Indian Football

The game of Football in India is played and enjoyed by a large number of people. The history of Indian Football is not that ancient, as it was brought in India by the British rulers, during the middle half of the 19th century. The game earned popularity among the Indian people within no time and since then; it has been one of the most popular and widely played sports in India. The history of Indian Football has presented a large number of glorious and memorable events that the Indian people cherish even today. The events like Mohun Bagan winning the IFA-Shield Cup, the Indian national team winning several trophies in the Asian Games, SAF Games, reaching the Semi-Finals of Olympic Games are some of the most memorable, amongst them. Apart from the Indian National Men`s Football Team, the Indian National Women`s Football Team has also earned a lot of recognition and reputation in the international arena.

The Indian football produced several legendary Football players so far, who have shown incredible performances on the Football field and mesmerised the whole world. The Indian Football players have earned significant recognition and reputation in the international circuit for their extraordinary skills. Some of the legendary Indian Football players include Gostha Pal, Subimal Chuni Goswami, Sailendra Nath Manna, P K Bannerjee, Baichung Bhutia, Peter Thangaraj, Sunil Chetri, Sangram Mukherjee, Alvito de Counha, etc. All these players have played extraordinarily on the Football field and also helped India winning many championships and bringing glory to the nation.

Indian Football is being run and managed by a large number of associations spread all over India, at present. The national governing body for Football in India is the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and it is being associated by numerous district and state football associations. The Indian Football associations have been working relentlessly for the development and improvement of Football in India. They are organising various with an objective tournaments to bring up new talents from the grass route level. The Indian Football tournaments are organised at different levels like district level, state level or national level in India. The Indian Football associations have so far got considerable success in doing so and brought up several players, who have represented India in the international circuit.

Apart from the Indian Football associations, there are also many Football clubs that are contributing to the improvement of Indian Football. The Indian Football clubs have been playing a vital role in the total improvement of Indian Football and they have showed some great performances in various international tournaments, as well.

Football is played in India by both the men and women and the history of women`s Football in India is quite old. The Indian women started playing Football during the 1970s and the states of Bengal and Manipur are contributing the most to the Indian women`s Football. The Indian National Women`s Football team has already showed wonderful performances in the regional and international arena. The team has won several trophies and brought glory for India, as well.