 | |
| Organising body | Indian Football Association (West Bengal) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1898 |
| Country | India |
| Divisions | 7 |
| Number of teams | 26 (Premier Division) 160+ (overall) |
| Level on pyramid | 5–10 |
| Promotion to | I-League 3 (from CFL Premier Division) |
| Relegation to | CFL 1st Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | IFA Shield |
| League cup(s) | Trades Cup |
| Current champions | East Bengal (40th title) (2024) |
| Most championships | East Bengal (40 titles)[1] |
| TV partners | Zee 24 Ghanta Zee5 (OTT platform) IFA TV (YouTube) |
| Current: 2024-25 CFL | |
The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a league of professional football clubs from Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1898 as the Calcutta Football League by Indian Football Association , it is the oldest football league in Asia and one of the oldest association football leagues in the world.[2][3]
The CFL is divided into CFL Premier Division, CFL 1st Division, CFL 2nd Division, CFL 3rd Division, CFL 4th Division, CFL 5th Division A, and CFL 5th Division B with promotion and relegation between them.[4] [5]CFL has more than 160 mostly Kolkata-based clubs and units. Started in 1898, this league is the oldest football league in Asia and one of the oldest football competitions in the world.[2][6] CFL currently consists of a seven-tier pyramid system,[2] with more than 8,500 directly registered players of IFA participating in CFL every year, making it one of the biggest leagues in the country.
- ^ Mukhopadhyay, Shoubhik (10 September 2015). "East Bengal & Calcutta Football League: A Sublime Romantic Saga - Hero I-League". i-league.org. I-League. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ a b c "Calcutta Football League". IFA. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:6was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:7was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Majumdar, Rounak (22 April 2019). "The Golden Years of Indian Football". www.chaseyoursport.com. Kolkata: Chase Your Sport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.