Sreenidi Deccan

Formation and journey

Sreenidi football academy was founded in January 2015 in Aziznagar. It received the first accreditation from the AIFF in June 2019 and in its initial years the club played in the football leagues for the age groups of U13, U15 & U18.

On 5 June 2020, the AIFF issued an invitation to accept bids for new clubs to join the league, and on 12 August Sreenidi Deccan were granted playing rights directly in 2021–22 I-League. Sreenidi Deccan Football Club was formally launched on 7 July 2021 in Visakhapatnam by state sports minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao. In 2021, they participated in the IFA Shield and reached the final, losing to Real Kashmir by 2–1 and finished as runners-up.

The club began its league campaign on 27 December against NEROCA with a 3–2 defeat. In the next game, they defeated TRAU by 3–1 with a brace from Colombian striker David Castañeda, and later lost 3–1 to Mohammedan. After finishing fourth in group stage with six wins in twelve matches, they moved to the championship stage. At the end, the club finished their maiden league campaign in third place with 32 points in 18 matches, and won the last match against Churchill Brothers on 14 May. Later in November, the club participated in Baji Rout Cup in Odisha and reached semi-finals.

In August 2022, Portuguese manager Carlos Vaz Pinto was appointed head coach. The club retained their key players including Colombian striker David Castañeda Muñoz. In 2022–23 I-League season, Sreenidi Deccan achieved second position. After winning qualifying matches, they entered into the 2023 Indian Super Cup, and began their journey with a 1–1 draw with Bengaluru. The club later thrashed Kerala Blasters by 2–0. In the last group stage match against RoundGlass Punjab, Sreenidi lost 1–0 and failed to progress to the semi-finals.

On 29 October 2023, Sreenidi Deccan entered into a strategic partnership with Portuguese giant S.L. Benfica; primary focuses brought on strength and conditioning, nutrition and psychology, alongside youth developments in coming years. On that day, the club began their 2023–24 league season with style, thrashing NEROCA 4–0.