Delhi Football League

Indian football league in the union territory of Delhi

Football league

Delhi Football League

Logo of Delhi Premier League, the top division of Delhi Football League

Organising bodies| Football Delhi
Founded| 1948; 76 years ago (1948)
Country| India
Leagues| Delhi Premier League
FD Senior Division League
A-Division League
B-Division League
C-Division League
Number of teams| 80 + (overall)
Level on pyramid| 5–9
Promotion to| I-League 3 (Delhi Premier League)
Relegation to| Various
Current champions| Garhwal Heroes FC (DPL, 1st title)
Most championships| Indian Air Force
(DPL, 8 titles)
TV partners| SportVot
Sportzworkz
(YouTube)
Website| www.footballdelhi.com

The Delhi Football League is a ladder-based state football competition organised by Football Delhi (FD), involving a total of five divisions with over 80 teams in the Indian state of Delhi. Delhi Premier League is the top-division, started in 1948 as DSA Senior Division.

## History

[edit]

The first parent body of Delhi football was formed in 1926, with professor Mohammed Zubair Qureishi as secretary. There was no proper local league but the clubs used to participate in private tournaments organised by sport enthusiasts. Due to the violence and upheaval caused by the Partition of India, the Delhi League was suspended after 1946. It resumed in 1948 and the oldest club in the capital Young Men has won it that year. From 1948 onwards, the Delhi League took a particular shape. It had three divisions. The top 10 teams played in the A division, on a double-leg basis, with all matches being held at the Ambedkar Stadium, earlier known as the Delhi Gate Stadium. The B and C division matches took place at either the nearby Crescent Ground or the President's Estate Ground. Except for transport allowance, kit and refreshment, there was no payment to the players. However, club officials would strive to get their top players jobs in leading public sector concerns like Delhi Audit, Northern Railway, State Bank of India, Central Secretariat Service, Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking (DESU), Food Corporation of India (FCI) and so on. A competitive institutional league was also held annually.[1]

## Competition structure

[edit]

Delhi Football League

Tier  | Division

(5 on Indian football pyramid) | Delhi Premier League
↑promote (to I-League 3) ↓relegate

(6 on Indian football pyramid) | FD Senior Division League
↑promote ↓relegate

(7 on Indian football Football pyramid) | FD A-Division
↑promote↓relegate

(8 on Indian football Football pyramid) | FD B-Division
↑promote↓relegate

(9 on Indian football pyramid) | FD C-Division
↑promote

## Delhi Premier League

[edit]

Delhi Premier League, previously known as Football Delhi Senior Division League (FD Senior Division)[2] and DSA Senior Division, is the top state-level football league in Delhi and level 5 of Indian football league system.[3] It is also the highest level inter-city league played in the capital. Competition is conducted by Football Delhi,[4] official governing body of Delhi region under AIFF. Most players from this league are selected to represent Delhi for Santosh Trophy.[citation needed]

### Previous teams

[edit]

Indian Air Force

Royal Rangers FC
Tarun Sangha FC
Uttarakhand FC
Friends United FC
Delhi FC
Garhwal FC
Hindustan FC
Rangers SC
Sudeva Delhi FC
Vatika FC

## Senior Division League

[edit]

Football Delhi Senior Division League is the second tier of Delhi Football League system.

1  | CISF Protectors

|

2  | Garhwal Diamond FC
3  | Delhi Tigers FC
4  | United Bharat FC
5  | Ahbab FC
6  | Shastri FC
7  | City FC
8  | National United FC
9  | Delhi United FC
10  | Jaguar FC
11  | Youngmen FC

## A-Division League

[edit]

Football Delhi A-Division is the third tier of Delhi Football League system.

Group A

1  | Victory FC

|

2  | Shakti FC
3  | Simla Youngs FC
4  | Indian Air Force (Palam)
5  | Punjab Heroes FC
6  | Ajmal FC

Group B

1  | Frontier FC Delhi

|

2  | Paschim Heroes FC
3  | Royal FC
4  | Young SC
5  | Youngsters SC
6  | Bangadarshan FA

Group C

1  | Young Boys FC

|

2  | Hops FC
3  | Amity Indian National FC
4  | M2M FC
5  | DDA FPS
6  | Goodwill FC

## B-Division League

[edit]

Football Delhi B-Division is the fourth tier of Delhi Football League system.

Group A

1  | Cosmos FC

|

2  | Northern United FC
3  | Royal Bengal FC
4  | Eimi Heroes FC
5  | Girls United FC
6  | Venus FC
7  | Goans FC
8  | Ashoka FC

Group B

1  | Warriors FC

|

2  | Delhi Students FC
3  | Dwarka FC
4  | Golden Stars SC
5  | Eves FC
6  | Garhwal Women FC
7  | Columbus Youngsters FC
8  | Hans FC
9  | Eimi Heroes
10  | Collegian FC
11  | Glorious FC

Group C

1  | Uttranchal Heroes FC

|

2  | State Bank of India FC
3  | Mughals SC
4  | Union FC
5  | Growing Star SC
6  | Noida City FC
7  | New Friends FC
8  | Young Bengal Association FC
9  | The Dream Team FC

Group D

1  | New Delhi Heroes FC

|

2  | Juba Sangha FC
3  | Collegian FC
4  | BB Stars FC
5  | Hans Women FC
6  | Rohini FC
7  | Lodhi Colony FC
8  | Delhi Cantonment FC

## C-Division League

[edit]

Football Delhi C-Division is the fifth tier of Delhi Football League system.

### Teams

[edit]

Signature FC

Delhi Audit
Central Civil Services FC
Delhi Transport Corporation FC
Govt. Of NCT FC
AIIMS
Noida City FC
Northern Railways FC
Airport Authority FC
Aroor FA
ESIC
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs FC
Bank Of India FC
FCI (HQ)
Zakir Hussain College FC
90 Minutes FC
Costom and Central Excise FC
IPGCL
Delhi Development Authority FC
Alliance FC
FCI (NZ)
Reserve Bank Sports & Recreation Club
Oriental Bank of India FC
Delhi Telecom FC

## Venues

[edit]

The most of league matches are played at Ambedkar Stadium or Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex, both of which are located in New Delhi.[5]

## Top division results by year

[edit]

The Delhi League was started in 1948, but has not been finished on some occasions. From 1985, a new format, Super League (two groups followed by knock-out semifinals and final), was adopted.[6][7]

Year  | Winner  | Runners-up  | Note

|
|
|

1948  | Youngmen SC  | Data not available |
1949  | Raisina Sporting  |
1950  | Simla Youngs FC |
1951  | Youngmen SC  |
1952  | Simla Youngs FC |
1953  | New Delhi Heroes FC |
1954  | New Delhi Heroes FC |
1955  | New Delhi Heroes FC |
1956  | New Delhi Heroes FC |
1957  | Youngmen SC  |
1958  | New Delhi Heroes FC |
1959  | New Delhi Heroes FC |
1960  | City Club  |
1961  | Raisina Sporting  |
1962  | Raisina Sporting  |
1963  | City Club  |
1964  | City Club  |
1965  | Youngmen SC  |
1966  | President's Estate  |
1967  | President's Estate  |
1969  | Youngmen SC  |
1971  | Indian Air Force |
1972  | Simla Youngs FC |
1973  | Simla Youngs FC |
1975  | Indian Air Force |
1976  | Simla Youngs FC |
1985  | Moonlight FC  | Simla Youngs FC |
1986  | Garhwal Heroes | Youngsters FC  |
1987  | None  | Unfinished
1988  | Shastri FC
Moonlight FC  | Joint winners
1989  | Shastri FC
Moonlight FC  | Joint winners
1990  | Moonlight FC  |  |
1991  | Students Club  | Simla Youngs FC |
1992  | Shastri FC  | Special Area Games  |
1993  | South India FC  | Simla Youngs FC |
1994  | Shastri FC  | Indian National FC  |
1995  | Mughals SC  | Shastri FC  |
1996  | Shastri FC  | Hindustan FC |
1997  | City Club  | Indian Air Force |
1998  | Indian Air Force | Hindustan FC |
1999  | Indian National FC  | Shastri FC  |
2000  | Indian National FC  | Hindustan FC |
2001–02  | Hindustan FC | Indian National FC  |
2002  | Indian Air Force | Hindustan FC |
2003  | Indian Air Force | Tarun Sangha FC  |
2004  | Indian Air Force, Palam  | Indian Air Force |
2005  | Simla Youngs FC | Hindustan FC |
2006–07  | Indian Air Force | Indian National FC  |
2007–08  | New Delhi Heroes FC | Indian National FC  |
2008–09  | Indian National FC  | Hindustan FC |
2009  | Hindustan FC
Indian National FC  | Joint winners
2011–12  | Delhi United FC | Shahadra FC  |
2013 | Garhwal Heroes FC | Goodwill FC  |
2013–14  | Indian National FC  | Garhwal Heroes FC |
2018  | Indian Air Force |  |
2019 | Garhwal FC | Indian Air Force |
2020  | Not held  | due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 | Indian Air Force | Delhi FC |
2021–22 | Delhi FC | Hindustan FC |
2022–23 | Vatika FC  | Delhi FC | [8]
2023–24 | Garhwal Heroes FC | Royal Rangers FC  |

## See also

[edit]

* Football Delhi

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kapadia, Novy. "Delhi Football - A trip down memory lane". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
2. ^ "Senior Division | Football Delhi". Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
3. ^ Choudhuri, Arunava. "Delhi Senior Division to kick-off July 30". arunfoot.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
4. ^ "The history and the current status of football in Delhi". chaseyoursport.com. 29 April 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
5. ^ "DSA Senior Division Open League begins Tuesday". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
6. ^ Chaudhuri, Arunava (2003). "India – List of Delhi League Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
7. ^ Chaudhuri, Arunava (2000). "List of Champions of the Delhi Football League (DSA Senior Division)". indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
8. ^ @FootballDelhi (26 September 2022). "𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒🏆 | VATIKA FC ARE THE CHAMPIONS DELHI!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022 - via Twitter.

## External links

[edit]

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