National Football League (India)
.png) | |
| Country |
 India |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Folded | 2007 |
| Divisions |
1 (1996) 2 (1997–2005) 3 (2006-2007) |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 (1996-2006) |
| Domestic cup(s) | Federation Cup |
| International cup(s) | Asian Club Championship |
| Last champions |
Dempo S.C. (2006–07) |
| Most championships |
Mohun Bagan A.C. East Bengal Club (3 titles each) |
The National Football League (commonly known as the NFL) was an association football league competition in India between 1996 and 2007 which was organised into three divisions. The league is now transformed into the I-League and continues with that name. The Premier Division of the league was first introduced in 1996, though the country already had a long history in the sport thanks to the likes of the IFA Shield and the Federation Cup. In fact, the Santosh Trophy (started in 1941) was the top football competition in the country before the then National Football League started.[1][2]
A Second Division was added to the league in 1997, as Football in India grew to challenge cricket for the title of India's most popular sport. Between the divisions each year two teams were relegated and two teams were promoted. By 2006 a Third Division was added but that did not matter as by this time this would be the last year for the NFL; it was replaced in 2007 by the I-League which focuses on completely turning Indian football into a professional sport.
List of Champions
| Year | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Top goalscorer | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | JCT FC (1) | Churchill Brothers S.C. | Kingfisher East Bengal FC | Baichung Bhutia |
14 |
| 1997–98 | Mohun Bagan AC (1) | Kingfisher East Bengal FC | Salgaocar SC | Raman Vijayan |
10 |
| 1998–99 | Salgaocar SC (1) | Kingfisher East Bengal FC | Churchill Brothers S.C. |  Philip Mensa |
11 |
| 1999–2000 | Mohun Bagan AC (2) | Churchill Brothers S.C. | Salgaocar SC |  Igor Shkvyrin |
11 |
| 2000–01 | Kingfisher East Bengal FC (1) | Mohun Bagan AC | Churchill Brothers SC |  Jose Barreto |
14 |
| 2001–02 | Mohun Bagan AC (3) | Churchill Brothers S.C. | Vasco SC | Yusif Yakubu |
18 |
| 2002–03 | Kingfisher East Bengal FC (2) | Salgaocar SC | Vasco SC | Yusif Yakubu |
21 |
| 2003–04 | Kingfisher East Bengal FC (3) | Dempo SC | Mahindra United | Cristiano Junior |
15 |
| 2004–05 | Dempo SC (1) | Sporting Clube de Goa | Kingfisher East Bengal FC |  Dudu Omagbemi |
21 |
| 2005–06 | Mahindra United (1) | Kingfisher East Bengal FC | Mohun Bagan AC | Ranty Martins |
13 |
| 2006–07 | Dempo SC (2) | JCT FC | Mahindra United | Ranty Martins Odafe Okolie |
16 |
All-time NFL member clubs
Original 12 Clubs
- JCT FC (1996-2007) - defunct
- East Bengal Club (1996-2007)
- Salgaocar S.C. (1996-2006)
- Indian Bank (1996-1999, 2002-2004)
- Dempo S.C. (1996-2000, 2002-2007)
- Air India FC (1996-1998, 1999-2000, 2005–2007)
- Churchill Brothers S.C. (1996-2005, 2006-2007)
- Mahindra United (1996-2007) - defunct
- Mohammedan SC (1996-1997, 2003-2004, 2005–2007)
- Kerala Police F.C. (1996-1997) - defunct
- Mohun Bagan A.C. (1996-2007)
- Indian Telephone Industries Limited (1996-1997, 1998-2003) - defunct
Other First Division Clubs
In order of their promotion to the First Division.
- FC Kochin (1997-2002) - defunct
- Tollygunge Agragami (1998-2005)
- State Bank of Travancore (1999-2001, 2004-2005)
- Border Security Force SC (1999-2000)
- Vasco S.C. (2000-2005)
- Punjab Police FC (2001-2002)
- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited S.C. (2002-2003, 2006-2007)
- Sporting Clube de Goa (2003-2007)
- Fransa-Pax FC (2004-2006)
References
| National Football League |
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| I-League |
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| National teams |
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| League competitions |
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| Other |
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