https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Indian_Football_AssociationIndian Football Association - Revision history2026-08-22T03:34:26ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_Football_Association&diff=462189&oldid=prevVirgilBugnion41: minor edit2025-10-29T19:27:09Z<p>minor edit</p>
<a href="//en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_Football_Association&diff=462189&oldid=169713">Show changes</a>VirgilBugnion41https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_Football_Association&diff=169713&oldid=previmported>Niceguyedc: v2.04 - Repaired 1 link to disambiguation page - (You can help) - Kalyani / Fix errors for CW project (Spelling and typography)2021-08-24T18:58:56Z<p>v2.04 - Repaired 1 link to disambiguation page - <a href="https://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/BP:DPL" class="extiw" title="wp:DPL">(You can help)</a> - <a href="/wiki/Kalyani" title="Kalyani">Kalyani</a> / Fix errors for <a href="https://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/BP:WCW" class="extiw" title="wp:WCW">CW project</a> (Spelling and typography)</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Infobox football association<br />
| name = Indian Football Association (W.B.)<br />
| Logo = IFA (WB) logo.svg<br />
| Abbreviation = IFA(WB)<br />
| Founded = {{foundation date and age|1893}} <br />
| Region = [[All India Football Federation|AIFF]]<br />
| President = Ajit Banerjee<br />
| Region affiliation = 1937<br />
| Website = {{URL|https://ifawb.org/}}<br />
| Headquarters =[[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]<br />
| Vice-President = * Shyamal Mitra<br />
* Tanumoy Basu<br />
* Dr. Partha Sarathi Ganguli<br />
| Badge_size =220px<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The '''Indian Football Association''', abbreviated as '''IFA''', is the organization that administers [[association football]] in the state of [[West Bengal]], [[India]]. It is the oldest Football Association in India and was founded in 1893. Among the founders was former [[England national football team|English]] international [[Elphinstone Jackson]].<ref>[http://www.iffhs.de/?3f4b05ffcd85bcca952b9b95205fdcdc3bfcdc0aec70aeeda30b IFFHS - Interesting and curious facts about full internationals and national players (1872-1900)]</ref><br />
<br />
It organizes tournaments such as the [[Calcutta Football League]], the [[Calcutta Women's Football League]] and the [[IFA Shield]]. From 2021, the IFA also took an initiative to start its own [[futsal]] league.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2021-01-28|title=First ever Futsal league in Bengal to kick off on 'Poila Baishakh'|url=https://thebridge.in/football/first-ever-futsal-league-in-bengal-to-kick-off-on-poila-baishakh/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=The Bridge|language=en-GB}}</ref><br />
<br />
==History==<br />
Contrary to the name, the association does not administer the game in India, a task that falls to the [[All India Football Federation]] (AIFF), instead governs the game in the state of [[West Bengal]]. However, before the formation of the AIFF, the IFA was in ''[[de facto]]'' control of football in India by virtue of its administration by [[English people|Englishmen]] as well as its affiliation to the [[the Football Association|British Football Association]] (the FA). Hence, all foreign tours were conducted by the IFA and also foreign teams negotiated with the IFA for visits to India. In its formative years, the only Indian representative in the English dominated executive committee was Kalicharan Mitra from the [[Shobhabazar|Sovabazar]] Club. By vigorously promoting the game in [[Bengal]], the IFA became undivided India's premier football body in the early decades of the 20th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2017-03-25|title=The Birth of the All India Football Federation {{!}} Novy Kapadia|url=https://www.saddahaq.com/the-birth-of-the-all-india-football-federation|access-date=2021-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325112623/https://www.saddahaq.com/the-birth-of-the-all-india-football-federation|archive-date=2017-03-25}}</ref><br />
<br />
Through the efforts of [[Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari]] (''The Father of Indian Football''), A.R. Brown and B.C. Lindsay of [[Dalhousie AC]], and Watson of [[Calcutta Cricket and Football Club|Calcutta FC]], the IFA was established in 1893. A.R. Brown was the first Secretary of the IFA. [[Norman Pritchard|Norman Prichard]], the first Indian to win an [[Olympic medal]], was the Secretary of the IFA in 1900.The most remarkable person to head the IFA was the [[Maharaja]] of [[Santosh, Bangladesh|Santosh]], [[Sir]] M.N. Roy Chowdhury. During his tenure the IFA played an instrumental role in the formation of the AIFF.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://ifawb.org/about-us/|access-date=2021-02-26|website=IFAWB|language=en-US}}</ref><br />
<br />
The IFA had organised many historical tournaments like the Trades Cup, the Gladstone Cup, the [[Cooch Behar]] Cup and the coveted [[IFA Shield]], prior to the incorporation of [[Calcutta Football League]] in 1898.<br />
<br />
Clubs outside [[Bengal]] complained about the lack of neutrality in the affairs of the IFA. This disillusionment of clubs and patrons led to the formation of associations such as the [[Western India Football Association|Western Indian Football Association]], which preferred to be governed by themselves rather than by the IFA. After years of numerous conferences and meetings, the IFA along with other five regional football associations broke their mutual deadlock to form the AIFF in 1937.<ref name=":0" /><br />
<br />
Since the establishment of the IFA, the promotion and development of the sport was restricted within the borders of [[Kolkata]] and few other [[List of districts of West Bengal|districts]] of [[South Bengal|southern]] [[West Bengal|Bengal]]. There were negligible efforts taken to spread the sport throughout the state, especially in [[North Bengal|northern]] [[West Bengal|Bengal]]. In 2021, the then Secretary of the IFA, Joydeep Mukherjee, led the plans to do so and thus initiated the ''[[Uttarbanga Cup|Uttorbongo Cup]]'' (North Bengal Cup) and ''[[Kalyani, West Bengal|Kalyani]] Cup'' to scout newer talents from the neglected sections of the state.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-22|title=All systems go : Uttarbanga Cup ready to take off|url=https://ifawb.org/uttarbanga-cup-ready-to-take-off/|access-date=2021-02-27|website=IFAWB|language=en-US}}</ref> The IFA also launched a [[futsal]] competition in order to introduce and promote the sport in the state at a professional level.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-26|title=IFA Plan To Organize Futsal Tourney Featuring East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting {{!}} The Fan Garage (TFG)|url=https://thefangarage.com/articles/17878-ifa-plan-to-organize-futsal-tourney-featuring-east-bengal-mohun-bagan-mohammedan-sporting|access-date=2021-02-27|website=thefangarage.com}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Competitions==<br />
===Men's===<br />
* [[Calcutta Football League]] <br />
* [[IFA Shield]]<br />
* [[Uttarbanga Cup]]<br />
<br />
===Women's===<br />
* [[Calcutta Women's Football League]]<br />
<br />
=== Youth's ===<br />
<br />
* [[Calcutta Football League|CFL]] 5th Division Group B <sub>(Age group: 13 to 16)</sub><br />
<br />
==Corporate structure==<br />
{{As of|January 2021}}<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Office<br />
!Name<br />
|-<br />
|President<br />
|Ajit Banerjee<br />
|-<br />
|Secretary<br />
|Joydeep Mukherjee<br />
|-<br />
|Chairman<br />
|Subrata Dutta<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="3" |Vice-president<br />
|Shyamal Mitra<br />
|-<br />
|Tanumoy Basu<br />
|-<br />
|Dr. Partha Sarathi Ganguli<br />
|-<br />
|Treasurer<br />
|Krishnendu Banerjee<br />
|-<br />
| rowspan="4" |Joint Asst. Secretary<br />
|Sufal Ranjan Giri<br />
|-<br />
|Rakesh Jha<br />
|-<br />
|Subhasish Sarkar<br />
|-<br />
|Nazrul Islam<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Football in India]]<br />
* [[Football in Kolkata]]<br />
* [[IFA Shield]]<br />
* [[Calcutta Football League|Calcutta Premier Division]]<br />
* [[West Bengal football team]]<br />
* [[List of football clubs in Kolkata]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
*[http://the-ifa.org/ IFA Official Site]<br />
*[https://www.the-aiff.com/association/494 IFA page on AIFF Website]<br />
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNa4rEtIB-3QlzA_St6fzGA IFA Official YouTube Channel]<br />
<br />
{{IFA seasons}}<br />
{{Football in Kolkata|stadium=[[Salt Lake Stadium]]}}<br />
{{Football in India}}<br />
{{Indian state football associations}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Football governing bodies in India]]<br />
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1893]]<br />
[[Category:Organisations based in Kolkata]]<br />
[[Category:1893 establishments in British India]]</div>imported>Niceguyedc