Football in West Bengal
Overview of football in West Bengal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Overview of football in West Bengal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Association football is two most-popular sports in West Bengal, the others being Cricket.[3][4] East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of West Bengal football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, originating from the Calcutta Football League as the Kolkata derby, is one of the fiercest in the world and considered among the flagship events in the Indian footballing calendar.[5] West Bengal is known to be the Mecca of Indian football,[6][7] with the two most supported teams in the country being based within the city – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.[8][9]
Football in West Bengal | |
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![]() Indian crowd during the match between FC Bayern Munich and Mohun Bagan, May 27, 2008 | |
Governing body | Indian Football Association (IFA) (formed in 1893)[1] |
Audience records | |
Single match | 131,781 (1997 Federation Cup Semifinal: East Bengal F.C. VS Mohun Bagan A.C. at Salt Lake Stadium, 1997)[2] |
The IFA had organised many historical tournaments like the Trades Cup, the Gladstone Cup, the Cooch Behar Cup and the coveted IFA Shield, prior to the incorporation of Calcutta Football League in 1898. The Trades Cup is the oldest tournament in Kolkata, being instituted in 1889.[10]
Through the efforts of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari (the father of Indian football), A.R. Brown and B.C. Lindsay of Dalhousie AC, and Watson of Calcutta FC, the IFA was established in 1893.[11] A.R. Brown was the first Secretary of the IFA. Norman Prichard, the first Indian to win an Olympic medal, was the Secretary of the IFA in 1900.The most remarkable person to head the IFA was the Maharaja of Santosh, Sir M.N. Roy Chowdhury. During his tenure the IFA played an instrumental role in the formation of the AIFF.[12]
Football in West Bengal is administered by the Indian Football Association[13][14] It is the oldest football association in India and was founded in 1893.[15][16] Among the founders was former English international Elphinstone Jackson.[17]
State teams of West Bengal | |||
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Football (Men's) | Football (Women's) |
The West Bengal football team is governed by the Indian Football Association (IFA) and is a member of the All India Football Federation (AFC) since 1937, the national governing body for indian football. There are other West Bengal football team for women's also.
The following list includes the performance of all of West Bengal's state teams at major competitions.
The West Bengal football team, also known as IFA Bengal football team or earlier the Bengal football team, is an Indian football team representing West Bengal in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.[18]
Tournament | Best performance |
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Santosh Trophy | Champions (1941–42, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1955–56, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83 (Shared with Goa), 1986–87, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17) |
National Games | Gold (1994, 2011, 2022) |
B.C. Roy Trophy | Champions (1961–62, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2003–04, 2024–25) |
Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy | Champions (1965–66, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1989–90, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2015–16) |
M. Dutta Ray Trophy | Champions (1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005) |
The West Bengal women's football team, also earlier the Bengal women's football team, is an Indian women's football team representing West Bengal in the Senior Women's National Football Championship.[19]
Tournament | Best performance |
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Senior Women's National Football Championship | Champions (1991–92, 1996–97) |
National Games | Silver (1999, 2002) |
Junior Girl's National Football Championship | Champions (2011–12) |
Sub–Junior Girl's National Football Championship | Champions (2010–11) |
There are currently 23 district association affiliated with the Indian Football Association.
No. | Association | District | President |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Alipurduar District Football Association | Alipurduar | |
2 | Bankura District Football Association | Bankura | |
3 | Paschim Bardhaman district Football Association | Paschim Bardhaman | |
4 | Purba Bardhaman district Football Association | Purba Bardhaman | |
5 | Birbhum district Football Association | Birbhum | |
6 | Cooch Behar district Football Association | Cooch Behar | |
7 | Darjeeling district Football Association | Darjeeling | |
8 | Dakshin Dinajpur district Football Association | Dakshin Dinajpur | |
9 | Hooghly district Football Association | Hooghly | |
10 | Howrah district Football Association | Howrah | |
11 | Jalpaiguri district Football Association | Jalpaiguri | |
12 | Jhargram district Football Association | Jhargram | |
13 | Kolkata district Football Association | Kolkata | |
14 | Kalimpong district Football Association | Kalimpong | |
15 | Malda district Football Association | Malda | |
16 | Paschim Medinipur district Football Association | Paschim Medinipur | |
17 | Purba Medinipur district Football Association | Purba Medinipur | |
18 | Murshidabad district Football Association | Murshidabad | |
19 | Nadia district Football Association | Nadia | |
20 | North 24 Parganas district Football Association | North 24 Parganas | |
21 | South 24 Parganas Football Association | South 24 Parganas | |
22 | Purulia district Football Association | Purulia | |
23 | Uttar Dinajpur district Football Association | Uttar Dinajpur |
The league and tournaments are generally played at the following Stadiums:
Name | City | Capacity | Image |
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Salt Lake Stadium † | Bidhannagar | 68,000 | ![]() |
Barasat Stadium | Barasat | 20,000 | ![]() |
Sailen Manna Stadium | Howrah | 15,000 | ![]() |
Rabindra Sarobar Stadium | Lake Gardens | 22,000 | ![]() |
Note. † denotes stadiums that have hosted international football matches.
Because it is often called India's football capital, many international footballing personalities have visited Kolkata, West Bengal. In 1977, Mohun Bagan played a friendly match against the famous North American Soccer League club New York Cosmos, which featured Pelé. The match, which took place at Eden Gardens, had an attendance of 80,000. The match ended 2–2. Others who have visited Kolkata are Argentinean footballing legend Diego Maradona and current star Lionel Messi. Lionel Messi made his captaincy debut for his national side in Kolkata's, West Bengal Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on 2 September 2011 against Venezuela. German legends, including Franz Beckenbauer and Oliver Kahn, have also visited. The best goalkeeper in football history, Russian Lev Yashin, visited in 1955 and 1973. English World Cup–winning legend Bobby Moore was the chief guest during the 1984 Nehru Cup. Emeka Ezuego, the Nigerian World Cup player, played for East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. Majid Bishkar, the Iranian World Cup player, played for East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting from 1980 to 1986. Cameroon footballing legend Roger Milla played for Diamond Club in some exhibition matches in the Centenary Celebration of Mohun Bagan. Uruguay football captain Diego Forlan visited Kolkata in 2010. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge visited in 2010. Julian Caminho visited Kolkata, West Bengal twice—first in 1988 to play for East Bengal and again in 2011. MacDonald Mukansi played for East Bengal in 2007.
Others who have also visited are Terry Paine, Carlos Alberto Torres, Enzo Francescoli, Valencia Ramos, Jorge Burruchaga, Ricardo Gareca, László Kiss, Nicky Butt, Włodzimierz Smolarek, Andrzej Buncol, Eusébio, Ronald Koeman, Paul Breitner, and Swansea City's Neil Taylor.
In July 2023, Argentine World Cup and World Cup Golden Gloves winner Emiliano Martinez also visited the city of Joy, courtesy to Satadru Dutta's initiative. He was grandly welcomed by the citizens and Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
The state of West Bengal has contributed many legends to Indian football, such as:
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