Football is India's second most popular sport. Traditionally it has enjoyed popularity in the regions such as West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, Odisha, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.
The origin of football in India can be traced back to mid-nineteenth century when the game was introduced by British soldiers; clubs were soon set up around the country. Calcutta FC was the first club to be established in 1872, started football as late as 1894. Other early clubs include Dalhousie Club, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club. Several other football clubs like Sovabazar, Mohun Bagan and Aryan Club were established in Calcutta around the 1890s. Calcutta, then capital of British India, soon became the hub of Indian football. Tournaments like Gladstone Cup, Trades Cup and Cooch Behar Cup was also started around this time. The Durand Cup and IFA Shield were both started in late nineteenth century.
The India national football team is governed by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation. At the peak of its success during the 1950s and 60s, the team was automatically advanced to play in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, but they did not go to the tournament in Brazil due to the cost of travel, lack of practice time, team selection issues, their refusal to not play barefoot and valuing Olympics over the World Cup. They won gold medals at two Asian Games, and held the record for the best performance by an Asian football team at the Olympics.
Women's football has not had the relative head start over the rest of the world that the men's game has had, and also has not had the chance to spread through the country like its male counterpart. The game was administered by the Women's Football Federation of India (WFFI) from 1975 until the early 1990s when they were absorbed into the AIFF.
The origin of football in India can be traced back to mid-nineteenth century when the game was introduced by British soldiers; clubs were soon set up around the country. Calcutta FC was the first club to be established in 1872, started football as late as 1894. Other early clubs include Dalhousie Club, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club. Several other football clubs like Sovabazar, Mohun Bagan and Aryan Club were established in Calcutta around the 1890s. Calcutta, then capital of British India, soon became the hub of Indian football. Tournaments like Gladstone Cup, Trades Cup and Cooch Behar Cup was also started around this time. The Durand Cup and IFA Shield were both started in late nineteenth century.
The India national football team is governed by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation. At the peak of its success during the 1950s and 60s, the team was automatically advanced to play in the 1950 FIFA World Cup, but they did not go to the tournament in Brazil due to the cost of travel, lack of practice time, team selection issues, their refusal to not play barefoot and valuing Olympics over the World Cup. They won gold medals at two Asian Games, and held the record for the best performance by an Asian football team at the Olympics.
Women's football has not had the relative head start over the rest of the world that the men's game has had, and also has not had the chance to spread through the country like its male counterpart. The game was administered by the Women's Football Federation of India (WFFI) from 1975 until the early 1990s when they were absorbed into the AIFF.
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