Association football is one of the three most-popular sports in India, the others being cricket and kabaddi. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) recognises the Indian Super League as the national football league of India. The Santosh Trophy is a knock-out competition among Indian states and government institutions.
Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club was an Indian professional football club based in Phagwara, Punjab. Founded in 1971, the club was sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills under the leadership of Samir Thapar and participated in the National Football League which was later renamed I-League. They also participated in Punjab State Super Football League under licence from Punjab Football Association. The club was disbanded in 2011.
The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, due to ties with FIFA, also known as the FIFA Santosh Trophy, or simply Santosh Trophy, is an inter-state national football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport's governing body in India. Before the launch of the first national club league, the National Football League in 1996, the Santosh Trophy was considered the top domestic tournament in India. Many players who have represented India internationally have played and gained honour while playing in the Santosh Trophy. The tournament is held every year with eligible teams who are divided into zones, must play in the qualifying round and can progress into the tournament proper. The current champions are Karnataka, who won their title after 54 years during the 2022–23 edition. This was the first trophy for Karnataka, which had previously won four times as the princely state of Mysore, after 1968-69.
Air India Football Club is a football section of the same-named Indian institutional multi-sports club. Founded by Anand Prajapati in 1952, the club is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Sponsored by Air India, the club previously played in the Mumbai Football League, and now in the MFA Elite Corporate League.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Football Club was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai. The club was an institutional arm of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and part of its multi-sports club.
Jo Paul Ancheri is an Indian former professional football player who captained the Indian Football team. He was named the AIFF Player of the Year by the All India Football Federation in 1994 and 2001. He currently works as a Malayalam commentator and pundit on Star Sports Malayalam with the leading commentator Shaiju Damodaran.
Syed Sabir Pasha is a former Indian football player and technical director at All India Football Federation. During his playing days, Pasha played for Indian Bank in the National Football League from 1991 to 2007 and represented India between 1993 and 2001.
The Sub Junior National Football Championship, also known as Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy, is an Indian annual football tournament for under-16 teams representing states of India. The tournament was started in 1977 for boys under the age 15 years. The tournament was constituted at the Darjeeling meeting of the AIFF on 12 June 1976. AIFF donated the trophy in the memory of former President of Karnataka State Football Association, Mir Iqbal Hussain.
Gauhati Town Club is an Indian multi sports club based in Guwahati, Assam. Founded in 1906, the club had participated in the I-League 2, then second highest level football in India, for two seasons. It currently plays in the Guwahati Premier Football League, GSA A Division Football League and Youth League. The Gauhati Town Club Football Academy was set up to identify, train and nurture the local talents of northeast India at grassroots level. It has highly equipped infrastructure.
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. They were the second Indian team to participate in the continental top tier tournament – Asian Champion Club Tournament, by playing in the 1970 edition following Mysore in 1969.
The Kerala football team, also earlier the Travancore-Cochin football team, is an Indian state level football team representing Kerala in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Meghalaya football team is an Indian football team representing Meghalaya in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy, which is the national football championship.
The Mizoram football team is an Indian football team representing Mizoram in Indian state football competitions. They were the champions of the Santosh Trophy in the 2013–14 season.
The Haryana football team is a football team of India representing Haryana in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The history of football in India is a long and detailed one, as it was the national sport at one time. The impetus for this was to unify the Indian Army. There is evidence of football games being played in the army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world, and the world's third oldest competition, the Durand Cup. There was a time when football in India was highly celebrated. The Indian football outfit was called the "Brazilians of Asia".
Eastern Railway Football Club is an Indian institutional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club was incorporated in 1882. Its widely known football team has mostly competed in CFL Premier Division B.
The Football Association of Odisha (FAO) is the governing body of football in the state of Odisha, India. The Odisha football team and Odisha women's football team is administered by the Football Association of Odisha. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the national administrating body for football in India. It was formed in 1949 and was made into an independent registered body in 1961. The organisation was renamed after the Orissa Football Association was dissolved in 2010.
East Bengal Football Club Reserves and Academy is the reserve team and youth system of the Indian Super League side East Bengal FC. Reserves generally consist of younger players, but at times senior players also play, if recuperating from injury or not getting first team game time. Apart from the I-League 2 (formerly), the reserve side usually plays in the Calcutta Football League.
The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest level of women's football club competition in India.
The U-21 National Football Championship, also known as M. Dutta Ray Trophy, was an Indian football tournament held for players under 21 years of age. This trophy was named after Manindra Nath Dutta Ray, former president of the AIFF. This was introduced when Olympic football became a U-23 event in 1992 Summer Olympics at Barcelona in Spain. The 19th and last edition was held in Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana state from 15 to 28 February 2010. The Goa football team won the 2010 tournament by beating Haryana football team 1-0 in the final.
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