Indian Football is undoubtedly one of the most popular and highly appreciated sports in India. The Indian people play the game of Football quite extensively, as they love playing and watching the game, very much. Football has a long and rich tradition in India and the history of Indian Football is something worth mentioning.
Football started its journey in India when the British rulers brought it with them and in no time, it became popular among the masses. The first recorded game held in India took place between the 'Calcutta Club of Civilians' and 'The Gentlemen of Barrackpore' in 1854. The first ever football club in the history of Indian Football, the Calcutta FC was established in 1872. However, there are reports that the club was initially a rugby club and later switched its attentions to Football in 1894. Some of the other ancient Football clubs in India include Mohan Bagan Athletic Club, founded in 1889, the Dalhousie Club, the Traders Club and also the Naval Volunteers Club. The Mohun Bagan AC was later named as the 'National Club of India'.The first football association in India, the Indian Football Association (IFA) started its journey in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1893; however, it did not have a single Indian on its board till the 1930s. In 1898, the oldest in India and also the third oldest football tournament in the world, the Durand Cup football tournament was started in Shimla. The tournament was inaugurated by and named after the then Foreign Secretary of India, Sir Mortimer Durand. The first mentionable achievement for the Indians in Football came in 1911, when Mohun Bagan AC became the first Indian team to win the IFA-Shield Trophy. The trophy was previously won only by the British teams based in India. The win is still referred as one of the biggest achievements in the history of Indian Football.
After the huge success of Mohun Bagan AC of winning the IFA-Shield Trophy, football tournaments and football clubs spread rapidly. The increasing number of football clubs led to the formation of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 1937. The AIFF got affiliation from the international governing body for Football, FIFA in 1948 and it was also one of the founder members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954. All these events are considered as memorable milestones in the history of Indian Football.
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