Is there a national football league in India?
Indian Super League
Football in India has existed in many forms since the game first arrived in the country during the 19th century with the first nationwide club competition, the Durand Cup, being founded in 1888. Despite India's early history in the game, the country's first nationwide football league did not begin until the semi-professional National Football League commenced in 1996. Prior to the creation of the National Football League, most clubs played in state leagues or select nationwide tournaments.
Air India F.C.
After being relegated to the second division in 1998, Air India paved their way back into the first division the next year and played in the National Football League in 2000 as well. The years 2001 to 2004 saw Air India going through a tough phase as they were playing in the second division. In 2005 the team qualified to the National Football League first division and then 2007 saw Air India finishing 7th and were the Mumbai Harwood Champions in 2005.
2006–07 National Football League (India)
The 2006–07 National Football League was the 11th and last season of the National Football League, the top Indian professional league for association football clubs, before it is rebranded as I-League from 2007–08 season as part of turning the league into a professional league.
Football in India
The Super Cup is a knockout football tournament. The top six teams from both the top tier leagues for professional football in India, the I-League and Indian Super League, qualify directly for the main round of the competition. The bottom four clubs from each league participate in qualification round to complete.
State football leagues in India
There are currently 36 state associations affiliated with the All India Football Federation.
These state associations have state leagues affiliated to them.The teams for 2016 Manipur State League wereThe list of clubs divided into two zones.Teams in this league are divided in 3 divisions- Diamond, Gold and Silver league.
The teams for 2018 FAO Football League are
Indian Football Association
The Indian Football Association (Bengali: ভারতীয় ফুটবল এসোসিয়েশন), 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 international Elphinstone Jackson.
History of Indian football
Club-wise Indian Football took a turn for the better as the National Football League folded in 2006 and in 2007 the brand new I-League was started. The first I-League season was won by Goa club Dempo. During the 2008 AFC Cup Dempo made history when they made it all the way to the semi-finals of the AFC Cup before losing out to Safa Beirut SC.
History of Indian football
The history of football in India is a long and detailed one, as it was the national sport at one time. The impetus for this was to unify the Indian Army. There is evidence for refereed team football games being played in the Indian Army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world, and the world's third oldest competition, the Durand Cup.
India national football team
The India national football team represents India in international football and is controlled by the All India Football Federation. Under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and governed in Asia by the AFC, the team is also part of the South Asian Football Federation. The team, which was once considered one of the best teams in Asia, had its golden era during the 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, under the coaching of Syed Abdul Rahim, India won gold during the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games, while finishing fourth during the 1956 Summer Olympics.
1999–2000 National Football League (India)
It was performed in 12 teams, and Mohun Bagan won the championship under the coach Subrata Bhattacharya. This is their second National Football League title. Churchill Brothers came second and Salgaonkar came third. For the first time, the tournament was played without any group stage (as that was followed in previous seasons) and in "Home and Away" system. Dempo and BSF (Border Security Force) were relegated from the National Football League.
Indian National League
The Indian National League (INL) is a National political party in India. It is mainly active in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The party was formed on 23 April 1994, when Ebrahim Sulaiman Sait resigned from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
JCT F.C.
On 2 August JCT F.C. in collaboration with India On Track are set to revive their senior football team after three years and plan to make their return by entering the 2015 I-League second division.
In last 3 decades of its existence, the JCT is the first Indian team outside Kolkata to win the IFA Shield. Apart from this, the JCT Club have won many prestigious tournaments and brought laurels to the State of Punjab. They also won the opening edition of the National Football League in 1996. JCT Club has also been the winner of the Asian Club Championship and finished 3rd in the 2007–2008 season of the newly formed I-League. The team has been 8 times winner of the Punjab Football League and 5 times winner of the Durand Cup. The success and the constant good performance of the club is attributed to its owner, the Thapars who apart from being business moguls, have been in constant effort to enhance the bar of their club at all the levels.
National League (English football)
Most of the National League clubs are fully professional, while most National League North and National League South clubs are semi-professional. The professional clubs are sometimes clubs which have been in the English Football League (EFL) in the past, as opposed to those which have always been non-League. The National League is the lowest of the five nationwide football divisions in England, below the Premier League and the three divisions of the EFL, and is the top tier of the National League System of non-League football. The National League North and National League South form the sixth tier of English football. The National League consisted of only one division until 2004, but expanded as part of an extensive restructuring of the National League System which took effect beginning with the 2004–05 season.
Rajasthan Football Association
The Rajasthan football system consists of the national state league, The R-League (a proposed league), at the top, district leagues in second, followed by leagues within the leagues. This system is being planned to operate during the whole calendar year but at different times.
Football in India
On 21 April 2016, over a year after the AIFF started plans for a women's football league, the AIFF President, Praful Patel, said that a women's football league would kick off in October 2016 with six teams to be decided, with the goal to expand to eight teams by 2017. Just over two months later, on 5 July 2016, the AIFF organized a workshop to discuss the India women's national team and discuss the proposed women's football league. Five Indian Super League sides (Delhi Dynamos, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters, FC Pune City, Atletico de Kolkata) and three I-League teams (Bengaluru FC, Aizawl FC, Mumbai FC) attended the workshop. It was announced that the league would feature the eight teams in the league and two other spots would be determined through a pre-qualification round.
List of football clubs in Singapore
This is a list of football clubs in Singapore.The National Football League, commonly known as the NFL, is a semi-professional competition for clubs that are affiliated to the Football Association of Singapore. It makes up the second and third tier of football in Singapore after the S.League and before the Singapore Island Wide League.The Island Wide League is a semi-professional tournament which made up the 4th tier of the Singapore football league system. It is a NFL qualification tournament whereby the top 2 team of the tournament get an automatic qualification into NFL the following season.
National League (English football)
The National League is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North and National League South. It was called the Alliance Premier League from 1979 until 1986. Between 1986 and 2015, the league was known as the Football Conference. As part of a sponsorship deal with car leasing company Vanarama, the league is known as the Vanarama National League.
Araang League
Araang League is an annual football league in Manipur state of India that promotes young footballers in Manipur and NorthEast India. The League is registered with All Manipur Football Association (AMFA) - AMFA is the state governing body of football in Manipur. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the national governing body.
Indian Athletics League
Indian Athletics League is a proposed league in India. It will be organized by Athletics Federation of India (AFI). This tournament will also have similarities with 14-leg Diamond League Series. There will be 8 to 10 franchise with each having 2 or 3 foreign players. There will be 8 players per franchise for both Men and Women.
Women's football in India
The women's national competition is played on a state vs. state basis in the India women's football championship. There are also similar national championships for junior teams like the Junior Girls National Championship (for under 19s) and the Under-17 Girls National Championship.
Indian Women's League
On 21 April 2016, over a year after the AIFF started plans for a women's football league, the AIFF President, Praful Patel, said that a women's football league would kick off in October 2016 with six teams to be decided, with the goal to expand to eight teams by 2017. Just over two months later, on 5 July 2016, the AIFF organized a workshop to discuss the India women's national team and discuss the proposed women's football league. Five Indian Super League sides (Delhi Dynamos, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters, FC Pune City, Atletico de Kolkata) and three I-League teams (Bengaluru FC, Aizawl FC, Mumbai FC) attended the workshop. It was announced that the league would feature the eight teams in the league and two other spots would be determined through a pre-qualification round.
2018 Indian Super Cup Final
The Super Cup is a new annual Indian knock-out football competition that is open to all ten teams in the I-League and Indian Super League and is run by the All India Football Federation. The tournament is a replacement for the Federation Cup, the previous domestic competition for Indian football.
Football in India
The game in India is administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which is affiliated with the regional Asian Football Confederation, as well as with the worldwide body FIFA. The Indian national team has entered into the regional Asian Cup but has never competed in any World Cup. The Indian women's national team has also played in various competitions; moreover, women's football has its own separate inter-state and state competitions. Youth football is administered by the governmental Sports Authority of India.
List of current Indian Premier League team rosters
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), headquartered in Mumbai, and supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner. IPL is currently contested by eight teams, consisting of players from around the world.
List of Indian football champions
The 1996–97 Indian National Football League was the first season of the NFL and ended with JCT Mills FC being crowned champions. The NFL era though saw Kolkata clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan had the most championships with three respectively. The I-League era is different though as most of the champions of the league have come from Goa.
Uttarakhand Super League
The Uttarakhand Super League (USL) is a semi-professional football league, sanctioned by both the All India Football Federation and the Uttarakhand State Football Association, that represents the sport in the state of Uttarakhand. Founded in 2016, the league is organized by the Uttarakhand Adventure Sports Pvt Limited with the goal of promoting football throughout the state. The league began in July 2016 with fourteen teams and is based on the Indian Super League, the franchise based football league for India nationally.
1997–98 National Football League (India)
The 1997–98 National Football League, also knows as the Philips National League for sponsorship reasons, was the second season of National Football League, the top Indian league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996.
FAO Football League
The FAO Football League (FFL) or Odisha First Division League is the second highest state level football league in Odisha following FAO Super Cup. The FAO Football League (FFL) is organised every year by the Football Association of Odisha (FAO), the official football governing body of Odisha, India.
2014 Mumbai City FC season
In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the National Federation for Football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.
Godwin Franco
He played in the National Football League, the then top tier football league of India. He played in the Indian Federation Cup.
Pune Football League
The TRNA INDIA Pune Football League is organised by Pune District Football Association (https://soccertrac.com/organization_controller/view_organization_profile/40#) and is a ladder-based competition involving a total of four divisions and 100+ teams.
Sport in India
Introduced in 2011 by various American football figures, including Mike Ditka and Ron Jaworski, the Elite Football League of India was India's first professional American football league. Their first league play was to commence in 2012, and feature teams from eight different Indian cities.
Indian Super League
During the first three seasons of the Indian Super League, attendances across the league had exceeded expectations of pundits and of the domestic I-League. Television ratings were also strong for the league as well as social media interaction. However, despite the general success off the pitch, the league drew criticism in other areas. Due to the need to accommodate the ISL into the Indian football calendar, the I-League season was shortened and went from having an October to May schedule to January to May schedule. Indian players would play for both an ISL team and an I-League club while the I-League continued to suffer from lack of visibility compared to the ISL. India head coach Stephen Constantine had called for both the ISL and I-League to either run together at the same time or merge.
Kerala Blasters FC Reserves
On 20 February 2018, it was announced by the All India Football Federation, the organizing body for Indian football, that the Kerala Blasters, along with six other Indian Super League sides, would field a reserve team in the I-League 2nd Division, India's second division football league.
India national under-23 football team
The India national under-23 football team represents India in international under-23 football and is controlled by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) the team can compete in three competitions: the Olympic Games, the AFC U-23 Championship, and the Asian Games.
National Football League (India)
A "Second Division" was added to the league in 1997, as Football in India grew to challenge cricket for the title of India's most popular sport. Between the divisions each year two teams were relegated and two teams were promoted. By 2006 a "Third Division" was added but that did not matter as by this time this would be the last year for the NFL; it was replaced in 2007 by the I-League which focuses on completely turning Indian football into a professional sport.In order of their promotion to the First Division.
2014 NorthEast United season
In early 2014 it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament. On 13 April 2014, it was announced that John Abraham and I-league side Shillong Lajong F.C. had won the bidding for the Guwahati-based franchise.
Shillong Lajong F.C.
In 2009, Lajong FC joined the I-League 2nd Division which is the second highest national league in India. After one season in the second division Lajong was promoted to the I-League, which is the highest league in India.
List of Pakistan football champions
Pakistan’s first football league began on May 28, 1948 as the National Football Championship, a knock-out competition, which remained as the top football league in the country until 2004 with the introduction of the Pakistan Premier League. In 1979, a domestic cup was added in Pakistan football, known as Pakistan National Football Challenge Cup.
Praful Patel
Under Patel, the AIFF introduced the Indian Super League run by the Football Sports Development Pvt Ltd., it aims to ignite a revolution in Indian football at an international level. In April 2014, Patel announced of the eight franchise owners in the Indian Super League.
FAO Women's League
The FAO Women's League or Odisha Women's League is the highest state level women's football league in Odisha. The FAO Women's League is organised by the Football Association of Odisha (FAO), the official football governing body of Odisha, India.
Football in India
State league football is considered the best amateur leagues in India. Each state has their own league in India. There is no promotion/relegation between the state leagues and the I-League 2nd Division but there could be promotion/relegation between leagues within the state. For example, the Calcutta Football League has five divisions with promotion/relegation but the winner of the Calcutta Football League will not get promoted to the I-League 2nd Division. However, apart from the clubs already featuring in the I League, AIFF may select the next best achiever of the state league as an entrant to the I league 2nd Division.
Indian Super League
In July 2017, it was proposed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) that the Indian Super League champion be granted a spot in the AFC Cup, Asia's second-tier club competition. On 25 July 2017, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) approved the AIFF's proposal. Thus, from the 2017–18 season, the Indian Super League champions were allowed to participate in the AFC Cup from the qualification stages of the competition. Meanwhile, India's spot in the AFC Champions League, Asia's top club competition, was still kept by the I-League.
Football in India
Right now the official youth leagues in India are I-League U18, U15 Youth league and U13 Youth league. I league U18 started as U19 tournament in 2011. 2017–18 season U18 champions are Shillong Lajong. AIFF started U16 Youth League in 2015 (later renamed U15 Youth league) in the wake of 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup (hosted by India). Minerva Academy is the reigning three-time champions of U16 League.
All India Football Federation
After the launch of the national football federation, the idea of a India national football team did not gain much momentum until after India gain independence in 1947. Select Indian teams did participate in tours of Australia, Burma, Afghanistan, and South Africa but none were officially part of the national team. In 1948, one year after independence and 11 since forming as a football association, the AIFF gained affiliation with FIFA, the governing body for football around the world. Later that year, the national team was officially formed and participated in their first official tournament, the 1948 Summer Olympics. 
In 1950, the national team automatically qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup which was to be held in Brazil after all the teams in India's qualification group withdrew. However, prior to the tournament, India themselves withdrew from the World Cup with the AIFF citing the reason as due to lack of funding. Other reasons given for India's withdrawal included the players playing mainly barefooted and that the AIFF valued the Summer Olympics tournament more than the FIFA World Cup at the time. In 1952, during the Olympics in Finland, India were defeated in the first round by Yugoslavia 10–1. This defeat made the AIFF make it mandatory for players on the national team to wear football boots. In 1954, the AIFF played an active role in promoting football in Asia when they were one of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation. India took part in four straight Olympic football tournaments between 1948 and 1960 but have failed to qualify since. In 1985, India started to participate in World Cup qualifiers again but have failed to make it to the tournament.
Gangtok Himalayan S.C.
Gangtok Himalayan SC are a professional Indian football team based in Gangtok, Sikkim, India, that will compete in the I-League 2nd Division. It is the second-highest football level in India after the Indian Super League and the I-League.
Floorball in India
Floorball is a sport which is gaining popularity in India. The Floorball Federation of India was established in 2001. But due to a lack of team work they were not able to give floorball a push even after 10 years. So the decided to dismiss it and formed a new federation, the " in 2012. It was a major step when Dr.Prabhat Kumar (IAS) took over the responsibility as President and made the organization transparent from the Floorball started gaining popularity day-by-day. There have been national Floorball championships held and the top most dominating Teams are Delhi and Uttrakhand. India has participated in many international friendlies and now Indian Floorball Federation is an ordinary member of International Floorball Federation. Floorball is played 5 against 5 with one goalkeeper in each team. You can have as much as 20 players in your roster and the game has two referees. The goals are 160 × 115 cm with nets and the goalkeepers normally sits on their knees. A line normally has two defenders, one center and two attackers to establish a good combination of defense and attack. The playing field is 40 x 20 meters and that is the recommended size from the IFF and the court size that all official games and tournaments are held in. Floorball is played with a rink around the field, almost like ice hockey, but the floorball rink is lower, only 50 cm high.
Air India F.C.
Founded in 1952, Air India Football Club is one of the oldest institutional sides in the country. Though never considered as frontrunners in the I-League, the Mumbai-based club has often proved to be a thorn in the flesh for many top sides. They used to play in NFL 2nd Division but got promoted to Premier Division and have maintained their position there till now. Generally a low budget side, Air India’s best finish in the National Football League (now I-League) came in the 1997–1998 season when they were placed sixth in the table and their coach Bimal Ghosh received the Best coach award.
ATK (football club)
In March 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament. On 13 April 2014, it was announced that Sourav Ganguly, Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh, and Spanish La Liga side Atletico Madrid had won the bid for the Kolkata franchise. It turned out to be the most expensive franchise, being purchased for 180 million (around US$3 million). On 7 May 2014, the team was officially launched as Atlético de Kolkata.
List of football clubs in India
"Main State League: None "
List of Indian Super League seasons
The islIndian Super League is a mens professional football league in India. Currently not a part of the Indian football pyramid, the league serves as one of the top tournaments in India, along with the domestic [[I-League]]. The league currently consists of ten teams.
[[Category:Indian Super League seasons|*]]
[[Category:Indian Super League lists]]
Indian Women's League
Since 1991, the top women's football tournament in India has been the Indian Women's Football Championship. The tournament served as a female equivalent of the Santosh Trophy, with states competing against each other. There had never been an organized national football league for women; however, leagues were started by state associations for women. The first women's state football league was set up in 1976 in Manipur. The Indian Football Association of West Bengal founded the Calcutta Women's League in 1993. Leagues were also started in Mumbai and Goa in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
Malabar Premier League
Following the success of the Indian Super League for football in India and the 2015 National Games of India, which were hosted by Kerala, it was announced that the Malappuram District Sports Council, with support from the Kerala Football Association, would launch the Malabar Premier League. The goal of the league would be to get young footballers from the district into a proper playing environment and thus make football a more professionalized sport in the area. On 2 March 2015 the official logo of the league was unveiled, as well as the initial eight franchises.
Elite Football League of India
The Elite Football League of India (EFLI) is a professional American football league based in India. It was founded with eight franchises in 2011, and now has 23 franchises throughout South Asia, among whom 20 located in India, two in Sri Lanka and one in Pakistan.
Football Sports Development
The Indian Super League was founded in October 2013 by IMG–Reliance, along with STAR Sports. The goal of the league was to make football a top sport in India, a country that only found success in cricket and hockey. The league was modelled along the lines of the popular Twenty20 cricket league, the Indian Premier League, and Major League Soccer of the United States. The league started in October 2014 with eight teams and ended in December 2014 with Atlético de Kolkata coming out as inaugural champions.
Sport in India
In June 1937, at the Army Headquarters, Shimla, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was formed at a meeting of the representatives of football associations of six regions where the game was very popular in those days. It is the governing body for football in India. Domestic competitions for men's football include the Indian Super League, I-League, I-League 2nd Division in the Indian League System and the annual knock-out style Federation Cup. For women's football the India women's football championship. However, it is European football, such as the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League, which are very popular among Indian football fans, especially in metropolitan cities.
Punjab State Super Football League
The Punjab State Super Football League is an Indian semi-professional league for men's association football clubs. The league serves as the top football league in the state of Punjab. The league is currently sponsored by JCT Limited, thus making the official league name the JCT Punjab State Super Football League.
Indian Super League
In September 2005, the AIFF signed a 10–year television and media contract with Zee Sports. The deal would see Zee broadcast the National Football League and I-League, as well as other tournaments organized by the AIFF and select India international matches. However, in October 2010, the deal between the AIFF and Zee Sports was terminated five years early after differences between both parties related to payment and how to grow the game in India.
List of Air India FC seasons
After being relegated to the second division in 1998, Air India paved their way back into the first division the next year and played in the National Football League in 2000 as well. The years 2001 to 2004 saw Air India going through a tough phase as they were playing in the second division. In 2005 the team qualified to the National Football League first division and then 2007 saw Air India finishing 7th and were the Mumbai Harwood Champions in 2005.
History of Indian football
India also got a major boost when the All India Football Federation created the National Football League in 1996. This was India's first ever national domestic league.
All India Football Federation
In 1977, the AIFF started the Federation Cup which was the first club based national tournament in the country. The Santosh Trophy, the national tournament for state teams, was started in 1941. In 1996, the AIFF began the first national league in the country, the National Football League. In 2007, the NFL was reformed as the I-League, the country's first professional football league.There are currently 36 state associations affiliated with the All India Football Federation.The following are on the board of the directors at the AIFF.
I-League
In 1996 the first domestic league was started in India known as the National Football League. The league was started in an effort to introduce professionalism to Indian football. Despite that ambition, that has never been achieved. During the National Football League days the league suffered from poor infrastructure and unprofessionalism from its clubs. One of the clubs in the league, FC Kochin went defunct in 2002 after it was revealed that the club had not paid salaries since 2000 after running up 2.5 crores in losses a season.
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, and the highest professional level of American football in the world. The NFL's 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December, with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, six teams from each conference (four division winners and two wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl, which is usually held in the first Sunday in February, and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC.
Sports in Maharashtra
"See also" : Maharashtra football team and Mumbai FC, Mahindra United, Air-India, Pune F.C., FC Pune City, Mumbai City FC,
Football is another popular sport in the city, with the FIFA World Cup and the English Premier League being followed widely. Maharashtra Football Pyramid consists of the district leagues in , followed by leagues within the leagues. This pyramid operates during the whole calendar year, but at different times.In the I-League the Mumbai city was represented by three teams, Mumbai FC, Mahindra United and Air-India. and from pune Pune F.C., is a recently founded football club that plays in the I-League. It was established on August 2007. Local rivalry with another Mumbai-based clubs Air India FC and Mumbai FC and state rivalry with Pune F.C. are called the Maha derby as clubs play in the state of Maharashtra. Seven-a-side version of football is hugely popular Maharashtra. Motilal Mathurawala Trophy 8th Seven-a-side Junior National Football Championship was held in Pune. The Western India Football Association (WIFA) has signed a deal with Sporting Ace Pvt Ltd (SAPL), a sports management company, to infuse Rs 100 crores into the Maharashtra football. Maharashtra football team represents Maharashtra in the Santosh Trophy. Maharashtra football team where four times champions and 11 times runners up in Santosh Trophy.Maharashtra football team last won Santosh trophy in 1999-2000 season. Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) is the organisation responsible for Association football in and around city of Mumbai. The MDFA organises some 7 leagues, containing approximately 300 plus club sides, in addition to being responsible for six of India's I-League sides.
Elite League (India)
The Youth League is a system of youth football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the All India Football Federation. It consists of 3 age groups comptetions U18 (Elite League), U15 (Junior League) & U13 (Sub-junior League). The Elite League previously known as Youth League U18, I-League U18, I-League U19 is the top level of youth football in India. It is contested between the under-18 sides of The I-League teams, Indian Super League teams, as well as other youth teams. The most successful team currently is AIFF Elite Academy, who won three titles. Shillong Lajong are the current champions.
On 7th December, 2018 All India Football Federation decided to change its name from Youth League U18 to Hero Elite League.
Football in India
The Indian Super League is officially broadcast on Star Sports network in India. International coverage is done by Fox Sports.
State football leagues in India
Group A
SBI Kerala (Football Club)
Being the state champions in the 1996, SBT was eligible to play in the newly formed National Football League introduced by the All India Football Federation that year, but the emergence of the first professional football club from the state FC Cochin denied its opportunity. However, SBT was given an entry to the 2nd Division NFL introduced in 1997-98 as a qualifying round for the top division League. The team, though a hot favorite, with the likes of National players like Jiju Jacob, V. P. Shaji, Feroz Sheriff, A. Sunil Kumar and K. V. Dhanesh, could not qualify as it ended runner-up with a draw against Sesa Sports Club in the final league game of the season.
Northern Ireland Football League
The Northern Ireland Football League (commonly abbreviated to NIFL), also known as the Irish League, is the national football league of Northern Ireland. It was formed in 2013 to assume independent collective management of the top three levels of the Northern Ireland football league system; namely the Premiership, Championship and NIFL Premier Intermediate League.
India women's national football team
On 17 December 2014, AIFF Secretary Kushal Das stated that the goal for women's football from 2014 to 2017 was to increase the ranking of the India senior team to the top 40s and the top 8 in Asia, start a professional women's league by 2015, and to qualify for both the U19 and U16 versions of the AFC championships. which is now far from reality as India is 60th by FIFA World Rankings and 13th among the Asian countries and yet to qualify for AFC Women's Asian Cup since 2003, FIFA Women's World Cup and Olympic Games.
Indian Super League
Ten years after the formation of the National Football League, the All India Football Federation, the governing body for the sport in India, decided to reformat the league as the I-League in an effort to professionalize the game. However, during the following seasons, the league would suffer from a lack of popularity due to poor marketing and poor quality of football.
FAO Women's League
The FAO Women's League was brought up as "AT Group Women's Football League" in the year 2011 as Odisha's premier level women's football league. The Football Association of Odisha introduced the league system to provide a platform for women to showcase their footballing abilities. The league system eventually continued to be a hit among the footballing enthusiasts of Odisha. Footballing talents from the FAO Women's League are recruited in the Odisha women's football team, and eventually in India women's national football team. Since formation, the venue of the league has been Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha.The Football Association of Odisha in May 2018, finalized the overall budget to 1,000,000 Indian Rupees. The governing body will spend 605,000 Indian Rupees towards the prize money. The champions of the league would be awarded with a prize money of 25,000 Indian Rupees whereas the runners-up would be awarded 15,000 Indian Rupees.
List of Singapore's football leagues winners
Football in Singapore started in the 1890s during the British colonial of Singapore. There have been various competitions over the years with the S.League as the leading national league of Singapore. It was founded in 1996 and took over the defunct FAS Premier League. The next tier is the Singapore National Football League or more commonly known as the NFL which is the longest national leagues in Singapore. An FAS Island Wide League was then formed to allow new teams to qualify for the NFL. Beside the national leagues, there have also been various amateur football leagues which gives opportunity for players who want to pursue their career in football or a platform for the former professional players to continue playing the beautiful game of football.
East Bengal F.C.
East Bengal Football Club is a professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It competes in the I-League under licence from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The club has won three National Football League (India) (later named as ) titles, eight Federation Cups, and three Indian Super Cups, alongside other trophies.
English football league system
The top tier of non-League football is the National League. It contains a national division (National League) of 24 clubs (Level 5), and is the lowest level with a single nationwide league. There are two divisions at Level 6, covering the north (National League North) and south (National League South), with 22 clubs each. Some of these clubs are full-time professional and the others are semi-professional. Below the National League, some of the stronger clubs are semi-professional, but continuing down the tiers, soon all the clubs are amateur. Lower-level leagues also tend to cater for progressively smaller geographic regions.
National Law University, Jodhpur
In September 2009, the Sports Committee of the University hosted "Yuvardha", the University's first Inter Law College Sports Fest. The success inspired the Jodhpur students to a new high. The student body then came up with a football league for law students- "Lex la Liga" (league of lawyers). The league is a professionally organised system based on a 5-a-side format (popularly known as 'Futsal'), played between five teams owned by individuals or consortia of students and alumni. It is run by a student managed University Football Association- the 'Asociación De Fútbol De La Universidad', inspired by cricket's Indian Premier League, with a 'Commissioner' and a 'Sheriff' to oversee the entire league. The first edition of this league was successfully conducted in January–March 2010.
Indian Women's League
In 2014, after the success of the India women's team, mainly in the SAFF Women's Championship, a push to start a women's football league, mainly along the lines of the recently started and successful Indian Super League, started. Clubs such as Pune and Bengaluru FC had expressed interest in the joining a women's league. It was around this time that the All India Football Federation started plans to create the ISL-style league for women.
Manipur State League
The Manipur State League (MSL) has been organised since 2006 by the All Manipur Football Association under the Vision India program with guidance from the AFC and the AIFF. It is the top football competition of Manipur. The league is a 12 team affair which is played on a home-and-away format over a period of six to eight months. It operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Winners-Cup. The duration of the league depends on factors like weather and political stability in the state. NISA from Thangmeiband have won four times in MSL and Tiddim Road Athletic Union from Kwakeithel won two times. The 2016 Manipur State League kicked off on 24 August 2016. The opening match was played bettwen Nambul Mapal ACO vs Sagolband United where Sagolband won over Nambul Mapal ACO.
Prize money for 10th Manipur State League. Amounts in Indian rupee.
Indian Football Association
Contrary to the name, the association does not administer the game in India, a task that falls to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). However, before the formation of the AIFF the IFA was in "de-facto" control of football in India by virtue of its administration by Englishmen as well as its affiliation to the Football Association of England. The IFA was instrumental in creating the AIFF to govern football on a national basis.
2018 Santosh Trophy Final
The Santosh Trophy is an association football knock-out competition contested by the regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport's governing body in India. Started in 1941, the competition was considered the top domestic football championship in India, prior to the start of the National Football League in 1996. The 2017–18 competition is the 72nd edition of the Santosh Trophy.
FC Pune City (women)
In April 2016 it was announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, Praful Patel, that an Indian women's football league would begin in October 2016. Then, in July 2016, the AIFF hosted a workshop program for the proposed women's league at which Pune City, an Indian Super League side, were present. Finally, in October 2016, it was revealed that the Indian Women's League would kick off with a preliminary round on 17 October in which the top two teams during that round would qualify for a place in the league. Pune City were not part of this round.
Calcutta Football League
The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a men's professional football league in Bengal. For sponsorship reasons, the league is officially known as the Officer's Choice Blue Calcutta Premier League. One of the top football leagues in the state. League system where several football clubs of the Indian city of Kolkata (Calcutta) participate. It currently consists of seven-tier pyramid system.
Sport in India
Floorball, an indoor team sport, a type of floor hockey, is gaining popularity in India. The Floorball Federation of India was started in 2001 and, since then, it has expanded rapidly. There have been four national floorball championships held, with Uttar Pradesh becoming the champions. Women's floorball has also expanded, and Mumbai is the first national floorball champion of India. India is a provisional member of the International Floorball Federation. India has participated in many international friendlies and steps are being taken to make India an ordinary member of floorball.
All India Football Federation
The AIFF sanctions and runs all competitive football tournaments and leagues at a national level, namely the Indian Super League, I-League and Federation Cup. The federation also indirectly manages local football competitions through the state associations. The federation is also responsible for managing the India national football team, as well as the women's team and the various youth national sides.
Federation Cup (India)
The Federation Cup, also known as Hero Federation Cup for sponsorship reasons, was an annual single round robin and knockout style club football tournament in India that started in 1977. From its inception, until I-League was started in 1997 (then called NFL), it was the most prestigious national level club football tournament in India. Until 2017, it was the most important club tournament after the I-League, to which it became a "de facto" League Cup. The winning club of the Federation Cup gained a chance to compete in the continental level in AFC Cup.
2004–05 National Football League (India)
The 2004–05 National Football League was the ninth season of the National Football League, the top Indian professional league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996. 12 teams took part in the season. Dempo won the league by scoring 47 points in 22 matches. Sporting Clube de Goa won the second position by scoring 45 points in 22 matches. Dudu Omagbemi of Sporting Clube de Goa was the highest goal scorer of the league (21).
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League consists of ten teams from nine different states in India. Unlike other football leagues, the ISL does not use promotion and relegation but instead uses expansion like Major League Soccer in the United States and the A-League in Australia. The league features two main derbies which include the Southern derby between Chennaiyin and the Kerala Blasters, and the Maharashtra derby between Mumbai City and Pune City. In 2017, the league added two new clubs for the first time when Bengaluru and Jamshedpur were awarded expansion teams.
Singapore National Football League
The FAS National Football League, commonly known as the NFL, is an amateur competition played at semi-professional football standard for clubs that are affiliated to the Football Association of Singapore. It makes up the second and third tier of football in Singapore after the professional Singapore Premier League, which was established in 1996 and before the FAS Island Wide League. The teams are also eligible to compete in the Singapore FA Cup.
Indian Super League
Unlike most football leagues around the world, the Indian Super League does not use promotion and relegation, instead choosing to grow the league through expansion, similar to Major League Soccer in the United States. During the league's first four seasons, two teams have been crowned champions, both winning twice each. ATK won the first title in 2014 before winning their second title in 2016. Chennaiyin are the other club to be crowned as champions, having done so in both 2015 and 2018.
Football in India
Calcutta Football League (CFL) is the football league system where several football clubs of the Indian city of Kolkata (Calcutta) participate. It currently consists of six-tier pyramid system. Indian Football Association (IFA) conducts the CFL with 157 mostly Kolkata based clubs and units. Started in 1898, this league is the oldest league in Asia and one of the oldest in the world. There are about 8500 directly registered players of IFA who participate in CFL.
Bhutan National League
The National League is a standalone football competition, that operates as the highest level of football in Bhutan. It consists of six teams, four of which are based in Thimpu, with the remainder coming from other districts. The four Thimphu-based teams compete in Thimphu League, which was previously the top league in the country, but now serves as a qualifying tournament for the national league. Competing teams in the league play each other twice on a home and away basis. Previously, when the A-Division was the country's top league, all matches were played at Changlimithang, the country's national stadium, making "home" and "away" distinctions essentially moot. Whilst the Thimphu-based teams still play their matches at that ground, the regional teams maintain their own stadia and genuine home and away fixtures now take place.
2014 ISL Inaugural Domestic Draft
The 2014 ISL Inaugural Domestic Draft was the first ever draft from the Indian Super League, the new franchise domestic football league in India. The draft featured eighty-four Indian domestic players. They were drafted by six out of the eight franchises featured in the Indian Super League to form the domestic core of the teams. NorthEast United FC and Goa were the two non-participating teams as they selected their Indian players from both I-League teams, Dempo and Shillong Lajong respectively. Forty of the eighty-four players up for selection have either played for the India national team or have attended a camp for the national team.
2000–01 National Football League (India)
It was performed in 12 teams, and East Bengal won the championship. This was East Bengal's first title and the championship was decided on the last day. Mohan Bagan came second only by a point and Churchill Brothers came third. Air India and SBT (State Bank Of Travancore) were relegated from the National Football League.
National Fertilizers
National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) – Miniratna (Cat-1) company () () is a major Indian producer of chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers and industrial chemicals. NFL, incorporated in 1974 is India's largest Central Public Sector Enterprise (Government of India Undertaking) in Fertilizer Sector with a turnover of over Rs. 75 billion. Coming under the administrative control of Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, it is the second largest producer of the key fertiliser urea in India.NFL has five gas-based ammonia-urea plants viz Nangal and Bathinda in Punjab, Panipat in Haryana and two at Vijaipur (Madhya Pradesh).
NorthEast United FC
In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament. On 13 April 2014, it was announced that Bollywood actor John Abraham and Shillong Lajong Football Club had won the bidding for the franchise.
Sports in Punjab, India
Punjab Football Association (PFA) is the state governing body of football in Punjab, India. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the sports national governing body. Then JCT FC and currently Minerva Punjab FC play in the I-League.
2014 Indian Super League Final
The Indian Super League is a franchise league started between IMG-Reliance and STAR Sports with the objective of making football one of the main sports in India, as well as make it a known name in the world of football. The 2014 edition was the inaugural season of the Indian Super League.
FC Goa Reserves
On 20 February 2018, it was announced by the All India Football Federation, the organizing body for Indian football, that the FC Goa, along with six other Indian Super League sides, would field a reserve team in the I-League 2nd Division, India's second division football league.
Super Cup (India)
The Super Cup, currently known as the Hero Super Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knockout football tournament in India run by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). It was established as the successor to the Federation Cup. The tournament features all the 20 teams that play in the Indian Super League and I-League, the two top divisions for professional football in India.
Indian state football associations
The State Football Associations are the regional governing bodies of association football in India. There are thirty-six State Associations affiliated to the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The Services and Railways Sports Control Boards and the Women's Committee are affiliated units.
Super Cup (India)
The Super Cup is a knockout football tournament. The top six teams from both the top tier leagues for professional football in India, the Indian Super League and I-League, qualify directly for the main round of the competition. The bottom five I-League clubs, top seven I-League 2nd Division clubs, bottom four Indian Super League clubs participate in qualification round to complete the 16 teams which participate in the pre-quarter finals. The 2018 edition occurred at the Kalinga Stadium in Odisha.