Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club (Persian:باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی پرسپولیس) is an Iranian multisport club based in Tehran, Iran. It was established by Ali Abdo. The club is most known for its football team, Persepolis F.C. which competes in the Iran Pro League. It also fields teams in futsal, taekwondo, volleyball, wrestling, handball, swimming, weightlifting, wheelchair basketball, judo, athletics, goalball, and chess. Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club also owns and operates Persepolis University, Persepolis TV and Radio, Persepolis Energy Drink, and Persepolis Restaurants.
History
Shahin F.C. (1942–1967)
Shahin was established in 1942 by Dr. Abbas Ekrami, a teacher. Ekrami founded the club with help of some young students under the motto
Shahin produced many talented players like Parviz Dehdari, Masoud Boroumand, Homayoun Behzadi, Jafar Kashani, Hossein Kalani, Hamid Shirzadegan, and many more that played for Team Melli. These talents made Shahin popular in the 1960s but its very popularity was viewed as a threat by the Iran Football Federation and the Keihan Varzeshi newspaper (Iran's most important sports publication at the time). The conflict between them became worse and on 9 July 1967, two days after Shahin's 3–0 win against Tehranjavan F.C., the Iran Sports Organization declared Shahin F.C. as dissolved. League attendance dropped and other clubs including Pas, Rah Ahan, and Oghab tried to sign Shahin players.
Establishment early years (1963–1969)
Persepolis Athletic and Cultural Club was established in 1963 by Ali Abdo. Abdo had returned to Iran from the United States and was a championship boxer.
Persepolis F.C. started the 1968 season with Parviz Dehdari as manager. Despite the efforts to sign and disperse Shahin players to various clubs, Parviz Dehdari and Masoud Boroumand transferred the popularity of Shahin to Persepolis F.C. by taking most Shahin Players to join Persepolis. The team was initially quite weak, and participated in the 2nd division of the country. The best player on the team then was Mahmoud Khordbin.
The club, using four Shahin players, had a friendly match with Jam Abadan, a respected team at the time. After the match the remainder of the Shahin players joined Persepolis. That year no league competition was held, as many teams had been dissolved, so a 44-team tournament was held, and Persepolis, along with Pas, Taj, and Oghab finished top of the group.
The next year they represented as the first Iranian club in the Asian Champion Club Tournament held in Thailand, but they were not successful and were eliminated in the group stage.
Chairpersons # Chairperson Nat Tenure Honours1 Ali Abdo December 1963–January 1975Iranian Football League Winner:71–72, 73-74 Runner-up: 74-752Mostafa Makri January 1975–February 1979Iranian Football League Winner:75-76 Runner-up: 76-77, 77-78Espandi Cup Winner:1979Tehran Hazfi Cup Winner:19793 Firouz Aminiyan April 1979–October 19804 Heydar Boustani October 1980–September 1981Tehran Provincial League Runner-up:1981– Akbar Diyani September 1981–December 19815 Mohammad Reza Rezayian December 1981–December 1986Tehran Provincial League Winner:1982Tehran Hazfi Cup Winner:1982 Runner-up:1981, 1983Tehran Provincial League Winner:1986– Mohammad Ali Deghatpour December 1986–February 19876 Abbas Vakil February 1987–June 1988Hazfi CupWinner: 87-8817th of Shahrivar leagueWinner:1988Tehran Provincial League Winner: 1987, 1988Tehran Hazfi Cup Winner: 1987– Mohammad Hossein Eslami June 1988–April 1989– Kazem Rahimi April 1989–June 1990Iranian Football LeagueRunner-up: 89-907 Abbas Ansarifard June 1990–November 1993Iranian Football LeagueRunner-up: 92-93Hazfi CupWinner:90-91Asian Cup Winners' CupWinner: 1991Runner-up:1993Tehran Super CupWinner: 19928 Amir Abedini November 1993–January 2001Iranian Football LeagueWinner: 95-96, 96-97, 98-99, 99-00Runner-up: 93-94, 2000–01Hazfi CupWinner: 98-999 Abbas Ansarifard January–May 2001– Ali Parvin May–October 2001*10 Ali Mirzaei October 2001–June 2002Iranian Football LeagueWinner:01-0211 Akbar Ghamkhar June 2002–June 2004 – Hojatollah Khatib June 2004–December 2005* 12 Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard December 2005–June 2007 Hazfi CupRunner-up:05-0613 Habib Kashani June 2007–June 2008 Iranian Football LeagueWinner:07-0814 Dariush Mostafavi June 2008–January 2009 15 Abbas Ansarifard January 2009–October 2009 – Habib Kashani October 2009–September 2011* Hazfi CupWinner:09-10, 10-1116 Mohammad Rouyanian September 2011–January 2014 Hazfi CupRunner-up:12–1317 Ali Parvin January 2014–April 2014 Iranian Football LeagueRunner-up:13–1418 Alireza Rahimi April 2014–September 2014– Behrouz Montaghami September 2014–November 2014*19 Hamid Reza Siasi November 2014–December 2014– Ali Akbar Taheri December 2014–February 2015*–Mohammad Hossein Nejad-Fallah February 2015–June 2015**20 Ali Akbar Taheri June 2015–November 2017 Iranian Football LeagueWinner: 2016–17Runner-up:2015–16 Iranian Super CupWinner: 201721 Hamidreza Garshasbi November 2017–December 2018 Iranian Football LeagueWinner: 2017–18Iranian Super CupWinner: 2018AFC Champions LeagueRunner-up:201822 Iraj Arab December 2018–August 2019 Iranian Football LeagueWinner: 2018–19Hazfi CupWinner:2018-19Iranian Super CupWinner: 201923 Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard August 2019–March 2020–Mehdi Rasoul-Panah March 2020–October 2020* Iranian Football LeagueWinner: 2019–2024Jafar Samiei October 2020–September 2021 Iranian Football LeagueWinner: 2020–21Iranian Super CupWinner: 2020AFC Champions LeagueRunner-up: 2020–Majid Sadri September 2021–January 2022* 25 Reza Darvish January 2022–October 2025 Iranian Football LeagueWinner: 2022–23Hazfi CupWinner:2022–23Iranian Super CupWinner: 202326 Peyman Haddadi November 2025–Present
*as Interim Chairman.
**as Deputy Chairman.
Ownership Owner Tenure CRC Company 1963–1979 Physical Education Organization 1980–1986 Mostazafan Foundation 1986–1989 Physical Education Organization 1989–1993 Ministry of Industries and Mines 1993–2002 Physical Education Organization 2002–2011 Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports 2011–2014 Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance* Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports 2014–2015 Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports 2015–2021 Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance* سرخابی ها با مالکان جدید در راه آسیا Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports 2021–2024 Bank Shahr: 30% Bank Mellat: 20% Tejarat Bank: 20% Bank Saderat Iran: 5.175% Refah Bank: 5% EN Bank: 5% MSY: 5.158%Public Shareholders: 9.667% 2024–2025 Bank Shahr: 30% Bank Mellat: 20% Tejarat Bank: 20% Bank Saderat Iran: 5.175% Refah Bank: 5% EN Bank: 5% Shahr Financial Group: 3.715%Public Shareholders: 11.11% 2025–present
*Privatization Organization
Divisions
University
Persepolis University It is first Iranian sport university which opened in 2013. Dariuosh Soudi was appointed as the first president of the university and Mehdi Mahdavikia was the first student of this university. This university has 600 students and accepts students in thirteen different fields.
Some fields provided by the university:
Football Coaching Futsal Coaching Fitness Sport Reporting Match Commentary
Football
Men's Persepolis Football Club who play in the Iran Pro League. According to the AFC, Persepolis is Asia's number one supported club team. Only Dalian Shide and Al-Hilal have similar support in Asia. Persepolis is the most successful football club in Iran with the record of 15 titles in Iranian domestic football league as well as 7 domestic cup titles. Persepolis has also won an Asian Cup Winners' Cup. The current manager is Yahya Golmohammadi.
Women's
Sponsorship Shirt sponsors and manufacturers + Persepolis League SponsorsPeriodKit ManufacturerShirt Sponsor1994–95ShekariMobliran1995–97National Iranian Steel Co.1997–98NahangiIran Insurance CompanyLGSanam1998–99Aiwa1999–2000Jouraban2000–01Samsung2001–02NECTidi2002–03Samsung2003–04JourabanDaeiPars Television2004–05Nahangi PerspowerJaguar Drink2005–06BombaDariush HotelShahr AftabGiordano2006–07HessariIrtoyaEcutIrancell2007–08UhlsportCity Credit CooperativeShahrvand2008–09NoneMarrybrown2009–10§BehgolTehran Municipality2010–11City Bank2011–12City BankOpelPersepolis Card2012–13Sadra System Pasargad2013–14Tourism Bank 2014–15MacronEJS Co.NoneEJS Co.2015–16UhlsportT.T BankNoneHamrahe Aval2016–17¤JomaHamrahe Aval2017–18Irancell2018–19Li-Ning2019–20UhlsportIrancellTourism Bank2020–21Tourism Bank2021–22Tourism BankIrancell2022–23Irancell2023–24Merooj2024–25Saba Battery2025–26TabiatBank Shahr DARIA
§ in 2009–10 Persepolis wear Hessari in first three matches. ¤ in 2016–17 Persepolis wear Givova in first ten matches.
Futsal
Men's Persepolis Futsal Club is a futsal team that play's in the Iran Futsal's 1st Division, the second-tier league in Iran. The team formerly played in the Super League, but after it ceased operations for a year, it was given a placement in the 2013–14 1st Division season. In 2014 Persepolis Futsal Club was again promoted to the Iranian Futsal Super League.
Women's Persepolis WFSC is a women's futsal team the plays in the Iranian Women's Super League.
Weightlifting On 16 August 2012, under the approval of chairman Mohammad Rouyanian the Persepolis Weightlifting Team was established. Behdad Salimi the gold medallist at the 2012 Olympics became the team's first signing.
Taekwondo Persepolis' taekwondo team was founded recently, they have won one Iranian domestic championship.
Swimming The Persepolis Swimming Team was founded after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The team has won the national competition once in its history.
Track and Field The Persepolis Track and Field team was founded in August 2012 with the permission of chairman Mohammad Rouyanian. Olympic bronze medallist Ehsan Hadadi became the team's first ever signing.
Bowling With the name of Abdo Bowling Club, it was one of Persepolis' first teams and was created by founder Ali Abdo. After the Iranian Revolution the team was dissolved.
Volleyball
Persepolis VC is one of the oldest volleyball teams in Iran, it has currently ceased operations due to lack of funds.
Handball
Basketball
Judo
Chess
Wheelchair Basketball
Goalball
References
External links Official club website