Karachi Football League

Last updated
Karachi Football League
کراچی فٹ بال لیگ
Founded1962;62 years ago (1962)
(restarted in 2003;21 years ago (2003))
CountryPakistan
Number of clubs20
Most championshipsBurma Mohammedan
Shahzad Mohammedan (2 titles) [1]

The Karachi Football League is a city based football league held in Karachi, in Pakistan's Sindh province. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

On a few known occasions, city league championships were played in Pakistan in Lahore stretching back to 1937 before the independence of Pakistan. [5] A league was organized in Karachi in 1962 as KDFA League, by the Karachi Division Football Association comprising 20 participants from the city. [6] Baloch XI from Lyari won the title after finishing at the top with 33 points. [6]

It was not until 2003 when the second edition of the league was held again, this time organised by Karachi United and sponsored by KASB Bank as the KASB Premier League. [7] From 2003 until 2008, the league was sponsored by "KASB Group of Companies" which was the Title Sponsor of the event for the first six editions. Coca-Cola Pakistan became the consequent league sponsor.

The league although regional and semi-professional, it has been compared to the top flight Pakistan Premier League, which has a dominance of department and armed forces teams, which have resulted in poor attendances, with the best supported teams being the Balochistan clubs Afghan FC Chaman, Baloch Nushki and Muslim FC. [8] In stark contrast, the Karachi Football League, despite being a third level division, routinely attracts healthy audiences with the highlight being the 2008–09 final between Shahzad Mohammadan and Nazimabad FC where a huge crowd of over 18,000 witnessed proceedings at the KMC Stadium. [8]

In February 2022, mayor of Karachi Murtaza Wahab announced the return of the league after inactivity. [9]

Format

In 2003, the season saw 10 clubs competing on a single league basis with the famous Lyari based Hyderi Baluch crowned as champions. In the first five seasons, five different clubs won the championship until Shazad Muhammadan won back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 seasons. In the 2008 season, the league expanded to 16 clubs, with the top eight clubs competing in a playoff. [10] In 2014 season, 20 teams were divided into two groups. After league matches, top four teams from each group progressed into the round-robin Super League phase. The top four teams of the Super League phase then made it to the semi-finals. [11] [12]

Winners

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Karachi Football League". The Nation (Pakistan) . 2 November 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Karachi Football League (KFL/K-League)". 2018-08-08. Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  3. ↑ "Karachi Football League". Dawn . 26 November 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Azam Sports hammer Azad XI in I am Karachi Football League". The News International . 26 January 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Pakistan - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  6. 1 2 3 "Pakistan 1962". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  7. ↑ "Pakistan 2003". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  8. 1 2 3 "In-depth: Pakistan football". DAWN.COM. 2013-01-13. Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  9. ↑ "Karachi Football League soon, says Barrister Murtaza". The Nation. 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  10. ↑ http://kufootballfoundation.org/ [ bare URL ]
  11. ↑ "'I am Karachi' Football hopes to beat violence in the city". ARY News . 30 December 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  12. ↑ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2014-12-30). "'Karachi Football League will help combat violence'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  13. ↑ "KASB Premier League (Karachi) 2003". RSSSF. 7 February 2004. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  14. ↑ "Pakistan (Other Tournaments) 2004". RSSSF. 16 February 2005. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  15. ↑ "Pakistan (Other Tournaments) 2005". RSSSF. 6 October 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  16. ↑ "Pakistan (Other Tournaments) 2006". RSSSF. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "Pakistan (Other Tournaments) 2007". RSSSF. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
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