The Western India Football Association annually organizes the Maharashtra Inter-District Football Championships for men and women. District teams from across Maharashtra participate in these competitions. These Maharashtra Inter-District Football Championships act as the scouting platform for the Maharashtra State teams. These Maharashtra Inter-District Football championships are held for both men and women.
The Indian footballers get the highest attention and recognition while playing in these national-level tournaments. The tournaments like Durand Cup, IFA-Shield, Federation Cup, Santosh Trophy, Subroto Cup, Nehru Cup International Football Tournament, etc. are considered to be the best ones among all the Indian Football tournaments. Most of the footballers get selected to play in the Indian national Football team, from these tournaments only.
FOOTBALL LEAGUES
- Hero I-league- The national football league of the country is conducted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The league consists of 9 clubs and is operated on a system of promotion and relegation.
- Calcutta Football League (CFL) – Started in 1898, it happens to be the oldest football league in Asia and one of the oldest football leagues in the world. The prestigious football league is conducted in the city of Kolkata by 157 city-based clubs across 6 divisions. Around 8500 footballers are registered with the Indian Football Association (IFA) for the CFL.
- Indian Super League (ISL) – A recent tournament funded by the corporate houses, which is neither recognized by AFC nor FIFA. Started in 2014, the league currently boasts of 8 franchisees which compete for the ISL trophy. Unlike most football leagues in the world, the ISL does not have a promotion and a relegation system in place. ISL has attracted a lot of top stars like Del Piero, Roberto Carlos, Luis Garcia, etc. who are currently in the twilight of their careers. The first edition was won by Atletico De Kolkata, a franchisee co-owned by the former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguli.
CUP COMPETITIONS
- Durand Cup- The third oldest cup competition in the world after the Scottish Cup and the FA Cup. First held in 1888, the Durand Cup has a rich heritage associated with it.
- Federation Cup- Used to be the premier club competition of India from its inception in 1977 until the introduction of the National Football League in 1997. Currently, the winner of the Federation Cup gets to participate in the AFC Cup along with the winner of the I-League.
- Santosh Trophy- The cup competition is contested by various states and government institutions.
- Indian Super Cup- Contested between the winner of the I-league and the Federation Cup.
Despite having a rich heritage and a decent fan base, Indian Football continues to be in shambles. Poor infrastructure and a faulty administration continue to plague Indian football. Can Indian football ever retrieve its glory days? We shall see. The need of the hour is some stern steps from the AIFF, and with a little help from FIFA, we shall live long enough to see India qualify for the FIFA World Cup.