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Full name | Bhawanipore Football Club[1] | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Yellow Army | ||
Short name | BFC | ||
Founded | 1910 | ||
Ground | |||
Capacity | 85,000 22,000 | ||
Owner | Sangbad Pratidin | ||
League | I-League 3 Calcutta Premier Division | ||
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Bhawanipore Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Bhowanipore, Kolkata, West Bengal.[3][4][5] The club was established in 1910,[6] and competed in the I-League 2nd Division,[7][8][9] then second tier of Indian football league system. Bhawanipore currently competes in the Calcutta Premier Division.[10][11] It is also nominated for the newly established I-League 3, 4th division national league in India.
Bhawanipore Football Club was founded in 1910 by Nani Mitra in Bhowanipore, Kolkata.[12] After the independence of India, Robi Das became the first ever footballer from Bhawanipore who represented India in men's tournament at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.[13] The club in 1948, reached the final of IFA Shield and finished as runner-up after a 2–1 defeat to Mohun Bagan.[14][15][16] In January 2012, they were officially certified by the All India Football Federation to participate in the I-League 2nd Division, the second tier of football in India.[10][17] After playing 6 games during the season Bhawanipore ended in 6th place out of 7 in Group C and thus failed to move to the Final half. They have also participated in domestic tournaments such as IFA Shield,[18] and Durand Cup. In the 1960s, Bhawanipore have gone through rivalries with two of India's most successful clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in CFL.[19] Notable Bengali footballers Asim Moulick and Parimal Dey appeared with the club in 1971.[20]
In 2013, Bhawanipore clinched the Bordoloi Trophy, defeating Aizawl 1–0.[21] They achieved third place in the 2013 I-League 2nd Division.[22] In next season, the club participated in 2014 I-League 2nd Division and moved to the final round of I-League qualifiers,[23] and achieved second place with 17 points in 8 matches.[24][25][26][27] In May 2018, they officially announced that legendary defender Subrata Bhattacharya was appointed as new head coach.[28][29]
In the 2019–20 I-League 2nd Division, Bhawanipore participated and made it to the final round of I-League qualifiers.[30] Sankarlal Chakraborty was appointed as head coach and they signed who foreign players; Liberian Ansumana Kromah and Ghanaian Philip Adjah.[31][32] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, usual final round format was scrapped off. It was decided that the final round of the league will be rescheduled into a new format and all the non-reserve teams from the preliminary stage will automatically progress to this round. It was officially named as I-League Qualifiers.[33] The teams from the preliminary round were scheduled to play in a round-robin format in two venues, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani, near Kolkata to advance to the 2020–21 I-League.[34][35][36][37] Bhawanipore finished on the second position of the league table at the end of I-League qualifiers, with 9 points in 4 matches.[38][39] In 2022 Calcutta Premier Division, Bhawanipore as group champion, qualified to "super six" round and finished as runner-up, behind Mohammedan Sporting.[40][41] In June 2023, the Indian Football Association made an announcement that the merger of both Premier Division A and B of the Calcutta Football League have done ahead of its 125th edition, in which Bhawanipore was allowed to compete in Group II.[42][43][44][45] The club later qualified for CFL "Super Six" round.[46] They gained I-League 3 spot in August 2023, to compete in the inaugural edition.[47][48][49]
In 2012, Sangbad Pratidin became a premium sponsor of the club and they were also affiliated with Mohun Bagan AC.[50] Sangbad Pratidin Bhawanipore Football Club Private Limited was incorporated on 22 December 2011. Its last annual general meet (AGM) happened on 29 September 2017.[50] Its current board members and directors are Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Arun Sengupta. The club tent is located in Kolkata Maidan, 700069.[51]
Main articles: Kalyani Stadium and Rabindra Sarobar Stadium |
Bhawanipore Football Club currently plays at the 20,000 seater Kalyani Municipal Corporation Stadium in Kalyani. They also use Rabindra Sarobar Stadium for some of their home matches.[52]
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
2012 | Cosco | Sangbad Pratidin[53] |
Bhawanipore has the rivalries with other two Calcutta Football League sides Kalighat Milan Sangha and Tollygunge Agragami FC, which is often referred to as the "South Kolkata Derby".[54]
Opponent | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bhawanipore | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Tollygunge Agragami | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Kalighat Milan Sangha | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Total | 18 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
Season | Div. | Tms. | Pos. | Attendance/G | Federation Cup/Super Cup | AFC Champions League | AFC Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012–13 | IL2 | 23 | G6th | - | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2013–14 | IL2 | 26 | 3 | - | GStage | DNP | DNP |
2014–15 | IL2 | 11 | 2 | - | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2019–20 | IL2 | 18 | 2 | – | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2023–24 | IL3 | 25 | G2nd | – | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Name | Nationality | Years | Note |
---|---|---|---|
Robson Mattoas De Oliviera | ![]() |
2012 | [55] |
Dulal Biswas | ![]() |
2012–2013 | [56] |
Carlton Chapman | ![]() |
2013–2014 | [57] |
Debjit Ghosh | ![]() |
2014–2015 | [58] |
Subrata Bhattacharya | ![]() |
2017–2018 | [59] |
Sankarlal Chakraborty | ![]() |
2019–2021 | [60] |
Ranjan Chaudhuri | ![]() |
2023– | [61] |
League
Cup
The foreign players below had senior/youth international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Bhawanipore FC.
Bhawanipore FC operates several youth teams (U-13, U-15 and U-18) and academy.[96] Under-19 team of the club previously took part in Youth I-League, competed in "Kolkata zone" in 2014.[12][97]
Bhawanipore FC's men's cricket (named 'Bhawanipore Club') section is under the jurisdiction of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB),[98][99] and competes in First Division League, J. C. Mukherjee T-20 Trophy and other regional tournaments.[100][101] Club's cricket section is currently headquartered in 1, Nepal Bhattacharjee Street, Kolkata.[102] Noted Indian international cricketers Rishi Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, and other players like Chirag Jani have appeared with Bhawanipore in P. Sen Trophy.[103][104][105] In 2023 edition of P. Sen Memorial Trophy, the club reached final, lost to Mohun Bagan at the end.[106] Bhawanipore also participates in CAB T-20 Trophy.[107]
The following club is affiliated (reciprocal) with Bhawanipore FC: