Former player Gift Raikhan will coach the Academy U19s in the 2011-12 season.

He joined Pune FC Youth Development at the start of 2008 and worked alongside the then Coach, Youth Development Norbert Gonsalvez handling the U17 and U15 teams between 2008-2010.

During his playing days, Gift was a genuine left fullback with an eye for stiff tackles and was equally accurate while releasing the ball during the 20-match stint he had in a red shirt.

Gift, incidentally, was Pune FC’s first coach Stewart Hall’s first-ever pick when the team was formed in 2007. Subsequently, he debuted against XXXX in Cuttack, Orissa in 2007 - Pune FC’s first-ever match.

Gift played in the Pune FC squad for one season during the club’s Second Division I-League campaign and played an integral part in the 2007-2008 campaign when Pune FC in their first attempt fell shot in making it to the ‘elite’ league after making it to the final phase in Guwahati. Pune FC had qualified through the group stage from Pune.

Thirty-one-year old Gift, hails from Mapao Khullem, Manipur and was a seasoned professional player between 1999-2007 having represented BMFC (1999-2000), Churchill Brothers (2000-2002), HAL (2002-2004), Indian Bank (2004-2005), Vasco SC (on loan 2005-2006), Indian Bank (2006) and BEML (on loan 2006).

The highpoint in Gift’s career was scoring against Churchill Brothers in the 1-2 group stage loss in the Rovers Cup 1999-2000. The goal helped Gift move to Goa.