Football in India

One of the most famous and the most favorite game all over the world is the game of football. In the general sense it is the name given to a number of related team sports. It is widely thought that the word Football originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball. However, another explanation says that football actually refers to the variety of games that were played in Medieval Europe. The origin of football is very ancient and history says that it dates back to 2nd century B.C. However, Football in India emerged during the period of the British Empire. It actually spread during the British rule. Initially the games were played in between the army officials and the teams comprised of these army men only. But soon the game of football spread like a wild fire in the country of India and people also started liking it.

History

Football in India derives its origins from British. During the British Rule the game of football came into existence in the Indian scenario and many football clubs also came into picture. The first football club that was set up in India was the Mohun Bagan Athletic Club in the present day West Bengal. This club is also considered as the oldest football club in the whole of Asia. Though the club was set up much earlier but it became famous in 1911. It became famous because the team of this club won their first game. This was the IFA tournament, which was conducted by the British and was also won the British teams. However, this victory laid down the foundation of the growth of Football in India. The national team that was constituted became famous and was successful until 1970. It won the 1951 and 1962 Asian games and brought the gold medal back home.

The success of Indian football could be attributed to the legendary players like I.M.Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia and Chuni Goswami who raised the game of football in India to new heights. Nowadays, women have also started playing football and are trying to make a mark in the world scenario.