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{{Infobox sport governing body
|name = North-West India Football Association
|abbrev = NWIFA
|logo =
|sport = [[Association football|Football]]
|jurisdiction =
|founded = {{start date and age|March 1932}}
|aff =
|affdate=|headquarters = [[Lahore]]
|membership =
|president =
|secretary =
|year closed={{start date and age|1947}}|url =
}}

The '''North-West India Football Association''' ('''NWIFA'''), was a [[association football|football]] governing body in [[British India]], encompassing football control in [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[North-West Frontier Province|NWFP]], [[Sind Province (1936–1955)|Sind]], [[Baluchistan Agency|Baluchistan]] and [[Delhi]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 04 March 1932 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19320304/120/0008 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> It was headquartered in [[Lahore]]. It also sent state teams for the [[Santosh Trophy]].

==History==
A movement to form a separate football association in North Western India was initiated by [[Wing commander|Wing Commander]] Hamid Ali Soofi in November 1931, aiming to promote football activity in the region.<ref name=":0" /> In March 1932, the North-West India Football Association was established, headquartered in [[Lahore]], and encompassing control in [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[North-West Frontier Province|NWFP]], [[Sind Province (1936–1955)|Sind]], [[Baluchistan Agency|Balochistan]] and [[Delhi]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite book |author=Kausik Bandyopadhyay |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uuYJEAAAQBAJ&q=Shiv+Kumar+Lal+aiff |title=Scoring Off the Field: Football Culture in Bengal, 1911–80 |date=29 November 2020 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781000084054}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Menon |first=Sandeep |date=2025-12-11 |title=How Mahilpur in Punjab is raising talented footballers and fostering a spirit for the beautiful game |url=https://scroll.in/article/1088609/how-mahilpur-in-punjab-is-raising-talented-footballers-and-fostering-a-spirit-for-the-beautiful-game |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=Scroll.in |language=en}}</ref> [[Sikandar Hayat Khan]] was elected president and Hamid Ali Soofi was elected honorary secretary.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ray |first=Rishav |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Game_of_Two_Halves/58gUEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22north+west+india+football+association%22&pg=PA118&printsec=frontcover |title=A Game of Two Halves: The Story of the Golden Era of Indian Club Football |date=2024-07-19 |publisher=Exceller Books |pages=118 |language=en}}</ref> On 23 June 1937, NWIFA became one of the nine regional football associations to become affiliated with the newly formed [[All India Football Federation]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kapur |first1=M.L. |url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Socceroo/1956A.html |title=Olympic Games |date=1956 |publisher=Soccer Weekly News |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055130/http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Socceroo/1956A.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Birth">{{cite news |last1=Kapadia |first1=Novy |date=24 June 2015 |title=The Birth of the All India Football Federation |url=https://www.saddahaq.com/the-birth-of-the-all-india-football-federation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325112623/https://www.saddahaq.com/the-birth-of-the-all-india-football-federation |archive-date=25 March 2017 |access-date=24 March 2017 |work=Saddahaq}}</ref>

Later on, several regions detached and formed their own associations. Sind Football Association was formed in July 1937,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 29 August 1937 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19370829/063/0006 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 13 November 1937 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19371113/221/0015 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Thursday 22 December 1938 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0003221/19381222/192/0013?browse=False |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> and the NWFP Football Association was founded in August 1937.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 20 August 1937 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19370820/199/0014 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> After the [[partition of India]] and the subsequent division of Punjab between India and Pakistan, the East Punjab Football Association was established in India,<ref name=":1" /> and the West Punjab Football Association was established in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 25 April 1948 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19480425/112/0009 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> The last honorary secretary of the North-West India Football Association since 1942, [[Khawaja Riaz Ahmed]], continued his position as honorary secretary in the West Punjab Football Association in Pakistan.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 18 April 1954 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19540418/098/0008 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> Hamid Ali Soofi also became the first honorary secretary of the [[Pakistan Football Federation]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahsan |first=Ali |date=2010-12-23 |title=A history of football in Pakistan — Part I |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/593095/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-i |access-date=2025-11-09 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref>

== State teams ==
The North-West India Football Association (NWIFA) football team competed in the [[Santosh Trophy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=India 1946 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/india46.html#santosh |access-date=2025-11-09 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref>

== Office bearers ==

=== Presidents ===
{| class="wikitable"
!President
!Term<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Kapur |first=M. L. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Punjab_Sports_and_Who_s_who/xlZXAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22North-West+India+Football+Association%22&dq=%22North-West+India+Football+Association%22&printsec=frontcover |title=Punjab Sports and Who's who: Official Book of Punjab Olympic Association |date=1968 |publisher=Punjab Olympic Association |pages=204–205 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[Sikandar Hayat Khan]]
|1932 – 1935
|-
|Khan Bahadur Nawab Muzaffar Khan
|1935 – 1938
|-
|Dr. H.B. Dunnicliff
|1938 – 1939
|-
|Khan Bahadur Muhammad Sheikh
|1939 – 1942
|-
|[[Muhammad Afzal Husain|Khan Bahadur Mian Afzal Hussain]]
|1942 – 1947
|}
=== Honorary Secretaries ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Honorary Secretary
!Term<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" />
|-
|Hamid Ali Soofi
|1932 – 1942
|-
|[[Khawaja Riaz Ahmed]]
|1942 – 1947
|}

== Competitions ==

=== North-West India Football Championship ===
The association organised several editions of the North-West India Football Championship, open to teams from [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[North-West Frontier Province|NWFP]], [[Sind Province (1936–1955)|Sindh]], [[Baluchistan Agency|Balochistan]] and [[Delhi]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 05 January 1935 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19350105/122/0009 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Monday 14 November 1932 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19321114/174/0013 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 17 February 1940 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19400217/168/0010 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>''<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=Pakistan - List of Champions |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/pakichamp.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412080915/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/pakichamp.html |archive-date=12 April 2023 |access-date=2023-08-05 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref>'' The winners were awarded the ''Harper Nelson Challenge Cup'', and the tunners-up were awarded the ''Rambhajdatt Chaudhary Memorial Challenge Cup''.<ref name=":3" />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Edition
!Year
!Champion
!Score
!Runner-up
!Ref.
|-
|1
|1932–1933
|Headquarter Wing, East Surrey Regiment
|1–1
N/A (replayed final)
|Shining Club (Kohat)
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19330106/165/0014|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 06 January 1933|website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19330721/158/0013|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 21 July 1933|website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|2
|1933–1934
|A Company, East Surrey Regiment
|N/A
|Headquarter Wing, East Surrey Regiment
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19340103/142/0011|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Wednesday 03 January 1934|website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0003221/19340105/317/0020?browse=true|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 05 January 1934|website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|3
|1935
|Mozang Club
|3–2
|North-Western Railway Workshops
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Wednesday 13 February 1935 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19350213/185/0013 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|4
|1936
|United Hands FC
|3–0
|A Company The Royal Scots
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuesday, 11 February 1936, Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19360211/239/0014}}</ref>
|-
|5
|1937
|Shining Club (Kohat)
|1–0
|Government College (Lahore)
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=North-West India 1936/37 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki-nwi37.html#nwi |access-date=2025-09-23 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Thursday 11 February 1937 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19370211/182/0014 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|6
|1938
|
|
|
|
|-
|7
|1939
|
|
|
|
|-
|8
|1940
|C Company DCLI
|2–1
|Government College (Lahore)
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Friday, 15 March 1940, Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19400315/216/0013}}</ref>
|-
|9
|1941
|Government College (Lahore)
|2–0
|B Company
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 25 March 1941 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19410325/178/0013 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|10
|1942
|Olympians Club (Lahore)
|5–0
|Mozang Muslims
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 19 May 1942 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19420519/141/0010 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|11
|1943
|Batapur Club/Bata Sports
|3–0
|[[Rangers FC Lahore|Rangers FC]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 22 June 1943 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19430622/103/0007 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 06 July 1943 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19430706/064/0005 |website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|12
|1944
|Bata Sports Club
|1–1
3–2 (replayed final)
|DFA Jullundur
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19440613/110/0007|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 13 June 1944|website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19440618/101/0007|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Sunday 18 June 1944|website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19440620/070/0005|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 20 June 1944|website=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>
|-
|13
|1945
|
|
|
|
|-
|14
|1946
|
|
|
|
|-
|15
|1947
|
|
|
|
|}

=== Lahore Football League ===
A Lahore Football League was founded in [[1936–37 Lahore Football League|1936]], which was won by the Old Boys Club.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 05 June 1936 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19360605/232/0015 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> From 1937 onwards, it was divided in two divisions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Saturday 31 July 1937 |url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19370731/200/0013 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Football governing bodies in India]]
[[Category:Football governing bodies in Pakistan]]
[[Category:1932 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1932]]
[[Category:Defunct association football governing bodies]]
[[Category:Sports organizations disestablished in 1947]]

North-West India Football Association - Revision history

Vikidge: new new article v1