Sports in West Bengal has its own importance. Cricket and football are the most popular sports in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Sports in West Bengal has its own importance. Cricket and football are the most popular sports in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Unlike in other Indian states where cricket is considered as the most popular game with some exceptions, football is the most popular game in West Bengal. [1] [2] [3] It can be considered as the football hub of India and houses many clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting Club. [4] [5]
As mostly in India, cricket is immensely popular among the masses of west Bengal. It houses the Eden Gardens stadium which is the largest cricket stadium in India. Eden gardens can house more than 100,000 people and is one of the only two 100,000-seat cricket amphitheaters in the world. [6] Eden gardens is also the home for the East Zone and Bengal Cricket team. It also houses the Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders bought by Shah Rukh Khan which uses Eden gardens as its home turf. Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world. [7]
Indian sports like kho kho and kabaddi are also popular among the masses here.
The oldest polo club of the world, Calcutta Polo Club is also present here. [8]
Outside Great Britain the Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the oldest of its kind. [9]
West Bengal is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of 88,752 km2 (34,267 sq mi) as of 2011. The population estimate as of 2023 is 102,552,787. West Bengal is the fourth-most populous and thirteenth-largest state by area in India, as well as the eighth-most populous country subdivision of the world. As a part of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, it borders Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and Bhutan in the north. It also borders the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam. The state capital is Kolkata, the third-largest metropolis, and seventh largest city by population in India. West Bengal includes the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, the Ganges delta, the Rarh region, the coastal Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal. The state's main ethnic group are the Bengalis, with the Bengali Hindus forming the demographic majority.
East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal, is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top flight of the Indian football. It is one of the most successful football clubs in the country. The club has other departments for women's football, men's and women's cricket, field hockey, athletics and eSports.
The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, commonly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium located in Salt Lake City, Kolkata, with current capacity of 68,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium is the home ground for multiple football clubs, most notably Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan. It was the fifth largest sports stadium in Asia by seating capacity. Prior to undergoing renovations in 2011, it had a seating capacity of 120,000. Prior to the construction and opening of Rungrado May Day Stadium in 1989, it was the largest football stadium in the world. The stadium hosted the final match of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, alongside other matches of the tournament. As part of security measures for the 2017 U-17 World Cup, the stadium was only open for 66,687 viewers.
Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1792 as a cricket institution, the football and rugby sections were added when it merged with Calcutta Football Club in 1965.
The Kanchenjunga Stadium, also known as Kanchanjungha Krirangan, is a multi-purpose stadium in Siliguri, India. It is mainly used for cricket and football matches. Built in the 1980s, the stadium holds a capacity of 40,000 and currently the home ground of Siliguri Premier League side Kanchenjunga FC. It also hosted two Kolkata Derby matches in 2016 I-league.
Eastern India is a region of India consisting of the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal and also the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Tollygunge Agragami Football Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club known for its football section. It is based in Tollygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1943 as "Russa Agragami Samity", the club competes in Calcutta Premier Division League.
In India, the Bengal cricket team represents the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in domestic competition. Based at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, they have played first-class cricket since 1935. Bengal have won the Ranji Trophy twice and been runners-up 13 times. They also play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, both of which they have won once. Several international cricketers have played for the team including Dilip Doshi, Sourav Ganguly, Deep Dasgupta, Mohammed Shami, Pankaj Roy, and Wriddhiman Saha.
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 nine goals in 30 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.
Pradip Kumar BanerjeeFIFAOM was an Indian professional footballer who played as a striker for the India national football team. He also captained the national team and later on became the coach of the national team. He represented India in 52 official matches and scored 16 official goals for the country. He was one of the first recipients of Arjuna Award, when the awards were instituted in 1961. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1990 and was named Indian Footballer of the 20th century by IFFHS. In 2004, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honour awarded by FIFA.
The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is the governing body for cricket in the Indian state of West Bengal. It owns the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata, where its headquarters are located. CAB is a full member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and organises various events in West Bengal. It manages the Bengal cricket team, which has competed in domestic tournaments since 1935 and plays its home matches at Eden Gardens.
Eden Gardens is an international cricket stadium in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 68,000. It is owned and operated by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and is the home ground of the Kolkata Knight Riders. It houses the headquarters of Cricket Association of Bengal.
Dalhousie Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, best known for its football section. It was established in 1880, during the British rule in India. Dalhousie has competed in the Premier Division of Calcutta Football League for a long time.
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.
Kalighat Milan Sangha Football Club is an Indian multi-sports club based in Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal. Its football team currently competes in the Premier Division of Calcutta Football League.
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.
Kishore Bharati Krirangan is a multi-purpose stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal. used mainly for football matches. The capacity of the stadium is 12,000 and the size of the sports complex is 13 acres. The stadium currently plays host to lower division Calcutta Football League matches. It has occasionally hosted Calcutta Premier Division matches. Sports meet of different schools are also held here.
Football is one of the most popular sports in Kolkata, West Bengal. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of Kolkata football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, originating from the Calcutta Football League as the Kolkata derby, is one of the fiercest in the world and considered among the flagship events in the Indian footballing calendar. Kolkata is known to be the Mecca of Indian football, with the two most supported teams in the country being based within the city – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The city is also home to the biggest football stadium in India, the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, which as of 2015 has a capacity of 85,000. The record attendance of 131,781 came in a match between the said two teams in the semifinal of the 1997 Federation Cup.
Bengal Nagpur Railway Football Club is an Indian institutional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1929, the club competes in the Premier Division B of the Calcutta Football League.
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