Tata Steel has transferred ownership of Jamshedpur FC to Churchill Brothers FC, ending its direct ownership of the Indian Super League (ISL) club while ensuring continuity for its players and coaching staff.
The agreement involves the transfer of Tata Steel’s equity shares in Jamshedpur Football & Sporting Private Limited (JFSL) to Churchill Brothers for a token consideration. The deal also includes Jamshedpur FC’s ISL sporting licence, 12 players and two coaches. Churchill Brothers will take over the contracts of all JFC players and coaching staff from September 2026. Churchill Brothers, a Goa-based club with nearly four decades of history, has won the I-League twice.
Dr. B. Sundara Raman, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel said: “Churchill Brothers is a club with real history in Indian football, and we are glad that this agreement gives our players and coaches the opportunity to continue playing club football. We thank AIFF and Churchill Brothers for their partnership in making this transition a smooth one. Tata Steel will continue to focus on football at the grassroots and youth level, given our legacy of identifying and nurturing young talent, especially among local and tribal communities. This includes the Tata Football Academy, which has trained 150 cadets who have represented India and 26 captains of national teams across various age groups.”
The development comes as Jamshedpur FC continues its campaign in the 135th Durand Cup. It stormed into the quarterfinals with a 6-0 win over Indian Air Force FT in its final Group C fixture at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi on Thursday.
Jamshedpur had announced last month that it would no longer play in the ISL from the 2026-27 season. The club finished fifth last season, its ninth in the competition.
Jamshedpur, which entered the ISL in 2017-18, won the League Shield in 2021-22 under Owen Coyle and reached the playoffs only once more, in 2024-25 under Khalid Jamil.
Published on Aug 14, 2026
