[24] However, despite this, the All India Football Federation still had trouble attracting investors to create new clubs, specially outside of West Bengal, Goa, and North East India due to the fact that, despite a good number of fans in these areas and good wages to players, the clubs in these regions still had trouble creating any profit.

[25] Midway through their 2nd Division campaign the club changed coaches, going from Stewart Hall to former Northern Ireland national teamer, Bernard McNally.

[31] At the end of the season Pune managed to finish in fourth place with a 3–0 victory over SESA Football Academy and thus earn promotion to the I-League for the first time in their history.

[13][39] At the same time the club also signed Derrick Pereira to be the head coach of the team after Stewart Hall resigned.

[13] Before joining Pune, Pereira was head coach at Mahindra United where he had won the National Football League and the Federation Cup.

[42][43] At the end of the season Pune finished in third place which was called a success by the club due to their weak start in the league.

[45] Then on 25 July 2011 it was announced that Pune's Brazilian striker Edmar Figueira would join the Portuguese top flight Primeira Liga with C.D.

Feirense which would be the first-time a player from the I-League would sign for a team in a top 10 European league based on the UEFA coefficient.

[46] Then on 26 September 2011 it was announced that Pune would play English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers, who are owned by Indian owners Venky's, in a friendly.

[48][49][50] Then on 22 October 2011, it was announced that Pune had tied-up a partnership with IT giant Infosys which would see more promotion of the club through media networks.

[54] Soon enough though Pune were able to sign Pereira's replacement in former Vitesse Arnhem head coach, Dutchman Mike Snoei for the new season.

[57] The club also signed current Equatorial Guinea international, Raúl Fabiani, who also played for his adopted country in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

[60] Then, on 29 January 2014, Pune played their first ever international club match when they took on Vietnamese side Hanoi T&T in the 2014 AFC Champions League qualifier first round at the Balewadi Sports Complex.

[61] In 2014 Durand Cup, held from 20 October to 8 November in Goa, Pune lost 1–0 to Salgaocar SC in final and finished as runners-up.

[62][63][64] A month later, Pune FC participated in the 2014 Bhutan King's Cup[65] and faced Assam State Electricity Board in their last group stage match.

[66][67][68] Then they defeated Mohun Bagan AC through penalty-shootout and reached to the final, in which, they lost 1–0 to Bangladeshi outfit Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi.