing well in 1958, Rah Ahan was promoted to the 1st Division Tehran League. However, new rules stopped them from playing, and the club had to close down again for a short time.
Before the Revolution
In 1963, Rah Ahan was started up once more. They began in the 2nd Division Tehran Local League. By 1966, Rah Ahan finally made it to the top division of the Tehran Local Leagues.
In 1973, Iran started its first national league, called the Takht Jamshid Cup. In their first two years, Rah Ahan finished in good positions, 7th and 9th. But in 1976, they moved down to the 2nd Division. They quickly bounced back, finishing 1st in the 2nd Division and getting promoted back to the Takht Jamshid Cup. In 1978, they were relegated again, but the season couldn't finish because of the Iranian Revolution.
Joining the Iran Pro League
After the Iran Pro League started in 2001, Rah Ahan was placed in the second-highest league, the Azadegan League. In 2005, Rah Ahan earned a promotion to the Iran Pro League after finishing second in the Azadegan League.
For many years, they were an average team, usually finishing in the middle of the league table. However, when Ansarifard became the chairman, the club became more stable. They finished 11th in the 2008–09 season and managed to avoid moving down to a lower league in the very last week of the next season.
The Ali Daei Era
In the 2012–13 season, under the famous manager Ali Daei, the team started very strong. They were even in 4th place in the Iran Pro League early on! After that, they had an average year and finished 8th.
During the same year, the team traveled to Turkey. They had a great win against Galatasaray A2, beating them 4–1. They also played against a top Turkish team, Super Lig side Istanbul BB, losing a close game 3–2. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Ali Daei left Rah Ahan to manage Persepolis.
Challenging Years
Mansour Ebrahimzadeh became Rah Ahan's new manager for the 2013–14 season. Under him, the team finished in 11th place. After that season, Ebrahimzadeh decided to leave.
Former Persepolis manager Hamid Estili took over. Rah Ahan started having serious money problems, and the team didn't play well under Estili. He was soon replaced by Rah Ahan's former player, Farhad Kazemi.
In the 2015–16 season, Rah Ahan continued to face 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 had to play in the Azadegan League.
Club Performance Over the Years
Rah Ahan has had many ups and downs throughout its history. They have been promoted to higher leagues and sometimes relegated to lower ones. For example, in 1976, they were relegated from the top league but quickly got promoted back in 1977. More recently, after being relegated in 2016 from the top league, they also moved down to the 2nd Division in 2018.
Managers of Rah Ahan
Many different managers have led Rah Ahan over the years. Some of the notable managers who coached the team in the Iran Pro League include:
- Firouz Karimi (2004–2006)
- Akbar Misaghian (2006–2008)
- Mahmoud Yavari (2008–2009)
- Ernie Brandts (2009, from the Netherlands)
- Ali Daei (2011–2013)
- Mansour Ebrahimzadeh (2013–2014)
- Hamid Estili (2014–2015)
- Farhad Kazemi (2015)
- Ioannis Topalidis (2016, from Greece)
- Mehdi Pashazadeh (2016–2017)
- Sirous Dinmohammadi (2017)
- Mohsen Bayatinia (2017–present)
Coaching Staff
The current coaching staff helps the team train and prepare for matches.
- Head Coach: Mohsen Bayatinia (from Iran)
- Goalkeeping Coach: Niko Sternberg (from Germany)
- Athletic Coach: Dominic Palmer (from Germany)
See also
In Spanish: Rah Ahan Yazdan F.C. para niños
