East Bengal FC (women)

Women's football club in India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

East Bengal FC (women)

East Bengal FC Women, commonly referred to as East Bengal (Bengali pronunciation: [ˈi:st ˌbenˈɡɔːl]), is a women's football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the women's football section of East Bengal FC. They compete in the Indian Women's League, the women's premier football league in India. They are also the reigning Kanyashree Cup champions, the top-flight tournament of women's football in the state of West Bengal under the Indian Football Association.

Quick Facts Full name, Nickname(s) ...
East Bengal Women
Full nameEast Bengal Football Club
Nickname(s)Red and Gold Brigade
Bangal Brigade
The Torch Bearers
Moshal Girls
Short nameEBFC
Founded2001; 24 years ago (2001)
GroundEast Bengal Ground
Capacity23,500
OwnerEmami East Bengal FC Pvt. Ltd.:
PresidentMurari Lal Lohia
Head coachAnthony Andrews
LeagueIndian Women's League
Calcutta Women's Football League
2023–24IWL, 6th of 7
CWFL, Runners-up
Websiteemamieastbengal.com
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History

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Perspective

Formation and early beginnings

The East Bengal women's football team was formed in 2001 and in their inaugural season of the Calcutta Women's Football League, they lifted the title defeating arch-rivals Mohun Bagan 10 in the final at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium with Shanta Dhara scoring the solitary goal for the club.[1][2][3] The following season, East Bengal women's team reached the final again but lost in the final against Mohun Bagan after the game ended 11 in the regulation time and Mohun Bagan won 32 in the penalty shootout at the Sailen Manna Stadium in Howrah.[2][3] The team was however disbanded after the season.

Relaunch and another halt

In their centenary year, the East Bengal club again decided to relaunch the women's team and participate in the Calcutta Women's Football League.[4] They had appointed former India International Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar as the head coach of the team.[5][6] In October, initial trials were conducted by the club under Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar, with over 150 women participating.[7][8] On 27 December, IFA registration of 21 players was done for the Women's League that commenced in January 2020.[9] The East Bengal Women's team started off their campaign in the 2020 Kanyashree Cup in style as they defeated Dipti Sangha by 61.[10]

On 13 February East Bengal Women's team made history as they faced Biddyut Sporting. They led 18–0 within 30 minutes when the opposing team forfeited the game and the referee awarded it to East Bengal.[11] On 6 March, the East Bengal Women's team surpassed their own record once again as they scored 20 goals against Bhangore SWF. East Bengal's forward Tulsi Hembram scored 8 goals and Mamata Hansda 4.[12] The team qualified for the Super Six competition without losing a single game, and qualified for the Semi-Final where they faced Police AC. East Bengal won the semi-final 54 in the penalty shootout after the game had ended 11 in regulation time. However, the game was replayed due to issues with player registration and East Bengal team once again won the replayed match 54 in the penalties after the game ended goalless to reach the final. On 30 December 2020, East Bengal faced SSB Women's at the Salt Lake Stadium in the final of the Kanyashree Cup and finished runners up with a 20 loss, with a goal conceded in each half.[13]

However, due to a tussle between the club officials and the investor group Shree Cement, the women's football team and all the players were released. It was informed that they would not be fielding a team for the 202122 Kanyashree Cup.[14]

Comeback

In 2022, the East Bengal women's football team was re-formed after Emami group came on board as the new investors of the club.[15] They began the season by participating in the Kaliaganj MLA Cup held at Uttar Dinajpur and won the four-team tournament by defeating MLA Kaliaganj 1–0 in the final.[16] On 18 December, they announced the squad for the 202223 Kanyashree Cup.[17][18] East Bengal started their campaign with a 20 win against WB Police on 20 December at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, with Sulanjana Raul and Kabita Saren scoring for the team.[19] On 10 January 2023, in their fourth match of the season, East Bengal defeated Behala Aikya Sammilani by 350, creating a record as the biggest win by an Indian team in any women's football game conducted by AIFF.[20][21][22] Mousumi Murmu and Kabita Saren scored six goals each, Deblina Bhattacharjee and Gita Das scored five each, Sushmita Bardhan scored four, Aishwarya Arun Jagtap scored thrice, Sulanjana Raul and Tanushree Oraon scored a brace while Birsi Oraon and Piyali Kora scored one each.[21] On 19 January, East Bengal defeated Adivasi United Students Club 30 in the last match of the group stages to enter the knockouts. They finished top of the group with seven wins, including two walkovers given by Dipti Sangha and Kolkata Union Sporting Club, having scored fifty-eight goals without conceding a single.[23][24] On 23 January, East Bengal faced New Alipore Suruchi Sangha in the quarter-finals and won 21 with goals from Mousumi Murmu and Sulanjana Raul.[25] On 25 January, East Bengal defeated Mohammedan Sporting 30 in the semi-finals at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan. Rimpa Halder scored a brace while Nimita Gurung of Mohammedan scored an own goal as East Bengal reached the final of the 202223 Kanyashree Cup.[26][27] On 28 January, East Bengal faced Sreebhumi in the final of the Kanyashree Cup at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan and won 10 courtesy of a solitary goal from 15 year old Sulanjana Raul as East Bengal became the champions for the second time after 2001 and qualified for the Indian Women's League.[28][29][30]

Indian Women's League, Women's IFA Shield

East Bengal women's football team qualified for the Indian Women's League for the first time after becoming the champions of the 2022–23 Kanyashree Cup.[31] They were grouped alongside the defending champions Gokulam Kerala in Group A along with six more teams, with top four from each group qualifying for the knockout stages and be eligible for direct qualification to the next season, irrespective of their results in the state leagues.[32][33] On 22 April, the club announced the squad for the Indian Women's League campaign, with eleven names from the Kanyashree Cup championship team.[34] On 26 April, East Bengal made their debut in the Indian Women's League against defending champions Gokulam Kerala and suffered an 82 defeat at the TransStadia in Ahmedabad with Rimpa Haldar and Tulsi Hembram scoring for East Bengal.[35][36] On 29 April, East Bengal women's team earned their first ever victory in the Indian Women's League as the defeated Kahaani 10 at the Shahibaug Police Stadium with captain Ratna Haldar scoring the only goal for East Bengal.[37][38][39][40] On 2 May, East Bengal registered their second win as they defeated Mata Rakmani FC 20 with goals from Mousumi Murmu and Rimpa Haldar.[41] On 4 May, East Bengal grabbed their third win in succession as they defeated Mumbai Knights 42 with Rimpa Haldar scoring twice and Tulsi Hembram and Mousumi Murmu scoring the other for the team.[42] On 12 May, East Bengal defeated HOPS 10 in the last match of the group stage courtesy of a solitary strike from captain Ratna Halder as they secured a top four finish and ensured a place in the knockouts in their maiden appearance and also earned an automatic qualification for the 202324 Indian Women's League.[43][44] On 16 May, East Bengal faced former champions Sethu in the quarter-finals of the IWL and were eliminated after the game ended 90 for Sethu, thus ending the campaign for East Bengal in their inaugural season in the Indian Women's League.[45]

After the Indian Women's League, East Bengal Women's team participated in the inaugural Women's IFA Shield held at Tehatta, Nadia, West Bengal and emerged victorious defeating Sreebhumi 50 in the final on 2 June 2023.[46] East Bengal won all four matches in the tournament, scoring twenty-seven goals in them and conceding none as they lifted the inaugural title. Tulsi Hembram was adjudged the player of the tournament after becoming the top scorer with fifteen goals in four matches.[46][47][48]

In the 202324 season, East Bengal failed to retain the Kanyashree Cup as they became runner-up to Sreebhumi.[49] In January 2024, East Bengal women's team signed their first ever foreign player as they roped in Bangladesh women's national football team winger Sanjida Akhter to play in the 2023–24 Indian Women's League.[50] East Bengal finished sixth in the 2023–24 Indian Women's League.[51][52]

After spending two seasons in the IWL, East Bengal team management made efforts to build a strong squad for the 202425 season, and roped in India women's national football team players: Sandhiya Ranganathan and Naorem Priyangka Devi. East Bengal also roped in the two time IWL winning coach Anthony Andrews from Gokulam Kerala by paying a record transfer fee in women's football in India.[53]

Stadium

The East Bengal Ground is located in Kolkata, and is the home ground of the club. The stadium lies on the Maidan (Kolkata) area on the northern side of Fort William and near the Eden Gardens. This stadium is also used mostly for Calcutta Football League and academy players.

East Bengal Ground
Capacity: 23,500
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Current squad

As of 7 January 2025[54]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...
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Current technical staff

As of 31 July 2024
More information Position, Name ...
Position Name
Head coach India Anthony Andrews
Assistant coach India Pratima Biswas
Goalkeeping coach India Gowtham Ganesan
Team manager India Moumi Paul
Physiotherapist India Shriya Sharma
S&C Coach India Aarav Kumar
Masseur India Kakali Dalal
Kit Manager India Minati Roy
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Records and statistics

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Perspective

Firsts

  • First goal in Women's IFA Shield: Tulsi Hembram (against Nadia DSA, 25 May 2023).[58]
  • First win in Indian Women's League: East Bengal 10 Kahaani, 29 April 2023 (During the 2022–23 season).[39]

Records

  • Biggest win in Indian Women's League:
East Bengal 42 Mumbai Knights, 4 May 2023 (During the 2022–23 season).[42]
East Bengal 41 Nita FA, 20 January 2025 (During the 2024–25 season).[59]
  • Biggest win in Women's IFA Shield: East Bengal 110 Chandney, 29 May 2023 (During the 2023 season).[60][61]
  • Longest winning streak in Indian Women's League: 4 matches (During the 2024–25 season).[42][59]

League history

More information Season, Indian Women's League ...
Season Indian Women's League Kanyashree Cup[a] Women's IFA Shield Other Tournaments
2001 Winners
2002 Runners-up
2003–2019 Team disbanded
2020–21 did not qualify Runners-up
2021–22 did not qualify Did not participate
2022–23 Quarter-finals Winners Winners Kaliaganj MLA Cup
Baranagar MLA Cup
2023–24 6th Runners-up Not Held
2024–25 TBD TBD
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All Time Top Scorer

List of all-time top scorers for East Bengal women's team in competitive fixtures.

Player names in bold are part of the current squad.
As of 24 March 2024
More information Ranking, Nationality ...
All-time Top Scorer for East Bengal in competitive fixtures
Ranking Nationality Name Indian Women's League Kanyashree Cup[b] Women's IFA Shield Total
1IndiaTulsi Hembram22715 44
2IndiaSulanjana Raul3282 33
3IndiaMousumi Murmu3127 22
4IndiaSushmita Bardhan0101 11
5IndiaRimpa Haldar460 10
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Overall record in Indian Women's League

As of 9 March 2025
More information Season, P ...
East Bengal Women's Team overall record in Indian Women's League
Season P W D L GF GA GD Win % Final position Top Scorer Goals
2022–2384131222−10050.00 Quarter-finals India Rimpa Haldar4
2023–24121110831−23008.33 6th India Sulanjana Raul3
2024–257601165+11085.71 1st India Soumya Guguloth4
Overall 27112143658−22040.74
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Top scorers in Indian Women's League

List of top scorers for East Bengal in the Indian Women's League.[63][64]

Player names in bold are part of the current squad.
As of 9 March 2025
More information Ranking, Nationality ...
Top Scorer for East Bengal in Indian Women's League
Ranking Nationality Name Goals
1  IndiaRimpa Haldar4
 IndiaSoumya Guguloth4
3  IndiaMousumi Murmu3
 IndiaSulanjana Raul3
 IndiaSandhiya Ranganathan3
 UgandaResty Nanziri3
 GhanaElshaddai Acheampong3
8  IndiaTulsi Hembram2
 IndiaRatna Haldar2
 IndiaSibani Devi2
 KenyaMaurine Achieng2
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Overall record in Kanyashree Cup

As of till the end of 2023–24 season.
More information Season, P ...
East Bengal Women's Team overall record in Kanyashree Cup
Season P W D L GF GA GD Win % Final position Top Scorer Goals
2020–218521484+44062.50Runners-upIndia Tulsi Hembram14
2021–22did not participate
2022–23101000701+69100.00ChampionsIndia Mousumi Murmu12
2023–2412921555+50075.00Runners-upIndia Sulanjana Raul17
Total30244217310+163080.00
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Top scorers in Kanyashree Cup

List of top scorers for East Bengal in the Kanyashree Cup[c]

Player names in bold are part of the current squad.
As of till the end of 2023–24 season.
More information Ranking, Nationality ...
Top Scorer for East Bengal in Kanyashree Cup
Ranking Nationality Name Goals
1 IndiaSulanjana Raul28
2 IndiaTulsi Hembram27
3 IndiaMousumi Murmu12
4 IndiaSushmita Bardhan10
5 IndiaMamata Hansda9
6 IndiaSangita Das7
7 IndiaSunita Sarkar6
 IndiaKabita Saren
 IndiaRimpa Haldar
 IndiaGita Das
 IndiaSarjida Khatun
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Club captains

List of East Bengal Women's captains since its establishment in 2001.

More information Name, Period ...
Name Period
India Sujata Kar2001
India Sunita Sarkar2020–2021
India Mina Khatun2022
India Ratna Halder2023
India Mousumi Murmu2023
India Trisha Mallick2023–2024
India Ngangbam Sweety Devi2025–
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Coaching history

List of East Bengal Women's head coaches.

More information Dates, Name ...
Dates Name Ref
2001–2002 Indrani Sarkar
2020–2021 Kuntala Ghosh Dastidar [5]
2022–2023 Sujata Kar [65]
2023 Indrani Sarkar [57]
2023–2024 Dipankar Biswas [66]
2024– Anthony Andrews [67]
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Honours

Domestic

Regional

  • Kaliaganj MLA Cup
    • Champions (1): 2022[16]
  • Baranagar MLA Cup
    • Champions (1): 2023[68]

List of foreign players

Key

  • A player name in bold signifies they have been capped by the national team.


As of 10 January 2025

Each player is mentioned only once, if some of them have rejoined the club later again in different seasons, those entries are excluded from the list.

More information No., Season joined ...
No. Season joined Nationality Name Position Ref.
1 2023–24 Bangladesh Bangladesh Sanjida Akhter MF [50]
2 2024–25 Uganda Uganda Resty Nanziri FW [67]
3 Ghana Ghana Elshaddai Acheampong FW [67]
4 Kenya Kenya Maurine Achieng MF [67]
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Notes

  1. Calcutta Women's Football League also referred to as Kanyashree Cup since 2020
  2. Post 2020, No data for previous editions.
  3. Post 2020, after the rebranding of the Calcutta Women's Football League. No data for previous editions.

References

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