Club History — Auckland Indian Sports Club

Auckland Indian Sports Club (A.I.S.C.) has a long and proud history with the Auckland Indian community and was originally established in 1936.

The Club was brought about by sports minded members of the community that had been playing hockey and cricket together in the years leading up to 1936. However, the inspiration for formalising a Sports Club came about after the 1935 tour of the All India Hockey team, led by ‘The Wizard’, Dhyan Chand.

The first President of A.I.S.C. was Chibba Lala and the first Secretary was Khusal Madhu. Founding members also included Parsot Keshaw, Parbhu Dheda, Daji Dheda, Bhana Fakir and Magan Bhikha.

Training in these early days were held at Blanford Park, Grafton and games were played against Wellington Indian Sports Club.

The Club’s progress slowed during the second World War, however from 1944 numbers grew and the Club operated with a good amount of members to form a reasonably strong unit.

Auckland Indian Sports Club 1948-1949 Back Row: G. Soma, F. Bhana, C. Ganda, G. Magan, P. Keshav, B. Magan Second to Back Row: A. Narsai, G. Mitha, P.Patel (Editor), R.Bikha, K.Devji (Supporter), G.Hira (Vice-President), K.Magan, S.Narsai, D.Soma Th… — **Auckland Indian Sports Club 1948-1949**
Back Row: *G. Soma, F. Bhana, C. Ganda, G. Magan, P. Keshav, B. Magan*
Second to Back Row: *A. Narsai, G. Mitha, P.Patel (Editor), R.Bikha, K.Devji (Supporter), G.Hira (Vice-President), K.Magan, S.Narsai, D.Soma*
Third to Back Row: *V. Daji, A. Bhana, L. Kika, H. Nathu, C. Ramen, M. Ganda, M. Dheda, R. N. Patel, P. Kanji, C. Nathu*
Front Row: *D. L. Patel (Secretary), J. Narsai, W.Chhima (President), K.Govind, J. Manga, M. Bhikha*
Children: *Babu, Vithal* Absent: *Ramesh Patel, P. Rama, F. Mani. F. Jeram, S. Dayalji*

By 1948, A.I.S.C. was a member of both the Auckland Cricket Association (“ACA”) and the Auckland Hockey Association (“AHA”), enabling it to compete in local competitions. In the years following, there were steady increases in the number of members playing cricket, hockey and also netball.

1965 was a special year for A.I.S.C., winning the New Zealand Indian Sports Association (“NZISA”) Dhyan Chand trophy for the first time.

The 1970’s were also key for the Club. In 1972 Junior hockey was established at A.I.S.C. The Men’s hockey team, coached by Ron Fenton, won the First grade hockey competition. This allowed them to be promoted to the Premier grade in the AHA competition.

Auckland Indian Cricket Team 1948-1949 Back Row: P. Kanji, L.Kika, M. Ganda, D. L. Patel (Secretary), C. Ramen, H. Nathu, D. Magan, R. N. Patel Second to Back Row: K. Devji, J. Manga, A. Bhana, W. Chhima (Captain), J. Bhagvanji (Vice-Captain), J. Na… — **Auckland Indian Cricket Team 1948-1949**
Back Row: *P. Kanji, L.Kika, M. Ganda, D. L. Patel (Secretary), C. Ramen, H. Nathu, D. Magan, R. N. Patel*
Second to Back Row: *K. Devji, J. Manga, A. Bhana, W. Chhima (Captain), J. Bhagvanji (Vice-Captain), J. Narsai, K. Govind (Manager)*
Absent: *P. Rama, F. Mani*

In the decades following, A.I.S.C. grew as a leader in the AHA competition and became a Club with a strong presence in all grades. Many New Zealand hockey players have been past and present members of the Club including Peter Daji, Paresh Patel, Ian Woodley, Chandrakant Chhiba, Mitesh Patel, Bradley Shaw, Hayden Shaw, Phil Burrows, Shea McAleese and Shay Neal.

2008 was a memorable year for A.I.S.C. In addition to winning the Premier Men’s Auckland Championship, A.I.S.C. was named the Top Mens Hockey Club by the AHA for winning the Premier Men’s, Premier 3 Men’s, Championship 2 Men’s and Champion 2 Women’s grades. A.I.S.C. again won the Premier Men’s grade in 2010 and were Runners up in 2012.