Calcutta Football League
 | |
| Organising body | Indian Football Association (West Bengal) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1898 |
| Country | India |
| Divisions | 6 |
| Number of teams | 26 (Premier Division) 160 + (overall) |
| Level on pyramid | 5–10 |
| Promotion to | I-League 3 (from CFL Premier Division) |
| Relegation to | Various |
| Domestic cup(s) | IFA Shield |
| League cup(s) | Trades Cup |
| Current champions | Mohammedan (14th title) (2023) |
| Most championships | East Bengal (39 titles)[1] |
| TV partners | InSports TV |
| Current: 2023 Calcutta Premier Division | |
The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by Indian Football Association (WB) as part of the state leagues. It is the oldest football league in Asia.[2][3]
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.[4][5] CFL currently consists of a seven-tier pyramid system,[4] with 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
Early years (1890s–1910s)
In 1898, IFA introduced a two-tiered football league in Calcutta on the lines of English Football League in England and Wales.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
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.[9][10]
Uprise of native dominance (1920s–1947)
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 by majority.[10]
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.[12] 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 did not participate and Mohun Bagan went away with their first league title that year.[9][13]
Post-independence era (1947–1970s)
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.[9] From 1934 to 1981, Eastern Railway was the only club outside of the Big Three to win the title in 1958.[14][15]
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.[16][9]
Years of obscurity (1980s–2000s)
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.[17][9]
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)
Starting in 2010, East Bengal won a record eight consecutive titles until their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan broke 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.[9]
In 2019, Peerless clinched the honour and became the second team outside the Big Three after Eastern Railway to win the league since 1958.[18] 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.[19]
Structure
With the season starting from 2023, the clubs/units were redistributed among the first six divisions and the last division was reserved only for youth teams.[4]
| Calcutta Football League | |
|---|---|
| Tier | Division |
| 1 (5 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Premier Division
↑promote (I-League 3) ↓relegate 4 |
| 2 (6 on Indian Football pyramid) |
First Division
↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2 |
| 3 (7 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Second Division
↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2 |
| 4 (8 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Third Division
↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2 |
| 5 (9 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Fourth Division
↑promote 2 ↓relegate 2 |
| 6 (10 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Fifth Division Group A
↑promote 2 |
| NA (Age level league) |
Fifth Division Group B
(Age group: 13 to 16) |
Starting from 2023, 26 teams participate in the Premier Division, divided into two groups at the same pyramid level and compete in a single-leg round robin tournament.[20] The top three teams in each 13-team group will compete in a single-leg round robin tournament and the group leaders will be declared the champions. The top two teams, not already in the ISL or I-League are promoted to the I-League 3. The bottom three teams in each 13-team group also compete in a separate single-leg round robin tournament and the bottom four teams are relegated to the First Division.
Apart from the Premier Division A, most other divisions are competed by about 20 teams, and the format of the tournaments in the lower divisions isn'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.[21]
Sponsorship
| 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[22] |
| 2021–2022 | Sister Nivedita University | SNU Calcutta Football League[23] |
Media coverage
| Period | TV broadcaster |
|---|---|
| 1898–2004 | None |
| 2005 | Tara Newz |
| 2006 | Kolkata TV |
| 2007 | Zee 24 Ghanta |
| 2008 | ABP Ananda |
| 2009–2011 | News Time |
| 2012 | Zee 24 Ghanta |
| 2013–2015 | Jalsha Movies |
| 2016 | News18 Bangla |
| 2017 | Kolkata TV |
| 2018–2021 | Sadhna News |
| 2022–present | InSports TV[24] |
Teams
CFL Premier Division 2023 season clubs
All CFL division clubs
Champions of the top-most division
By year
Pre-independence era (1898–1947)
Post-independence era (1947–present)
By team
The list only contains the names of the teams that have won the top-most division of the Calcutta Football League more than once.[12]
| 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 | 14 | 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1948, 1957, 1967, 1981, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Calcutta FC | 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 Own Regiment |
1904, 1905 | |
| North Staffordshire Regiment |
1926, 1927 | |
| Royal Irish Rifles |
1900, 1901 |
See also
References
Cited sources
- ^ Mukhopadhyay, Shoubhik (10 September 2015). "East Bengal & Calcutta Football League: A Sublime Romantic Saga - Hero I-League". i-league.org. I-League. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ "FOOTBALL IN BENGAL". www.ifawb.com. The Indian Football Association (West Bengal). Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ Nag, Utathya (19 April 2023). "Calcutta Football League: East Bengal kings of Asia's oldest league competition — full winners list". olympics.com. The Olympics Football. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ a b c "Calcutta Football League". IFA. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ Majumdar, Rounak (22 April 2019). "The Golden Years of Indian Football". www.chaseyoursport.com. Kolkata: Chase Your Sport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ Chakraborty, Debojyoti (29 August 2017). "WHEN EASTERN RAILWAY RAN ON FULL STEAM (1958)". www.goaldentimes.org. Goalden Times. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Pillai, Manu S (8 June 2018). "How football kicked off in India | As with the English language, when the British transported the sport to India, they didn't expect the 'natives' to beat them at it". lifestyle.livemint.com. Delhi, India: Livemint Delhi. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Andrew Flint (11 November 2015). "A Tale of One City: Kolkata". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Mitra, Atanu (8 November 2017). "How Asia's oldest football league made its mark". www.redbull.com. RedBull. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Kingfisher East Bengal FC|Legacy-History". 18 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "ব্রিটিশকে হারিয়ে ডুরান্ড জয়ী, পাকিস্তানকেও গোল দিয়ে চিরকালীন নজির মহামেডানের". ekolkata24.com (in Bengali). 1 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ a b "List of Calcutta Football League Champions". IFA. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Indian football: The tale of the unbeatable Mohammedan Sporting side of 1930s | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Karmakar, Rajat (21 December 2013). "ইস্টার্ন রেলওয়ে ফুটবল ক্লাব — ১৪১ বছরের পুরনো একটি ক্লাবের ইতিহাস ও ঐতিহ্য" [Eastern Railway Football Club — History and heritage of a 141-year-old club]. archives.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ Chattopadhyay, Hariprasad (13 September 2019). "আটান্নর মতো কড়া লড়াই দেখা যাচ্ছে এই লিগেও" [A tough fight like 1958 is also being witnessed in this season's league]. abandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022.
- ^ a b "When a derby turned deadly in Eden Gardens in 1980". The Indian Express. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Sengupta, Somnath (4 July 2011). "Tactical Evolution of Indian Football (Part Three) : PK Banerjee -..." Thehardtackle.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ Sharma, Amitabha Das (3 October 2019). "Peerless wins Calcutta Football League title as East Bengal presents a 'no-show'". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "No Calcutta Football League This Season, Decide Premier Division Clubs". Indian Football Association (West Bengal). 25 February 2021. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Calcutta Football League (CFL) goes bigger than ever for its historic 125th season". thefangarage.com. Kolkata: The Fan Garage. 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "ifawb.com". www.ifawb.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "CALCUTTA FOOTBALL LEAGUE – OFFICER'S CHOICE BLUE TO BE THE TITLE SPONSOR". Football News India. Kolkata. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "No clarity on Kolkata derby as Asia's oldest league starts on Tuesday". Hindustan Times. 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ https://insports.tv/football/tournaments/1448 Archived 30 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL]
- ^ "History by Decade". Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Fare Hike and Urban Protest". Economic and Political Weekly: 7–8. 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Karmakar, Rajat (21 December 2013). "ইস্টার্ন রেলওয়ে ফুটবল ক্লাব — ১৪১ বছরের পুরনো একটি ক্লাবের ইতিহাস ও ঐতিহ্য" [Eastern Railway Football Club — History and heritage of a 141-year-old club]. archives.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
- ^ "Indian football: Instances when the Kolkata derby got abandoned | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Atsushi Fujioka, Arunava Chaudhuri (1996). "India — List of Calcutta/Kolkata League Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ www.KolkataFootball.Com. "indian football news latest|kolkatafootball.com news|live news indian football tournaments|indian football live". www.kolkatafootball.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Stokkermans, Karel (5 March 2015). "India 1984 – List of Champions: Calcutta League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022.
- ^ King, Ian; Morrison, Neil; Veroeveren, Piet; Cruickshank, Mark (30 May 2013). "India 1985 – Regional Leagues: Calcutta League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022.
Further reading
- "The Calcutta Football League (CFL) — Winners of each season". ifawb.org. Kolkata: Indian Football Association. 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
External links
- Official website of the Indian Football Association (IFA)
- Calcutta Football League on Facebook
- "IFAWB Clubs". ifawb.org. Indian Football Association. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022.
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