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.
Yousuf Khan was an Indian footballer who represented India national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was one of only two Indians to have been included in the 1965 Asian All Stars XI. He was also a part of the team which won the 1962 Asian Games.
Havildar Peter Thangaraj was an Indian football player and a non-commissioned officer in the Indian Army. Thangaraj played for the Indian national side at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics. He was voted Asia's best goalkeeper in 1958. Thangaraj was a recipient of Arjuna Award for the year 1967.
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 Senior Women's National Football Championship, also known as Rajmata Jijabaisaheb Maharaj National Football Championship 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.
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 Punjab football team is an Indian football team representing Punjab in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
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 Goa football team is an Indian football team representing the state of Goa in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Karnataka football team, also earlier the Mysore football team, is an Indian football team representing Karnataka in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Andhra Pradesh football team is an Indian football team representing Andhra Pradesh in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Services football team is a football section of the Indian Armed Forces, representing them in various regional competitions. It is operated by the Services Sports Control Board, and competes in Santosh Trophy.
The Manipur football team is an Indian football team representing Manipur in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy.
The Tamil Nadu football team, also earlier the Madras football team, is an Indian football team representing Tamil Nadu in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. They have appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals twice, in 1972–73 and 2012, and have never won. Tamil Nadu team reached semi-finals of the Santosh Trophy in 2009, where they lost to Goa. Prior to 1972, the team competed as Madras.
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.
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 2014 Santosh Trophy was the 68th edition of the Santosh Trophy, the main state competition in Indian football. The tournament was held in two phases. The final phase was held in Siliguri, West Bengal between 24 February and 9 March 2014. The zone competitions were held between January 26 and February 4, 2014. In the finals, played at Kanchenjunga Stadium, Siliguri, debutant Mizoram beat the Railways 3–0 to clinch the trophy, and the Rs 500,000 prize money, while the runners up Railways received Rs. 300,000.
Tulsidas Balaram, also known as Tulsidas Balaraman, was an Indian footballer. Balaram represented India in multiple international tournaments, including the Asian Games, the Mederka Cup and the Olympics. Along with P. K. Banerjee and Chuni Goswami, Balaram was part of an acclaimed trio of players that helped propel India into what is widely regarded as its golden age of football during the 1950s and 60s.
Aloke Mukherjee is an Indian former international football left back. He was active as a footballer from 1978 to 1997. He was named in the All Time best Eleven Indian Team by footballer and coach PK. Banerjee. He worked as deputy general manager and joint director–food in Food Corporation of India.
Kottappadi Football Stadium, also known as Malappuram Stadium, is a historic football stadium in Malappuram, Kerala. It is under the management of Malappuram District Sports Council, located right at the heart of CBD of Malappuram. Being one of the early places where football took its root, Malappuram is unequivocally considered to be the cradle of Indian football and this stadium owns much of its credit.
