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| Full name | Services football team | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | Various | |||
| Owner | Services Sports Control Board Indian Army | |||
| Head coach | Mileswamy Govindaraju Ramachandran | |||
| League | Santosh Trophy | |||
| 2023–24 | Champions | |||
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, [1] and competes in Santosh Trophy. [2]
Services have appeared in the final of the Santosh Trophy ten times, and have won it seven times.
The team won their first Santosh Trophy in 1960–61 by beating Bengal 1–0 in the final. Since then, they have won the tournament another four times – 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Their latest win came at the 2023–24 Santosh Trophy Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, where they beat Goa 1–0 in the final.
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.
Subimal "Chuni" Goswami was an Indian professional footballer and first-class cricketer. As footballer, he played as a striker or winger, captained both the Mohun Bagan club and the India national team. He also served as the Sheriff of Kolkata. Goswami scored 12 goals in 37 international appearances. He was an Olympian, represented India national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He also led the team to achieve the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games, and earn the runners-up position at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.
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