All you need to know about the football leagues in Arunachal Pradesh
The maiden edition of the Arunachal Super League in 2017 was the first league tournament to be organised in the North Eastern State...
Arunachal Pradesh is one of the three states along with Nagaland and Tripura to not have any representation in the top division of India's club football circuit. But with the advent of the Arunachal Super League, things might change for the better as it is the first ever league tournament in the state.
Launched in 2017 as the T K Arunachal Super League, it started with seven teams vying for silverware at the end of the two-month long league. The participating clubs were Todo United, Nirjuli Utd. FC, Gora Makik SC (GMSC), Tagung Neri SC, Capital Complex FC, Bamang Taji FC, and Deed Circle FC. All the matches were held at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Naharlagun where the teams played each other once in a league system. The top four teams qualified for semi-finals whereas the bottom two had to play a qualifier to once again ensure participation in the Super League 2018.
GMSC clinched the maiden Arunachal Super League title beating Todo United with two second half goals in the final.
In the second edition of the Super League, 12 teams are set to participate as confirmed by Kipa Ajay - secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA).
"We are going to divide Arunachal Pradesh into Eastern Zone and Western Zone. The top four from each zone will directly qualify for the Super League. The next five teams from each zone will enter a qualifier round alongside the two bottom-placed teams from the Super League last season. Four teams from this tournament will progress to the Super League," explained Ajay.
Although the dates are yet to be finalized, it is expected that the tournament will kick-off in the last week of September.
The Tadar Tang State Level Football Tournament is another premier division competition, normally held in December, where the entire state is divided into six zones. Top two teams these zones go on to participate in the main event which is held at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
In the main event, the 12 teams are further divided into four groups with the top two teams from each group progressing into the knock-out stages.
In the latest edition of the tournament, Capital Complex defeated five times champions Lower Subansiri by 1-0.
Youth Leagues
The footballing season in Arunachal starts with the Dera Natung (U-16) State Level Football Championship where any District Team/ School /Club is eligible to take part. 15 teams registered for this edition of the tournament. The teams were divided into four groups and the group champions were pitted against each other in the semi-finals.
Polocity FC defeated Arunachal SC (2)4-3(2) on penalties in the final match to win 5th Dera Natung tournament.
The APFA is set to host 'Baby League' for young aspirants between five to 12 years to develop the game from the grassroots level in the month of September. All India Football Federation has assured to lend every possible help in organizing the league in the state.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Karnataka
Karnataka is one of the few states in India who have never had a state football league....
The South Indian state of Karnataka might be more known for excelling in cricket but pockets in the region are seeing a rise in popularity in football, thanks to the advent of clubs like Bengaluru FC and Ozone FC who have established themselves on the national stage.
The state team also did well in the recently concluded Santosh Trophy, reaching the semifinals after a strong showing in the league stages.
However, the popularity of the game in the state is still nowhere close to fanatical levels and the fact that Karnataka does not have a state-level league is a testament to the fact. But there are competitive league structures in several districts of the state, with the Bengaluru Super Division being considered the best league in the state in terms of competitiveness and profile.
History of Bengaluru Super Division
The Bengaluru Senior Division is the top-tier league in Bengaluru district which also has three lower tiers - A, B and C divisions. The Super Division was established in 2005 and the teams compete for the George Hoover trophy.
The league normally features 10-11 teams and clubs can adopt two different ways to participate in the Super Division. The first way is by gaining promotion from the A division and the other is by paying INR 10 Lakhs to the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) and gain direct entry. Clubs like Bengaluru FC and Ozone FC are playing the Super Division after paying the entry fee to the BDFA.
There used to be institutional teams like Hindustan Aeronauticals Limited (HAL), Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) etc participating in the Super Division but they have all ceased to play as of now.
The current champions of the Super Division is the I-League second division outfit Ozone FC.
Format & Venue
Senior Division normally has 10 or 11 teams at most and is played in a single leg format where all the teams play against each other at least once. All the matches are played at Bangalore Football Stadium (BFS) in Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru.
The team which wins the most points at the end of the season is crowned the champions. The BDFA is also thinking about including two more teams in the Super Division, with South United a likely participant.
The second-tier league, the A division, also has 10-12 teams participating while the B division features 14 teams. The bottom-tier is the C division which features almost 90-100 teams. The teams in the C division are divided into groups and then the winners will play another round-robin league before entering a knockout phase. Four teams will qualify for the B division while there is no relegation from C division.
Other District & Youth Leagues
Apart from Bengaluru district, only five to six other districts in the state have an active football league, like Mandya, Dakshin Kannada, Kolar and Mysore.
While there are no state-level youth competitions, the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) organises an inter-region youth tournament in the U14 and U16 categories, which is normally held in Bengaluru.
Encouraged by the rise in popularity of football in the state and the success of Bengaluru-based clubs, BDFA also has plans to revive several senior-level tournaments like the Stafford's Cup, C.Prasanna Kumar Memorial tournament etc. BDFA wants to have one competition open to all clubs while another one open to only B Division teams and so on.
But the main problem which the BDFA faces is the lack of a ground with natural turf. They only have the Bangalore Football Stadium as of now.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Maharashtra
The absence of state championship hurts Maharashtra but Western India Football Assocation (WIFA) is focused on youth football and coach education.
In recent times, Maharashtra has lost its place on the football map of India. Once home to I-League outfits like Mumbai FC, DSK Shivajians, Mahindra United and the likes, the western state just has Indian Super League (ISL) sides Mumbai City FC and FC Pune City and India Rush Soccer Club from the Indian Women’s League, to boast of right now in the top-tier tournaments.
However, the Western India Football Association (WIFA) has expressed that it does not fear losing its identity on the national level. ‘’It is the business of the clubs if they want to shut down or keep their deals. Our (WIFA’s) job is to increase the participation. Today in Maharashtra, there are 28 teams in U-15, U-13 and U-18 leagues, which is a big chunk. I don’t think any other state would have so much participation,’’ Henry Menezes, CEO of WIFA, tells Goal.
"Maharashtra has been at the top in the U-13, U-15 and U-18 leagues. I’m not sure if any other state has so many teams. We are creating from the base a club structure. We are very happy with what is going on," he adds.
Since the last five years, Menezes reiterates that Maharashtra has focused on grassroots, sports education and youth competitions. He explains that WIFA has tried to get districts involved in coach education first as it is the most important thing.
WIFA subsequently introduced the D License coaching course. "Today, we have around 4,250 or more coaches certified and trained under this license. It has gone pan-India. If you look at the coaching structure in India, we could be more than 50 per cent of the licenses which India has done."
The football structure in Maharashtra sees U14, U16 and women’s league under the club structure. In addition to this, the district-level football includes sub-junior, junior and senior division for men’s football while women’s football has junior and senior divisions.
Here, we take a look at the current framework of the leagues and the proposed future plans at the respective levels.
State League
Maharashtra, despite being one of the largest states in India with 36 districts, does not have a state football league.
The idea of ‘’Maha League’’ was proposed about five years ago but eventually, it couldn’t be implemented as the sponsor pulled out. However, WIFA plans to bring back some action.
"This year September, we plan to speak to teams as we see strength in Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune. We’re trying to get into a six-team home-and-away basis league to start off with. Slowly, we will come up with certain criteria for more teams to join in," Menezes reveals.
District leagues
Maharashtra has leagues only in six districts, namely Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Aurangabad and Nagpur. All of these districts have their own leagues at the senior, U14 and U16 levels. The winners, however, aren’t granted any promotion due to the absence of competition at the state level.
Mumbai's district league is considered as the top-most league in the state.
The future plans of WIFA include introducing a six-team system. ‘’This year we are trying to get a system where six teams play in a home and away basis. We don’t have a senior state league right now but if everybody agrees, we will. The logistics are an issue because teams like Nagpur have to travel 1400 km, which has an expense to it,’’ Menezes claimed.
Youth leagues and 'Baby League'
The state has U-13, U-14, U-15 and U-18 leagues. A U-16 championship is on the cards for the ongoing year. "In our U-14 competition, we had 119 teams which participated from six districts. We got around 16 teams in Mumbai for a state competition which was well received by all. This year, we have included Nashik and Palghar to make it eight districts; we don’t want to open it up for everyone unless they fulfill criteria.
"Come June, we will start the U-14 Championship. The U-16 championship and women’s state league will be introduced this year,’’ claims Menezes.
‘Baby League’ is for ages 6 to 12; WIFA, however, plans to include 4-year-olds too from next year where they will play 2v2 or 3v3.
Every team participating in the baby leagues has about 20 players in three teams (U8, U10 and U12). The league has a single point system which means if the U8 side wins a game, the club gets three points and if the U10 side wins, three more points are added to the club's tally and at the end, the team with the most points win.
Menezes explains the reason for this format saying, ‘’This is done so the kids and the parents stay at the venue to cheer for the other teams. This helps in creating community; one will always see 150 people cheering for the kids.’’
Baby League's’ first phase began in January and it takes place every weekend. There are 84 teams participating from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune and WIFA wants Nashik, Kolhapur and Palghar to get into the mix.
"It is played in a league format where kids shouldn’t travel more than 5 km. It is done on a home and away basis with five-a-side or seven-a-side contest. In the ninth round, all 84 teams would play at Cooperage,’’ describes Menezes.
Women's football structure
WIFA conducts an inter district football championship for women which had six to eight teams participating when it was commenced. Currently, there are 18 districts participating, according to Menezes.
‘’We invite every district. This year 24 districts confirmed but six of those could not form a team at the last moment and dropped out,’’ he tells.
The districts carry out their respective leagues after which they select a strong side to represent the district in the inter district competition, which is a knockout tournament.
WIFA plans to bring in a state-level championship for women this year. ‘’Eight women’s team will come into the championship. They will play in two groups at Cooperage Stadium of which the top two of both groups will head into the semi-final and final,’’ explains Menezes.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Punjab
The populous state of Punjab boasts a widespread range of leagues for its senior and youth sides, for both genders alike.
The 2017-18 season of I-League saw Minerva Punjab lift the coveted trophy on the final day thereby becoming the first team from North India to clinch the championship in 21 years. JCT (Jagatjit Cotton & Textile) FC were the last outfit to get their hands on the winners’ medal in 1996-97 chapter of National Football League (NFL).
It is safe to say that the Ranjit Bajaj-owned club restored the pride and prestige for the state of Punjab, which continues to produce players across all age groups for the Indian national team.
The game is big in Punjab and the state has a wide range of academies. In this piece, we take a look at the framework of the leagues in the state of Punjab.
State league
There are seven state leagues in Punjab which can be categorically divided under senior men’s, men’s second division, under-18 boys, under-16 boys, and senior women’s league, under-18 girls and under-15 girls.
Of this, the most well-known league is the JCT Punjab State Super Football League which belongs to the senior men’s category. This season will be its 32nd year of existence.
The tournament has two phases. The first phase sees ten teams divided into two groups. The top three teams from each group go to the second phase where they are joined by two teams from the second division.
The league follows a different format in terms of its venues. Some matches are fixed on a home and away basis, and a few are played in neutral venues. The neutral venues are usually rural areas, grassroots centres where the craze for football doesn’t exist, so as to introduce the sporting culture to children. Malerkotla city of Sangrur district has been one of the several places Punjab Football Association (PFA) had chosen to popularise the game.
JCT Phagwara was a massive force in the state league until it disbanded in 2011 but its academy continues to participate in the contest. Border Security Force (BSF), Punjab Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) (all from Jalandhar), Rail Coach Factory (Kapurthala) and Dalbir Football Academy (Patiala) are the other well-known names to take part.
District leagues
PFA has 19 affiliated district associations, except Moga and Pathankot districts. Every district has its own tournament known as the inter-district competition at the under-8, under-10 and under-12 level in schools. At the senior level, the respective clubs compete against each other.
In addition to this, Punjab also has a regional league called the DOABA League that takes place in Mahilpur which is very famous.
Youth leagues
Punjab is in a transitional phase when it comes to youth football. Vijay Bali, who is the Joint-Secretary of Punjab FA, explains, ‘’Earlier, we had a league in the under-14 age group which included eight to nine grassroot academies. Currently we have 32 academies in the under-15 category and 18 academies in the under-18 age group.
‘’We are going to implement youth leagues this year with the under-15 and under-18 categories.’’
Lately, trials in the under-13 and under-18 categories for boys and girls were conducted in Phagwara city of Punjab. Recalling the event, Bali comments, ''We conducted the trials in three phases; we conducted regional trials first by deciding eleven venues. The trials were initially planned for February-March but they got delayed. Hence, we shortlisted 174 boys beforehand for the scouts in the age categories and around 121 junior girls turned up for the trials.
‘’The scouts were delighted with the talent but even now a few areas aren’t covered yet. We would definitely want them (AIFF) to come up with a regular (scouting) plan for Punjab so the children who missed out for whatever reasons, will get an opportunity."
Women's football structure
For the inaugural edition of Indian Women’s League (IWL), the state of Punjab had conducted a league which saw six teams go head-to-head for a place in the final round of the women’s premier tournament.
Although IWL has not seen any representation of Punjab in the main round over the two years, the Punjab FA is focused on its women’s football structure. ‘’We have introduced a senior women’s league which will commence from the month of July. We are planning a three-month-long, well-planned league for women and the winner will qualify for the Indian Women’s League’s main round,’’ Bali reveals.
Interestingly, the league will run longer than the AIFF's national women's league - the IWL's main round.
The league will have ten clubs and the matches will be played over two legs. Central Reserve Police Force (Jalandhar) and United Warriors Sporting Club (Phagwara) are two of the well-known clubs. Apart from this, teams from Ludhiana, Jalwana and Mahilpur will also participate in the league which will kick start on July 20. A league for under-15 and under-18 junior girls is also on the cards, slated for November this year.
Apart from encouraging the participation of female footballers, Punjab FA has also contributed towards women's caoaching. In order to boost involvement of women, a D-Licence course was held last year.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Odisha
Football Association of Odisha (FAO) hosted the Super Cup recently but Rising Student Club remains the state's most famous product in the women's game
While football might not have been the most famous sport in the state of Odisha, the beautiful game has been catching up in popularity in recent times.
In contrast, Odisha has produced much more female footballers who have gone on to represent the national team as compared to their male counterparts.
Former East Bengal defender, the Late Proloy Saha remains the only player to be capped for India from the state. Mumbai City FC's Rakesh Oram and Churchill Brothers' Pankaj Sona are a couple of players from Odisha who are currently plying their trade in the national leagues.
However, the Football Associaton of Odisha (FAO) have hosted the last two national cup competitions; the Federation Cup in 2016-17 and the inaugural edition of the Super Cup in 2017-18.
Also, Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium played host to Indian Super League (ISL) side Jamshedpur FC for a solitary game this past season where they welcomed Bengaluru FC, thus stamping Odisha on the footballing map further.
"The Government is very proactive in all football-related matters and we are looking for sponsors to further football in the state," Avijit Pal, Joint-Secretary, FAO told Goal.
Samaleswari SC is the only team from the state to ever make it to the national stage when they participated in the 2012 and 2013 2nd Division I-League but the club has folded operations since.
"The clubs has shut down three-four years ago. However, we are in early talks to send a team into the second division next season but I cannot disclose any further," revealed Pal.
State League
In a revamped structure implemented from the 2017-18 season, the FAO had 42 teams play across two divisions in the men's game. The first division (28 teams) is further divided into three categories: Diamond (8 teams), Gold (8 teams) and Silver (12 teams). Each category had their own champions in a round-robin league as there was no promotion or relegation between the categories in 2017-18.
From 2018-19, one team each will be promoted/relegated across the categories. The bottom-placed team in the Silver category will drop down to the second division while the second division champions will take their place for the 2019-20 season.
In 2017-18, the second division was a 14-team affair divided into two groups of seven. However, this season, that number appears to be on the wane with several teams pulling out.
"Most office teams are folding out from the second division because we (FAO) don't allow them to register more than 6 players outside their company's payrolls. Many companies have stopped giving jobs to such footballers and thus have pulled out. This year, we might have around nine teams in the second division and the champion will be promoted to the Silver category in the first division", Pal explained.
The FAO are also looking to organise a 'Super Cup' after the end of the league phase. It will be an eight-team knockout tournament at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The top four teams from the Diamond category, three from Gold and one from Silver will be drawn amongst each other.
The combined prize money pool for the leagues and the knockout tournament for next season is ₹ 7 Lakhs. The FAO in January 2019 will also host the all-India invitational tournament, the Kalinga Cup.
District leagues
Almost all of Odisha's 30 districts have a league and the aim is to make it absolute in the next two seasons. All the winners of the respective district leagues will then come down to Cuttack in October-November and play an Inter-district club championship.
The FAO also has an inter-district team tournament for both men and women.
Youth leagues and 'Baby League'
There is an inter-school tournament in each district comprising a minimum of 16 schools each. Post that, each district sends its combined school's team for the inter-district school's competition in Cuttack.
"We are planning to implement the Baby Leagues from this season onwards even if that means it is conducted in one or two districts. There will be three categories - Ages 6 to 8, Ages 9 to 10 and Ages 11 to 12", promises Pal.
Academy wise, the Sports Hostel Odisha in Bhubaneswar received a 2-star rating accreditation in 2017-18 from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The Kalinga Nagar Sports Academy, Jajpur and the association's own FAO Academy, Cuttack participated in the AIFF Youth Leagues in 2018.
"The FAO Academy is right now non-residential but we are planning to make it residential in a couple of months. Our aim is to hopefully have 3-4 more AIFF accreditated academies by 2019-20," said Pal.
Women's football structure
Sasmita Malik, Manisha Panna, Jabamani Tudu, Supriya Routray and Pyari Xaxa are the few gems the state of Odisha has produced for the women's game in India. To add to it, the reigning Indian Women's League (IWL) champions, Rising Student Club hails from the state.
"This time, we are looking to make the women's league longer, about 3 months. Eight teams have already been finalised and we have got it approved from the AIFF," stated Pal.
Along with that, the inter-district team tournament is also a platform for the ladies to showcase their talent as Odisha remains one of the few states in the country that seems to give as much importance to the women's game, if not more.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Jharkhand
The Jharkhand Football Association are planning to start a baby league in the age groups 9-10 and 10-12 from this year...
The state of Jharkhand never had a top-tier football club until 2017 when Jamshedpur FC was founded by the Tata Group and took part in the fourth season of the Indian Super League (ISL). But that does not mean that they do not have a footballing heritage. The biggest boon to Indian football was the formation of the TATA Football Academy (TFA) in the year 1987.
Majority of the big Indian names in the last three decades have come up from the ranks of TFA. The likes of Renedy Singh, Mahesh Gawli, Sandip Nandy, Deepak Mondal are all products of TFA. Arjuna Award winner Deepak Mondal hails from Jharkhand.
Now with the advent of TATA Groups’ own football club, the state us now witnessing a rise in popularity in football. In this article, we take a look at the framework of the leagues in the state of Jharkhand.
State league
At the moment there are eight clubs who are playing in the state league of Jharkhand. The Jharkhand Football Association (JFA) are planning to expand the structure starting from this year. They already have several district-level leagues for various age categories.
Speaking to Goal, JFA general secretary Ghulam Rabbani said, “At the moments several district leagues are going on in different age groups. We conduct several district leagues throughout the state.”
Youth leagues
Jharkhand currently do not have any youth league in the state but Rabbani confirmed that the association are planning to start a baby league for age groups 9-10 and 10-12.
He said, “At the youth level, we are going to start a baby league between the age group of 9-10 and 10-12.”
Women's football structure
Along with District Leagues and Baby Leagues, the football association of Jharkhand will also start a Women’s League. The framework is ready as confirmed by the JFA secretary and the league is scheduled to start by July end.
“From this year onwards we are starting a women’s league. It will start in July after the World Cup ends. The women’s league will have five to eight clubs from eight districts,” said Ghulam Rabbani.
There are currently three football academies that are running in Jharkhand, the most prominent being the TFA. The other two are the SAIL Football Academy and Fahim Football Academy.
Rabbani also claimed that another football club is soon coming from Jharkhand who will be participating in the top division. He suggested that the Munjal Group may form a new club.
He said, “Jamshedpur FC are playing at the top level now and they are doing well. There is a possibility that another football club may come up from Jharkhand. Maybe a team owned by Munjal Steels.”
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All you need to know about the football leagues in Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is one of the three states along with Nagaland and Tripura to not have any representation in the top division of India's club football circuit. But with the advent of the Arunachal Super League, things might change for the better as it is the first ever league tournament in the state.
Launched in 2017 as the T K Arunachal Super League, it started with seven teams vying for silverware at the end of the two-month long league. The participating clubs were Todo United, Nirjuli Utd. FC, Gora Makik SC (GMSC), Tagung Neri SC, Capital Complex FC, Bamang Taji FC, and Deed Circle FC. All the matches were held at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Naharlagun where the teams played each other once in a league system. The top four teams qualified for semi-finals whereas the bottom two had to play a qualifier to once again ensure participation in the Super League 2018.
GMSC clinched the maiden Arunachal Super League title beating Todo United with two second half goals in the final.
In the second edition of the Super League, 12 teams are set to participate as confirmed by Kipa Ajay - secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA).
"We are going to divide Arunachal Pradesh into Eastern Zone and Western Zone. The top four from each zone will directly qualify for the Super League. The next five teams from each zone will enter a qualifier round alongside the two bottom-placed teams from the Super League last season. Four teams from this tournament will progress to the Super League," explained Ajay.
Although the dates are yet to be finalized, it is expected that the tournament will kick-off in the last week of September.
The Tadar Tang State Level Football Tournament is another premier division competition, normally held in December, where the entire state is divided into six zones. Top two teams these zones go on to participate in the main event which is held at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
In the main event, the 12 teams are further divided into four groups with the top two teams from each group progressing into the knock-out stages.
In the latest edition of the tournament, Capital Complex defeated five times champions Lower Subansiri by 1-0.
Youth Leagues
The footballing season in Arunachal starts with the Dera Natung (U-16) State Level Football Championship where any District Team/ School /Club is eligible to take part. 15 teams registered for this edition of the tournament. The teams were divided into four groups and the group champions were pitted against each other in the semi-finals.
Polocity FC defeated Arunachal SC (2)4-3(2) on penalties in the final match to win 5th Dera Natung tournament.
The APFA is set to host 'Baby League' for young aspirants between five to 12 years to develop the game from the grassroots level in the month of September. All India Football Federation has assured to lend every possible help in organizing the league in the state.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Karnataka
The South Indian state of Karnataka might be more known for excelling in cricket but pockets in the region are seeing a rise in popularity in football, thanks to the advent of clubs like Bengaluru FC and Ozone FC who have established themselves on the national stage.
The state team also did well in the recently concluded Santosh Trophy, reaching the semifinals after a strong showing in the league stages.
However, the popularity of the game in the state is still nowhere close to fanatical levels and the fact that Karnataka does not have a state-level league is a testament to the fact. But there are competitive league structures in several districts of the state, with the Bengaluru Super Division being considered the best league in the state in terms of competitiveness and profile.
History of Bengaluru Super Division
The Bengaluru Senior Division is the top-tier league in Bengaluru district which also has three lower tiers - A, B and C divisions. The Super Division was established in 2005 and the teams compete for the George Hoover trophy.
The league normally features 10-11 teams and clubs can adopt two different ways to participate in the Super Division. The first way is by gaining promotion from the A division and the other is by paying INR 10 Lakhs to the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) and gain direct entry. Clubs like Bengaluru FC and Ozone FC are playing the Super Division after paying the entry fee to the BDFA.
There used to be institutional teams like Hindustan Aeronauticals Limited (HAL), Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) etc participating in the Super Division but they have all ceased to play as of now.
The current champions of the Super Division is the I-League second division outfit Ozone FC.
Format & Venue
Senior Division normally has 10 or 11 teams at most and is played in a single leg format where all the teams play against each other at least once. All the matches are played at Bangalore Football Stadium (BFS) in Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru.
The team which wins the most points at the end of the season is crowned the champions. The BDFA is also thinking about including two more teams in the Super Division, with South United a likely participant.
The second-tier league, the A division, also has 10-12 teams participating while the B division features 14 teams. The bottom-tier is the C division which features almost 90-100 teams. The teams in the C division are divided into groups and then the winners will play another round-robin league before entering a knockout phase. Four teams will qualify for the B division while there is no relegation from C division.
Other District & Youth Leagues
Apart from Bengaluru district, only five to six other districts in the state have an active football league, like Mandya, Dakshin Kannada, Kolar and Mysore.
While there are no state-level youth competitions, the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) organises an inter-region youth tournament in the U14 and U16 categories, which is normally held in Bengaluru.
Encouraged by the rise in popularity of football in the state and the success of Bengaluru-based clubs, BDFA also has plans to revive several senior-level tournaments like the Stafford's Cup, C.Prasanna Kumar Memorial tournament etc. BDFA wants to have one competition open to all clubs while another one open to only B Division teams and so on.
But the main problem which the BDFA faces is the lack of a ground with natural turf. They only have the Bangalore Football Stadium as of now.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Maharashtra
In recent times, Maharashtra has lost its place on the football map of India. Once home to I-League outfits like Mumbai FC, DSK Shivajians, Mahindra United and the likes, the western state just has Indian Super League (ISL) sides Mumbai City FC and FC Pune City and India Rush Soccer Club from the Indian Women’s League, to boast of right now in the top-tier tournaments.
However, the Western India Football Association (WIFA) has expressed that it does not fear losing its identity on the national level. ‘’It is the business of the clubs if they want to shut down or keep their deals. Our (WIFA’s) job is to increase the participation. Today in Maharashtra, there are 28 teams in U-15, U-13 and U-18 leagues, which is a big chunk. I don’t think any other state would have so much participation,’’ Henry Menezes, CEO of WIFA, tells Goal.
"Maharashtra has been at the top in the U-13, U-15 and U-18 leagues. I’m not sure if any other state has so many teams. We are creating from the base a club structure. We are very happy with what is going on," he adds.
Since the last five years, Menezes reiterates that Maharashtra has focused on grassroots, sports education and youth competitions. He explains that WIFA has tried to get districts involved in coach education first as it is the most important thing.
WIFA subsequently introduced the D License coaching course. "Today, we have around 4,250 or more coaches certified and trained under this license. It has gone pan-India. If you look at the coaching structure in India, we could be more than 50 per cent of the licenses which India has done."
The football structure in Maharashtra sees U14, U16 and women’s league under the club structure. In addition to this, the district-level football includes sub-junior, junior and senior division for men’s football while women’s football has junior and senior divisions.
Here, we take a look at the current framework of the leagues and the proposed future plans at the respective levels.
State League
Maharashtra, despite being one of the largest states in India with 36 districts, does not have a state football league.
The idea of ‘’Maha League’’ was proposed about five years ago but eventually, it couldn’t be implemented as the sponsor pulled out. However, WIFA plans to bring back some action.
"This year September, we plan to speak to teams as we see strength in Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune. We’re trying to get into a six-team home-and-away basis league to start off with. Slowly, we will come up with certain criteria for more teams to join in," Menezes reveals.
District leagues
Maharashtra has leagues only in six districts, namely Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Aurangabad and Nagpur. All of these districts have their own leagues at the senior, U14 and U16 levels. The winners, however, aren’t granted any promotion due to the absence of competition at the state level.
Mumbai's district league is considered as the top-most league in the state.
The future plans of WIFA include introducing a six-team system. ‘’This year we are trying to get a system where six teams play in a home and away basis. We don’t have a senior state league right now but if everybody agrees, we will. The logistics are an issue because teams like Nagpur have to travel 1400 km, which has an expense to it,’’ Menezes claimed.
Youth leagues and 'Baby League'
The state has U-13, U-14, U-15 and U-18 leagues. A U-16 championship is on the cards for the ongoing year. "In our U-14 competition, we had 119 teams which participated from six districts. We got around 16 teams in Mumbai for a state competition which was well received by all. This year, we have included Nashik and Palghar to make it eight districts; we don’t want to open it up for everyone unless they fulfill criteria.
"Come June, we will start the U-14 Championship. The U-16 championship and women’s state league will be introduced this year,’’ claims Menezes.
‘Baby League’ is for ages 6 to 12; WIFA, however, plans to include 4-year-olds too from next year where they will play 2v2 or 3v3.
Every team participating in the baby leagues has about 20 players in three teams (U8, U10 and U12). The league has a single point system which means if the U8 side wins a game, the club gets three points and if the U10 side wins, three more points are added to the club's tally and at the end, the team with the most points win.
Menezes explains the reason for this format saying, ‘’This is done so the kids and the parents stay at the venue to cheer for the other teams. This helps in creating community; one will always see 150 people cheering for the kids.’’
Baby League's’ first phase began in January and it takes place every weekend. There are 84 teams participating from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune and WIFA wants Nashik, Kolhapur and Palghar to get into the mix.
"It is played in a league format where kids shouldn’t travel more than 5 km. It is done on a home and away basis with five-a-side or seven-a-side contest. In the ninth round, all 84 teams would play at Cooperage,’’ describes Menezes.
Women's football structure
WIFA conducts an inter district football championship for women which had six to eight teams participating when it was commenced. Currently, there are 18 districts participating, according to Menezes.
‘’We invite every district. This year 24 districts confirmed but six of those could not form a team at the last moment and dropped out,’’ he tells.
The districts carry out their respective leagues after which they select a strong side to represent the district in the inter district competition, which is a knockout tournament.
WIFA plans to bring in a state-level championship for women this year. ‘’Eight women’s team will come into the championship. They will play in two groups at Cooperage Stadium of which the top two of both groups will head into the semi-final and final,’’ explains Menezes.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Punjab
The 2017-18 season of I-League saw Minerva Punjab lift the coveted trophy on the final day thereby becoming the first team from North India to clinch the championship in 21 years. JCT (Jagatjit Cotton & Textile) FC were the last outfit to get their hands on the winners’ medal in 1996-97 chapter of National Football League (NFL).
It is safe to say that the Ranjit Bajaj-owned club restored the pride and prestige for the state of Punjab, which continues to produce players across all age groups for the Indian national team.
The game is big in Punjab and the state has a wide range of academies. In this piece, we take a look at the framework of the leagues in the state of Punjab.
State league
There are seven state leagues in Punjab which can be categorically divided under senior men’s, men’s second division, under-18 boys, under-16 boys, and senior women’s league, under-18 girls and under-15 girls.
Of this, the most well-known league is the JCT Punjab State Super Football League which belongs to the senior men’s category. This season will be its 32nd year of existence.
The tournament has two phases. The first phase sees ten teams divided into two groups. The top three teams from each group go to the second phase where they are joined by two teams from the second division.
The league follows a different format in terms of its venues. Some matches are fixed on a home and away basis, and a few are played in neutral venues. The neutral venues are usually rural areas, grassroots centres where the craze for football doesn’t exist, so as to introduce the sporting culture to children. Malerkotla city of Sangrur district has been one of the several places Punjab Football Association (PFA) had chosen to popularise the game.
JCT Phagwara was a massive force in the state league until it disbanded in 2011 but its academy continues to participate in the contest. Border Security Force (BSF), Punjab Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) (all from Jalandhar), Rail Coach Factory (Kapurthala) and Dalbir Football Academy (Patiala) are the other well-known names to take part.
District leagues
PFA has 19 affiliated district associations, except Moga and Pathankot districts. Every district has its own tournament known as the inter-district competition at the under-8, under-10 and under-12 level in schools. At the senior level, the respective clubs compete against each other.
In addition to this, Punjab also has a regional league called the DOABA League that takes place in Mahilpur which is very famous.
Youth leagues
Punjab is in a transitional phase when it comes to youth football. Vijay Bali, who is the Joint-Secretary of Punjab FA, explains, ‘’Earlier, we had a league in the under-14 age group which included eight to nine grassroot academies. Currently we have 32 academies in the under-15 category and 18 academies in the under-18 age group.
‘’We are going to implement youth leagues this year with the under-15 and under-18 categories.’’
Lately, trials in the under-13 and under-18 categories for boys and girls were conducted in Phagwara city of Punjab. Recalling the event, Bali comments, ''We conducted the trials in three phases; we conducted regional trials first by deciding eleven venues. The trials were initially planned for February-March but they got delayed. Hence, we shortlisted 174 boys beforehand for the scouts in the age categories and around 121 junior girls turned up for the trials.
‘’The scouts were delighted with the talent but even now a few areas aren’t covered yet. We would definitely want them (AIFF) to come up with a regular (scouting) plan for Punjab so the children who missed out for whatever reasons, will get an opportunity."
Women's football structure
For the inaugural edition of Indian Women’s League (IWL), the state of Punjab had conducted a league which saw six teams go head-to-head for a place in the final round of the women’s premier tournament.
Although IWL has not seen any representation of Punjab in the main round over the two years, the Punjab FA is focused on its women’s football structure. ‘’We have introduced a senior women’s league which will commence from the month of July. We are planning a three-month-long, well-planned league for women and the winner will qualify for the Indian Women’s League’s main round,’’ Bali reveals.
Interestingly, the league will run longer than the AIFF's national women's league - the IWL's main round.
The league will have ten clubs and the matches will be played over two legs. Central Reserve Police Force (Jalandhar) and United Warriors Sporting Club (Phagwara) are two of the well-known clubs. Apart from this, teams from Ludhiana, Jalwana and Mahilpur will also participate in the league which will kick start on July 20. A league for under-15 and under-18 junior girls is also on the cards, slated for November this year.
Apart from encouraging the participation of female footballers, Punjab FA has also contributed towards women's caoaching. In order to boost involvement of women, a D-Licence course was held last year.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Odisha
While football might not have been the most famous sport in the state of Odisha, the beautiful game has been catching up in popularity in recent times.
In contrast, Odisha has produced much more female footballers who have gone on to represent the national team as compared to their male counterparts.
Former East Bengal defender, the Late Proloy Saha remains the only player to be capped for India from the state. Mumbai City FC's Rakesh Oram and Churchill Brothers' Pankaj Sona are a couple of players from Odisha who are currently plying their trade in the national leagues.
However, the Football Associaton of Odisha (FAO) have hosted the last two national cup competitions; the Federation Cup in 2016-17 and the inaugural edition of the Super Cup in 2017-18.
Also, Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium played host to Indian Super League (ISL) side Jamshedpur FC for a solitary game this past season where they welcomed Bengaluru FC, thus stamping Odisha on the footballing map further.
"The Government is very proactive in all football-related matters and we are looking for sponsors to further football in the state," Avijit Pal, Joint-Secretary, FAO told Goal.
Samaleswari SC is the only team from the state to ever make it to the national stage when they participated in the 2012 and 2013 2nd Division I-League but the club has folded operations since.
"The clubs has shut down three-four years ago. However, we are in early talks to send a team into the second division next season but I cannot disclose any further," revealed Pal.
State League
In a revamped structure implemented from the 2017-18 season, the FAO had 42 teams play across two divisions in the men's game. The first division (28 teams) is further divided into three categories: Diamond (8 teams), Gold (8 teams) and Silver (12 teams). Each category had their own champions in a round-robin league as there was no promotion or relegation between the categories in 2017-18.
From 2018-19, one team each will be promoted/relegated across the categories. The bottom-placed team in the Silver category will drop down to the second division while the second division champions will take their place for the 2019-20 season.
In 2017-18, the second division was a 14-team affair divided into two groups of seven. However, this season, that number appears to be on the wane with several teams pulling out.
"Most office teams are folding out from the second division because we (FAO) don't allow them to register more than 6 players outside their company's payrolls. Many companies have stopped giving jobs to such footballers and thus have pulled out. This year, we might have around nine teams in the second division and the champion will be promoted to the Silver category in the first division", Pal explained.
The FAO are also looking to organise a 'Super Cup' after the end of the league phase. It will be an eight-team knockout tournament at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. The top four teams from the Diamond category, three from Gold and one from Silver will be drawn amongst each other.
The combined prize money pool for the leagues and the knockout tournament for next season is ₹ 7 Lakhs. The FAO in January 2019 will also host the all-India invitational tournament, the Kalinga Cup.
District leagues
Almost all of Odisha's 30 districts have a league and the aim is to make it absolute in the next two seasons. All the winners of the respective district leagues will then come down to Cuttack in October-November and play an Inter-district club championship.
The FAO also has an inter-district team tournament for both men and women.
Youth leagues and 'Baby League'
There is an inter-school tournament in each district comprising a minimum of 16 schools each. Post that, each district sends its combined school's team for the inter-district school's competition in Cuttack.
"We are planning to implement the Baby Leagues from this season onwards even if that means it is conducted in one or two districts. There will be three categories - Ages 6 to 8, Ages 9 to 10 and Ages 11 to 12", promises Pal.
Academy wise, the Sports Hostel Odisha in Bhubaneswar received a 2-star rating accreditation in 2017-18 from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The Kalinga Nagar Sports Academy, Jajpur and the association's own FAO Academy, Cuttack participated in the AIFF Youth Leagues in 2018.
"The FAO Academy is right now non-residential but we are planning to make it residential in a couple of months. Our aim is to hopefully have 3-4 more AIFF accreditated academies by 2019-20," said Pal.
Women's football structure
Sasmita Malik, Manisha Panna, Jabamani Tudu, Supriya Routray and Pyari Xaxa are the few gems the state of Odisha has produced for the women's game in India. To add to it, the reigning Indian Women's League (IWL) champions, Rising Student Club hails from the state.
"This time, we are looking to make the women's league longer, about 3 months. Eight teams have already been finalised and we have got it approved from the AIFF," stated Pal.
Along with that, the inter-district team tournament is also a platform for the ladies to showcase their talent as Odisha remains one of the few states in the country that seems to give as much importance to the women's game, if not more.
All you need to know about the football league structure in Jharkhand
The state of Jharkhand never had a top-tier football club until 2017 when Jamshedpur FC was founded by the Tata Group and took part in the fourth season of the Indian Super League (ISL). But that does not mean that they do not have a footballing heritage. The biggest boon to Indian football was the formation of the TATA Football Academy (TFA) in the year 1987.
Majority of the big Indian names in the last three decades have come up from the ranks of TFA. The likes of Renedy Singh, Mahesh Gawli, Sandip Nandy, Deepak Mondal are all products of TFA. Arjuna Award winner Deepak Mondal hails from Jharkhand.
Now with the advent of TATA Groups’ own football club, the state us now witnessing a rise in popularity in football. In this article, we take a look at the framework of the leagues in the state of Jharkhand.
State league
At the moment there are eight clubs who are playing in the state league of Jharkhand. The Jharkhand Football Association (JFA) are planning to expand the structure starting from this year. They already have several district-level leagues for various age categories.
Speaking to Goal, JFA general secretary Ghulam Rabbani said, “At the moments several district leagues are going on in different age groups. We conduct several district leagues throughout the state.”
Youth leagues
Jharkhand currently do not have any youth league in the state but Rabbani confirmed that the association are planning to start a baby league for age groups 9-10 and 10-12.
He said, “At the youth level, we are going to start a baby league between the age group of 9-10 and 10-12.”
Women's football structure
Along with District Leagues and Baby Leagues, the football association of Jharkhand will also start a Women’s League. The framework is ready as confirmed by the JFA secretary and the league is scheduled to start by July end.
“From this year onwards we are starting a women’s league. It will start in July after the World Cup ends. The women’s league will have five to eight clubs from eight districts,” said Ghulam Rabbani.
There are currently three football academies that are running in Jharkhand, the most prominent being the TFA. The other two are the SAIL Football Academy and Fahim Football Academy.
Rabbani also claimed that another football club is soon coming from Jharkhand who will be participating in the top division. He suggested that the Munjal Group may form a new club.
He said, “Jamshedpur FC are playing at the top level now and they are doing well. There is a possibility that another football club may come up from Jharkhand. Maybe a team owned by Munjal Steels.”