Association football is one of the most popular sports in India. The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the first FIFA event the country hosted. It was called the most successful FIFA U-17 World Cup ever, with a record-breaking attendance of 1,347,133, exceeding China's record of 1,230,976 from 1985. India also hosted the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and bid to host the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
All India Football Federation, aka AIFF, is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation.
The National Football Championship for 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, played in the Santosh Trophy. The tournament is held every year with eligible teams divided into zones, play in the qualifying round and can progress into the tournament proper.
Vatta Parambath Sathyan, popularly known as V. P. Sathyan, was a former Indian professional footballer who played the centre back position. He was the captain of the India national football team from 1991 to 1995. He was named the 1992 AIFF Player of the Year.
SBI Kerala Football Team was a professional football club based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala that represented and was owned by the State Bank of Travancore (SBT). It last competed in the Kerala Premier League. The club until its seizure was most successful in the Kerala Premier League history, winning the title record six times and finishing as runners-up on 5 occasions. The club has also won the National Football League Second Division twice, and became the first club from the city of Thiruvananthapuram to play in the top division of Indian football.
The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 12 clubs. It operates as a system of promotion and relegation with the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League 2.
The Senior Women's National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy, also known as Senior Women’s National Football Championship or simply the Rajmata Jijabai Trophy since 2024, is a women's football tournament contested by state associations and government institutions in India. The first edition was held in 1991 and is organized by the All India Football Federation to crown the national women's football champion each year. It is based on a league and knockout format.
Kerala United Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Malappuram, Kerala.
Women's football in India is growing in popularity under All India Football Federation, despite the earlier long-term governing body's inability to provide sufficient funds for the game.
The Assam Football Association (AFA) is one of the 37 Indian state football associations that are affiliated to the All India Football Federation. It governs football in the state of Assam, India and also administers the Assam men's and women's football teams. It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Senior Women's National Football Championship.
The Kerala Premier League is the highest state-level football league organized by the Kerala Football Association and played in the state of Kerala, India. It is the overall fifth tier of the Indian football league system. For sponsorship reasons it is officially known as the Scoreline Kerala Premier League. Founded in 1998, the Kerala Football League was the first football league in Kerala, and got rebranded in 2013 as the KPL. Kerala United is the current champion.
The Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) is one of the 36 Indian state football associations affiliated with the All India Football Federation. The Jammu and Kashmir Football Association is the governing body for football in Jammu and Kashmir. It was formed and granted recognition by Jammu & Kashmir State Sports Council and the All India Football Federation in 1964. Since 1964 the association has been qualified to take part in the Santosh Trophy and all other competitions in the country.
The Indian Women's League is the women's top tier professional football league in India. Founded in 2016, currently a total of 7 teams from across the country participate in the league.
Indumathi Kathiresan is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Odisha in the Indian Women's League and the India women's national football team.
The Tamil Nadu Football Association, formerly the Madras Football Association, is one of the 36 Indian state football associations that are affiliated with the All India Football Federation. The TNFA administers football in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Senior Women's National Football Championship.
Manisha Kalyan is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Greek A Division club PAOK and the India women's national team. She won the 2020–21 AIFF Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year and the 2022–23 AIFF Women's Player of the Year awards. She is the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
The 2019–20 Indian Women's League was the fourth season of the Indian Women's League, the top division women's professional football league in India. The league started from 24 January 2020 and ended on 14 February 2020 with Gokulam Kerala defeating Kryphsa 3-2 in the final to clinch the title for the first time. Twelve teams participated in the league. All the matches were played in Bangalore Football Stadium, Bengaluru.
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 2021–22 Kerala Women's League season was the third season of the Kerala Women's League. The season featured 6 teams and all the matches were played at single venue. The season was started in the mid of November 2021. The Kerala Football Association conducted the women's league after a gap 7 years.
Football is one of the most popular sports in Kerala. It was introduced to the land of Kerala during the pre-independence period by British officers of the Malabar Special Police (MSP) in the 20th century. MSP was camped in Malappuram and soon the natives began adopting the sport, which was mostly played in post-harvest paddy fields. Kerala enjoyed a golden age from 1985 to 1995 by making it to Santhosh Trophy finals seven times consecutively, and football became an iconic sport ever since in the south Indian state. FIFA released the film Maitanam - The Story of Football in Kerala, quoting: Football in the Indian state of Kerala runs through the fabric of its society, where football is life and life is football.
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