Delhi Football League

Indian football league in the union territory of Delhi

Football league

Delhi Football LeagueOrganising bodies| Football Delhi

|

Founded| 1948; 77 years ago (1948)
Country| India
Leagues| Delhi Premier League
FD Senior Division League
A-Division League
B-Division League
C-Division League
Divisions| 5
Number of clubs| 80+ (overall)
Level on pyramid| 5–9
Promotion to| Various
Relegation to| Various
Website| www.footballdelhi.com

The Delhi Football League is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian union territory of Delhi, organised by Football Delhi (FD) as part of the state leagues. 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]

## 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]

Football league

Delhi Premier League

Organising bodies| Football Delhi
Founded| 2022; 3 years ago (2022)
Country| India
Number of clubs| 11
Level on pyramid| 5
Promotion to| I-League 3
Relegation to| FD Senior Division League
Current champions| Garhwal Heroes FC (1st title)
Current: 2024–25 Delhi Premier League

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]

### Clubs

[edit]

Eleven clubs competed in the first edition.[5][6]

Clubs  | Venues

|

Delhi FC | Ambedkar Stadium
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Hindustan FC
Royal Rangers FC
Friends United FC
Garhwal Heroes FC
Tarun Sangha FC
Rangers SC
Sudeva Delhi FC
Uttarakhand FC
Amity Indian National FC
Indian Air Force
Vatika FC

### Champions

[edit]

Season  | Champions  | Runners-up  | Note

|
|
|

2022–23 | Vatika | Delhi |
2023–24 | Garhwal Heroes | Royal Rangers  |
2024–25 |  |  |

## FD Senior Division League

[edit]

Football league

FD Senior Division LeagueOrganising bodies| Football Delhi

|

Country| India
Number of clubs| 12
Level on pyramid| 6
Promotion to| Delhi Premier League
Relegation to| FD Senior Division League
Current champions| Delhi FC (1st title)
Current: 2024 FD Senior Division

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

## FD A-Division

[edit]

Football league

FD A-DivisionOrganising bodies| Football Delhi

|

Country| India
Level on pyramid| 7
Promotion to| FD Senior Division League
Relegation to| FD B-Division

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

## FD B-Division

[edit]

Football league

FD B-DivisionOrganising bodies| Football Delhi

|

Country| India
Level on pyramid| 8
Promotion to| FD A-Division
Relegation to| FD C-Division

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

## FD C-Division

[edit]

Football league

FD C-DivisionOrganising bodies| Football Delhi

|

Country| India
Number of clubs| 11
Level on pyramid| 9
Promotion to| FD B-Division

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

## Champions of the top-most division

[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.[7][8]

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 | [9]
2023–24 | Garhwal Heroes FC | Royal Rangers FC  |
2024–25 | Ongoing

## See also

[edit]

* Football Delhi

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kapadia, Novy (17 November 2012). "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. ^ "First-Ever Delhi Premier League to Kick Off on July 15". News18. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
6. ^ "First Delhi Premier League to Kick off on July 15, 2022". LatestLY. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
7. ^ Chaudhuri, Arunava (2003). "India – List of Delhi League Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ @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]

* Delhi Football League on Twitter (Football Delhi official)

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