Foundation and early history The origin of Real Kashmir FC date to 2014 after
devastating floods swept through the region causing massive loss of life and property. To keep the youth, who had lost much during the floods—engaged, Shamim Meraj, editor of a local newspaper named
"Kashmir Monitor", and Sandeep Chattoo, a local businessman, came together to arrange footballers. What began as a community outreach programme garnered support from the local populace and it soon started evolving into something more. Real Kashmir FC as a club, formalised in 2016, and affiliated with
Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) under the tireless efforts by Chattoo. Founded in 2016, Real Kashmir FC emerged as the first ever top flight professional football club in Jammu and Kashmir.
Later years Shortly after its formation, the club participated in their first national competition in September 2016 when they competed in the
2016 Durand Cup. In January 2017, Real Kashmir roped in
David Robertson as their new head coach, and in July, it became the first club from Jammu & Kashmir to play on foreign soil by playing 4 matches in
Scotland. They appeared in their first major tournament by competing in the
2016–17 I-League 2nd Division, but failed to reach to the final round. They have been participating in all four categories of the AIFF. In May 2018, Real Kashmir FC earned promotion to the
2018–19 I-League by winning the
2017–18 I-League 2nd Division after defeating
Hindustan in the final game of the season by a score of 3–2. On 30 May 2018, Real Kashmir became champions of the
I-League 2nd Division. This was only their second season at this level, after the club's inception in 2016, earning promotion to the I-League for the first time ahead of the
2018–19 season. In October 2018, they clinched Jammu & Kashmir Invitational Cup, jointly with
Minerva Punjab. On 11 December 2018, they witnessed one of the league's biggest wins, after they beat
Shillong Lajong by 6–1. Real Kashmir achieved third place in their debut season. In August 2018, the Real Kashmir FC youth team travelled to Germany for pre-season training with
Borussia Dortmund. The team visited Borussia Dortmund's training facilities during the tour. They participated in
2019 Durand Cup and reached the semi-finals, where they lost 3–1 to
Mohun Bagan. On 19 December 2020, Real Kashmir won the 123rd edition of the
IFA Shield tournament, defeating
George Telegraph at the
Salt Lake Stadium in
Kolkata. The title marked the club's first major domestic triumph since its estabilishment in 2016. For
I-League 2021, they borrowed three players (
Danish Farooq Bhat, Adnan Ayoub,
Farhan Ganie) from
J&K Bank Football Club. In the
2020–21 I-League, the club finished their campaign in fifth place (Play-off), accumulating 21 points with 5 wins in 15 matches. As the defending champions of
IFA Shield, Real Kashmir began its
2021 edition campaign on 24 November with a 3–0 win over
Indian Arrows. They retained their title with a 2–1 win against
Sreenidi Deccan on 15 December. The club failed to make an impact in the
2021–22 I-League season and finished on twelfth place. In midway of the
2022–23 season, the club hired
Gifton Noel-Williams as new head coach, who succeeded
Mehrajuddin Wadoo in February 2023. In 2024, Arshad Shawl acquired the ownership of Real Kashmir. In the 2024–25 I-League, the club finished the season undefeated at home soil. ==Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors==