Organising body | Indian Football Association (West Bengal) |
---|---|
Founded | 1889 |
Region | India |
Number of teams | 24 |
Current champions | Dalhousie AC (2nd title) |
Most successful team(s) | Mohun Bagan (11 titles) |
The Trades Cup (also known as the Trades Challenge Cup [1] or IFA Trades Challenge Cup) [2] is an Indian football tournament held in Kolkata and organised by Indian Football Association. [3] [4] Incorporated in 1889, it is the second oldest football tournament in Asia and the oldest in Kolkata. [5] [6] [7] It is the traditional curtain raiser for the Kolkata football season.
The Trades Cup was instituted in 1889 by the trading community of Calcutta and was organised by the Dalhousie AC committee. [1] [8] It was the first open football tournament in India, where Indian, British, regimental and college clubs participated. [9] [10]
The first Indian club to win a match against a British team was Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari's Sovabazar Club. [11] [12] [13] [14] They won the opening match of the 1892 Trades Cup by defeating the East Surrey Regiment with the score of 2–1. [15] [16] [17] The first Indian club to win the Trades Cup was the National Association who won the trophy in the 1900 edition. The Indian club from South Calcutta under the guidance of Manmatha Ganguly defeated the British side, Shibpur Engineering College on 11 August 1900 at the Shobhabazar Ground. [15] [18] [19] Mohun Bagan completed a hat-trick of Trades Cup titles between 1906 and 1908, [20] which enabled them to make their IFA Shield debut in 1909. [21]
The Trades Cup was revived after not being held for 25 years in 2004 by the IFA. The tournament gives the Kolkata clubs outside the "Big Three" playing in the Premier and lower divisions the chance to field and organise their teams ahead of the start of their league season. [22]
Gostha Behari Pal was an Indian footballer who played primarily as a defender. Nicknamed "the Chinese wall", Pal was the first captain of the India national team, played during the 1920s and 30s.
Sailendra Nath Manna, known popularly as Sailen Manna, was an Indian football player who represented the India national team between 1948 and 1956. Predominantly played as a left-back, Manna is considered as one of the best defenders the country has ever produced. He has represented and captained India in different international competitions, including the Olympics and Asian Games. In 1971 Manna was awarded with Padma Shri by Government of India.
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.
The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association, the football governing body in the Indian state of West Bengal. The IFA came into existence in 1893, and was named after the association. The IFA Shield tournament was started in the same year. It is the third oldest football tournament in India, after Durand Cup and Trades Cup, and is among the oldest football competitions in the world.
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.
The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. Incorporated in 1890, it was the third oldest tournament in India after Trades Cup.
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.
Sheoo Mewalal was an Indian footballer in Kolkata. He played as a striker and was known for his fitness, bicycle kicks, and goal-scoring abilities, especially using the rabona kick.
Amal Dutta was a former Indian footballer, coach and football manager. Born in Calcutta, then Bengal Presidency, he is considered as the first professional football coach in the country. A finest thinker of the sport, Dutta had a rivalry with Pradip Kumar Banerjee during his coaching days in Kolkata club football.
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.
Aryan Football Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, known predominantly for its association football section. The club competes in the Calcutta Football League, oldest league in Asia.
Samar "Badru" Banerjee was an Indian footballer who played primarily as a striker for the India national football team. He captained India at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where they achieved fourth place.
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.
Balaidas Chatterjee was an Indian footballer and football manager, who played predominantly as defender. He became the first head coach of the India national team and guided them at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. During his playing days, Chatterjee played for Mohun Bagan in various domestic competitions.
Shyam Thapa is an Indian former footballer and coach. He represented the India national football team and was the bronze-medallist at the 1970 Asian Games. He later went on to manage the Nepal national football team.
Mohammed Habib was an Indian footballer who played as a forward for the India national team which he also captained. He is also considered by many Indians as one of the best footballers the country has ever produced. He was popularly known as Bade Mia in the Indian football world.
Kidderpore Sporting Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kidderpore in South Kolkata, West Bengal. Its association football team competes in the Calcutta Football League Premier Division A, alongside taking part in IFA Shield. They also have a futsal section.
Association football is two most-popular sports in West Bengal, the others being Cricket. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of West Bengal 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. West Bengal 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.
Wari Athletic Club is a professional multi-sports club based in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal. It currently competes in the Premier division of the Calcutta Football League.
The Cooch Behar Cup was an Indian football tournament held in Kolkata and organised by the Indian Football Association. Incorporated in 1893, it was one of the oldest football tournaments in Asia.
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