Calcutta Football League

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia


Calcutta Football League
File:Calcutta Football League logo.png
Organising bodyIndian Football Association
Founded1893; 131 years ago (1893)
CountryIndia
Divisions7
Number of teams14 (Premier Division A)
approx. 160 (clubs and Units)
Level on pyramid3-4
Promotion toI-League Qualifiers
Domestic cup(s)Durand Cup (invitational)
Current championsPeerless SC (1st title)
(2019–20)
Most championshipsEast Bengal (39 titles)
TV partnersR Plus News
Aajkaal (online streaming)
WebsiteOfficial website
Current: 2021–22 Calcutta Premier Division

The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a men's professional state football league in West Bengal, India, organised by Indian Football Association. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is officially known as SNU Calcutta Football League,[1][2] is the top football league in the state and the oldest football league in Asia.

Indian Football Association (IFA) conducts the CFL with more than 160 mostly Kolkata based clubs and units. Started in 1898, this league is the oldest football league in Asia and regarded as one of the oldest football competitions in the world.[3] CFL currently consists of a seven-tier pyramid system[3] and there are more than 8,500 directly registered players of IFA participating in CFL every year, making it one of the biggest leagues in the country.

History[edit]

Early years (1890s–1910s)[edit]

In 1898, IFA introduced a two-tiered football league in Calcutta on the lines of English Football League in England and Wales. Until 1937, CFL was a major tournament with participation open to every team across the nation but after the establishment of AIFF, CFL became a regional competition.

The British Indian Army garrison stationed at Fort William played an instrumental role in shaping the Calcutta Football League by putting forth numerous teams alongside other European settlers. The Army teams won all but twelve of the titles until 1933. On eight of those twelve occasions the title was claimed by Calcutta and the rest by Dalhousie. Native teams were barred from participating for the first 15 seasons, and only clubs designated for civil servants, merchants, missionaries and other European nationalities made up the rest of the league, in a clearly designed exercise to exclude Indians of any religion.[4]

In 1914, IFA permitted only two native clubs- Mohun Bagan and Aryan, in the Second Division of CFL. Mohun Bagan had a successful campaign and earned promotion to the Premier Division in their debut season, whereas Aryan was promoted to the top division two years later. From 1917 to 1920, the Second Division was won by two other native clubs, namely Kumortuli Club (in 1917, 1918 and 1919) and Town Club (in 1920), but their promotions were denied due to the allowance of only two native clubs to play in each tier.[5][6]

Uprise of native dominance (1920s–1947)[edit]

1921 saw the rise of East Bengal who began their CFL journey in the Second Division in place of Tajhat Club who had withdrawn from the league. Three years later East Bengal finished the Second Division as the joint-winners with Cameroons B and since Cameroons A was in the Premier Division, East Bengal got the opportunity for promotion. As two native clubs were already playing in the Premier Division, East Bengal's promotion was to be rejected as well. At this, the club called for amendments and in the following General Meeting of IFA, the nine British teams conveyed their approval, while Mohun Bagan and Aryan opposed it. Eventually the rule regulating the promotion of native clubs was abolished on the consent of the majority.[6]

Mohammedan SC, the first native Indian team to win the league.

Even though the native clubs got more opportunities yet the British dominance continued till 1933. In 1934, Mohammedan won the title in their debut season and became the first native club to win CFL.[7] The club went on to win the league six out of seven times from 1935 to 1941, with 1939 being the only exception when they didn't participate and Mohun Bagan went away with their first league title that year.[5][8]

Post-independence era (1947–1970s)[edit]

In the post-independence years, many other state leagues were introduced and various clubs from other states rose in glory, but CFL was still considered to be one of the top leagues in the nation and provided innumerable young talents. The league matches were mostly played in monsoon and matches involving the Big Three of Calcutta (Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan) regularly attracted more than 30,000 spectators.[5] From 1934 to 1981, Eastern Railway was the only club outside of the Big Three to win the title in 1958.

The CFL had a long history of crowd trouble, and the burgeoning fanfare exacerbated it. The rapidly increasing off-the-field rivalry between the respective fans of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal saw one of the darkest days of Indian football when 16 fans lost their lives because of a stampede and rioting during a Kolkata Derby in CFL on 16 August 1980 in Eden Gardens. Since then the day is celebrated every year as the Football Lover's Day.[9][5]

Years of obscurity (1980s–2000s)[edit]

In the 80s and 90s, the league caught many eyes with the rivalry between the two of Indian football's finest tacticians— P.K. Banerjee and Amal Dutta, besides the decades old rivalry among the Big Three.[10][5]

Due to the rise in financial demands and steady modernisation of the sport, the league became dominated by the Big Three clubs as the smaller clubs struggled to keep up with their economy. The league saw the beginning of a major downfall with the introduction of NFL (now I-League). The importance of regional competitions decreased as all the top clubs in the state were racing for the national honours. From the later 20th century, Mohammedan eventually lost its stronghold and, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal became the only dominant teams in the league. In the new century, the IFA revamped the competition into a six-tier competition with the seventh tier, called the nursery league, reserved for sub-junior teams. The top tier, Premier Division, was also divided into two groups so as to include more teams.

Resurgence (2010s–present)[edit]

From 2010, East Bengal had went on to win a record eight consecutive titles until their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan break the streak in 2018. In 2018 the league's popularity had a sudden upsurge and recorded more than 15,000 spectators even in matches involving small clubs. Most news reports in the local media reverberated the popular feeling— "The passion of the 70s is back." Small clubs like Peerless and George Telegraph introduced some of the foreign talents that later went on to become big names in the country.[5]

In 2019, Peerless clinched the honour and became the second team outside the Big Three after Eastern Railway to win the league since 1934.[11] Since the independence of India, the CFL was never cancelled until 2020 when after a lengthy delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was decided to cancel the then CFL season, with the next season due to start later in 2021.[12]

Division structure[edit]

With the season starting from 2015, the clubs/units were redistributed among the first six divisions and the last division was reserved only for youth teams.[3]

Tier Division
1 Premier Division
Premier Division A

↓relegate 2

Premier Division B

↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2

2 First Division

↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2

3 Second Division

↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2

4 Third Division

↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2

5 Fourth Division

↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2

6 Fifth Division Group A

↑promote 2

7 Fifth Division Group B

(Age group: 13 to 16)

Usually 12 teams participate in the Premier Division A and compete in a single-leg round'robin tournament. The top two teams are promoted to the I-League 2nd Division where as the bottom two teams are relegated to Premier Division B. In the Premier Division B, usually 10 teams are involved and the tournament is divided into two phases. In the first phase, all the teams play in a single-leg round-robin tournament. In the second phase, the teams are split into two groups (A and B) of top teams and bottom teams respectively. The teams in Group A compete for promotion to the Premier Division A, while those in Group B compete to avoid relegation to the First Division.

Apart from the Premier Division A, all the other divisions are competed by more than 20 teams, the format of the tournaments in the lower divisions aren't always the same. The top teams in respective divisions are promoted to the division higher to it and the bottom teams get relegated to the lower one.

The most successful clubs participating in the top-tier of the league includes East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan. However, since 1982, the league has been won by either East Bengal or Mohun Bagan until 2019 when Peerless made history by winning their maiden league title and becoming the first team outside the Kolkata's Big Three to win the league after a gap of 61 years since Eastern Railway had won.[13]

Prize money in Premier Division[edit]

As updated on 28 July 2019.

Champions 10 lakh (US$14,000)
1st Runners-up 5 lakh (US$7,000)
2nd Runner-up 25,000 (US$350)
Matchday Subsidy 5,000 (US$70)
Match winner 5,000 (US$70)
Man of the Match 5,000 (US$70)

Sponsorship[edit]

League Title Sponsor[edit]

Period Sponsor Tournament Name
1898–2004 None Calcutta Football League
2005–2014 Sahara India Sahara Calcutta Premier League
2015–2020 Officer's Choice Blue Officer's Choice Blue Calcutta Premier League
2021–present Sister Nivedita University SNU Calcutta Football League[1]

Media coverage[edit]

Period TV Channel
1898–2004 None
2005

Tara Newz

2006

Kolkata TV

2007

Zee 24 Ghanta

2008

ABP Ananda

2009–11

News Time

2012

Zee 24 Ghanta

2013–15

Jalsha Movies

2016

News18 Bangla

2017

Kolkata TV

2018–2020

Sadhna News

2021–present

R Plus News

List of Premier Division winners[edit]

The list only contains the names of the teams that have won the highest division of the Calcutta Football League more than once.[7]

Club Titles Winning years
East Bengal 39 1942, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1961, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Mohun Bagan 30 1939, 1943, 1944, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2018
Mohammedan 11 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1957, 1967, 1981
Calcutta 8 1899, 1907, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1925
Dalhousie 4 1910, 1921, 1928, 1929
Durham Light Infantry 3 1931, 1932, 1933
Black Watch 2 1912, 1913
Gordon Light Infantry 1908, 1909
King's Regiment 1904, 1905
North Staffordshire Regiment 1926, 1927
Royal Irish Rifles 1900, 1901
Eastern Railway 1 1958
Peerless SC 2019

Premier Division results by year[edit]

Year Winner Note
2021
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in India.
2019 Peerless
2018 Mohun Bagan
2017 East Bengal
2016 East Bengal East Bengal had won every match in the tournament.[citation needed]
2015 East Bengal
2014 East Bengal
2013 East Bengal
2012 East Bengal
2011 East Bengal
2010 East Bengal
2009 Mohun Bagan
2008 Mohun Bagan
2007 Mohun Bagan
2006 East Bengal
2005 Mohun Bagan
2004 East Bengal
2003 East Bengal
2002 East Bengal
2001 Mohun Bagan
2000 East Bengal
1999 East Bengal
1998 East Bengal
1997 Mohun Bagan
1996 East Bengal
1995 East Bengal
1994 Mohun Bagan
1993 East Bengal
1992 Mohun Bagan
1991 East Bengal
1990 Mohun Bagan
1989 East Bengal
1988 East Bengal
1987 East Bengal
1986 Mohun Bagan
1985 East Bengal
1984 Mohun Bagan
1983 Mohun Bagan
1982 East Bengal
1981 Mohammedan
1980 None Called off due to stampede and riot in Eden Gardens on August 16.[9]
1979 Mohun Bagan
1978 Mohun Bagan
1977 East Bengal East Bengal had won every match in the tournament.[14]
1976 Mohun Bagan
1975 East Bengal
1974 East Bengal
1973 East Bengal
1972 East Bengal East Bengal didn't concede a goal in the tournament.[15]
1971 East Bengal
1970 East Bengal
1969 Mohun Bagan
1968 None Mohun Bagan had won the league but due to an injunction from the Calcutta High Court, the league was declared null and void.[16]
1967 Mohammedan
1966 East Bengal
1965 Mohun Bagan
1964 Mohun Bagan
1963 Mohun Bagan
1962 Mohun Bagan
1961 East Bengal
1960 Mohun Bagan
1959 Mohun Bagan
1958 Eastern Railway
1957 Mohammedan
1956 Mohun Bagan
1955 Mohun Bagan
1954 Mohun Bagan
1953 None Abandoned midway due to riots in Calcutta.[17]
1952 East Bengal
1951 Mohun Bagan
1950 East Bengal
1949 East Bengal
1948 Mohammedan
1947 None Cancelled due to Indian independence movement.
1946 East Bengal
1945 East Bengal
1944 Mohun Bagan
1943 Mohun Bagan
1942 East Bengal
1941 Mohammedan
1940 Mohammedan
1939 Mohun Bagan
1938 Mohammedan
1937 Mohammedan
1936 Mohammedan
1935 Mohammedan
1934 Mohammedan First native club to win the league.[8]
1933 Durham Light Infantry
1932 Durham Light Infantry
1931 Durham Light Infantry
1930 None Cancelled due to nationwide Satyagraha movement.[18]
1929 Dalhousie
1928 Dalhousie
1927 North Staffordshire Regiment
1926 North Staffordshire Regiment
1925 Calcutta
1924 Cameron Highlanders
1923 Calcutta
1922 Calcutta
1921 Dalhousie
1920 Calcutta
1919 12th Special Service Battalion
1918 Calcutta
1917 Royal Lincolnshire Regiment
1916 Calcutta
1915 10th Middlesex Regiment
1914 91st Highlanders
1913 Black Watch
1912 Black Watch
1911 70th Company RGA
1910 Dalhousie
1909 Gordon Light Infantry
1908 Gordon Light Infantry
1907 Calcutta
1906 Highlander Light Infantry
1905 King's Regiment
1904 King's Regiment
1903 93rd Highlanders
1902 King's Own Scottish Borderers
1901 Royal Irish Rifles
1900 Royal Irish Rifles
1899 Calcutta
1898 Gloucestershire Regiment
Source: IFA (W.B.)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "No clarity on Kolkata derby as Asia's oldest league starts on Tuesday". Hindustan Times. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Calcutta Football League". IFA. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  4. Andrew Flint (11 November 2015). "A Tale of One City: Kolkata". These Football Times. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "How Asia's oldest football league made its mark". www.redbull.com. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Kingfisher East Bengal FC|Legacy-History". 18 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "List of Calcutta Football League Champions". IFA. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Indian football: The tale of the unbeatable Mohammedan Sporting side of 1930s | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "When a derby turned deadly in Eden Gardens in 1980". The Indian Express. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  10. Sengupta, Somnath (4 July 2011). "Tactical Evolution of Indian Football (Part Three) : PK Banerjee -..." Thehardtackle.com. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  11. Sharma, Amitabha Das. "Peerless wins Calcutta Football League title as East Bengal presents a 'no-show'". Sportstar. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  12. "No Calcutta Football League This Season, Decide Premier Division Clubs". Indian Football Association (West Bengal). 25 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  13. "ifawb.com". www.ifawb.com.
  14. www.KolkataFootball.Com. "indian football news latest|kolkatafootball.com news|live news indian football tournaments|indian football live". www.kolkatafootball.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  15. "India - List of Calcutta/Kolkata League Champions". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  16. "Indian football: Instances when the Kolkata derby got abandoned | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  17. "Fare Hike and Urban Protest". Economic and Political Weekly: 7–8. 5 June 2015.
  18. "History by Decade". Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. Retrieved 26 February 2021.

External links[edit]

Template:Football in Kolkata

Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We kindly request your support in maintaining the independence of Bharatpedia. As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on small donations to sustain our operations and provide free access to reliable information to the world. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to consider donating to our cause, as it would greatly aid us in our mission. Your contribution would demonstrate the importance of reliable and trustworthy knowledge to you and the world. Thank you.

Please select an option below or scan the QR code to donate
₹150 ₹500 ₹1,000 ₹2,000 ₹5,000 ₹10,000 Other