Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is a football club based in city of joy, Kolkata, West Bengal. It happens to be one of the oldest football clubs in Asia and was set up in the year 1889. Team Mohun Bagan presently participates in I-League, which is the highest domestic football league tournament. Bhupendra Nath Bose was the first president of the club.
Mohun Bagan Club has a football academy at Durgapur and Jalpaiguri. The former had been set in partnership with the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). And the latter was set up in the year 2009, called the P.C. Mittal Mohun Bagan Football Academy. It operates in association with Jalpaiguri Young Men`s Association Club.
This football team from Kolkata has been very successful since its inception and has maintained its top status ever since. It is one of India`s most successful football clubs, having won numerous prestigious trophies of national importance like; Durand Cup, IFA Shield, Federation Cup, Rovers Cup, National Football League and the Domestic League. Mohun Bagan happens to be the first among Indian football teams to defeat a football team from Europe, when they won against the East Yorkshire Regiment, in 1911, with a margin of 2-1 to lift the IFA Shield. Even today Mohun Bagan still continues with a severe local rivalry with Kingfisher East Bengal F.C.
History of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club
In the year 1889 near Shyambazar there used to be a popular palace named "Mohun Bagan Villa". In front of the house there used to be a ground, and players of "Dukhiram Majumder Student`s Union" used to play in this ground. When Mr. Majumder shifted at the Shyampukur area, to Laha`s field due to some reason, he changed the name to `Aryans` from `Dukhiram Majumder Student`s Union`. Some potential players from Mohun Bagan Villa went to Shyam Square, a team set up under steward leadership of Young Brigade from Sen`s House of Bagbazar. But still no club was there for the players who were still continuing to play in the ground of Mohun Bagan Villa. They were not able to compete with the rest of the local clubs. So to provide back up to these players three famous families of Kolkata, the Basu family, Mitra Family and Sen Family came forward to help.
On 15th August, 1889 a meeting was arranged in the residence of the then renowned lawyer Mr. Bhupendranath Basu. There a decision was finalized that a club would be set up by the name "Mohun Bagan Sporting Club" with the set of existing players playing in Mohun Bagan Villa. The first President and Secretary of Mohun Bagan Sporting Club were chosen as Mr. Bhupendranath Basu (1889-1924) and Mr. Jyotindranath Basu (1889-1894). After kind recommendation from a professor of Presidency College, Kolkata, Mr. F. J. Rowe the name was changed to Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. The team Mohun Bagan played their first ever match in the year 1893 for Coochbehar Cup, but failed to make any long lasting mark.
Thereafter Mohun Bagan participated in many other tournaments like Trades Cup, but failed to win. After the opening by the Calcutta Corporation of the public square known as Shyam Square, the club, alongside Baghbazar Club and Aryans, was provided playing space there. Thus Shyam Square was the third ground of Mohun Bagan (1895-1900). Some administrative modifications took place as well.
Jyotindranath Basu became the Vice President and Jyotindranath Mitra became the Honorary Secretary in 1895. In 1898, Sir Bhupendra Nath Mitra took over the responsibility of secretary`s chair from Jyotindranath Mitra and continued in office till 1900. The officials of Mohun Bagan club again felt the essential need to change playing ground hence they decided to move to The Maidan area in Kolkata. After initial difficulty they finally managed to get a place near maidan area. During 1900 Mohun Bagan Athletic Club started to share the tent and ground along with Presidency College. Also in 1900, Subadar Major Sailendranath Basu took over the mantle of secretary post of the club. He continued in office till 1914.
Immortal Eleven Part of the Historic 1911 Win
* Hiralal Mukherjee (goalkeeper)
* Bhuti Sukul (back)
* Sudhir Chatterjee (back)
* Monmohun Mukherjee (back)
* Rajen Sengupta (back)
* Nil Madhav Bhattacharya (half-back)
* Kanu Roy (forward)
* Habul Sarkar (forward)
* Abhilash Ghosh (forward)
* Bijoydas Bhaduri (forward)
* Shibdas Bhaduri (forward)
Historic Wins by Mohun Bagan Athletic Club
In 1904, Mohun Bagan won its first ever trophy, the Coochbehar Cup. The team again won the trophy in the year 1905. In the very same year Mohun Bagan reached the finals of Gladstone Cup hosted in Chinsurah. This year the club from Kolkata won the Trades Cup, Coochbehar Cup and Gladsstone Cup. All these wins made the club one of the most respected Indian Football Clubs. The very same year, Mohun Bagan, among all other Indian football clubs, was invited by the British Army to participate in Minto Fort Tournament, (a tourney mainly for the British and Army football teams). In 1907, Mohun Bagan again was the prestigious winners of the Trades Cup and again in 1908 for a third consecutive time.
In 1911, Mohun Bagan defeated East Yorkshire Regiment and became the first club in India to win the IFA Shield. This match till date has a gigantic significance in the football circuit of India, mainly because Mohun Bagan became the first Indian club to defeat a top notch European club ever.
In 1915 Mohun Bagan played their first match in first division of Calcutta Football League on May 15, 1915 against Calcutta Club. Back then the Calcutta Football League was the top football league in the country. In 1937 Mohun Bagan played against Englishton Corinthians of England, its first international match in home soil. In 1939 Mohun Bagan became the first ever Indian Calcutta Football League Champion after a long awaiting 25 years.
In 1943 Mohun Bagan introduced an Insurance Scheme for medical aid of injured players. This move was first in the history of Indian football circuit. This year Mohun Bagan pocketed the Calcutta Football League for the second time, gaining 39 points in 24 matches. The club also won the Trades Cup this very year. The next year Mohun Bagan won the league again. And the purple run continued for the Kolkata team.
Mohun Bagan again won the IFA Shield in 1947, and became the first team to win IFA Shield in independent India. The team also won the Calcutta Football League defeating arch rival Kingfisher East Bengal F.C. Mohun Bagan won IFA Shield again in the year 1952, and three of the teams` star players - Sailen Manna, M. A. Sattar and Runu Guha Thakurta cemented a place in the national squad for Helsinki Olympics of 1952. Sailen Manna was the captain of the team. For both the Olympics of 1948 and 1952, Mohun Bagan`s players captained the Indian national football team. In 1954 the club pocketed the double crown of Kolkata for the first time after winning the IFA Shield and First Division Calcutta Football League in the process becoming the first ever club to do so.
In 1977 Mohun Bagan Club created history by levelling a match (2-2), against North American Soccer League club New York Cosmos and PelÆ’?s at Eden Gardens. The same year Mohun Bagan grabbed triple crowns for the first time - IFA Shield, Durand Cup & Rovers Cup.
Mohun Bagan pocketed the Federation Cup for the first time in 1978.
In 1998, for the first time, Mohun Bagan won the triple whammy; the IFA Shield, Federation Cup and the National Football League.
In 2007 Mohun Bagan won the Indian Super Cup by defeating Dempo SC by 4-0.
In 2008 Mohun Bagan players got the opportunity to play against the famous German Club FC Bayern Munich, where Oliver Kahn, renowned goalkeeper for his country was a part of the squad. Along with Kahn, some other stars like Ze Roberto, Mark van Bommel were present in the Bayern team. The match was played on May 27, 2008 at Salt Lake Stadium in presence of about 120,000 people. Bayern managed to beat Mohun Bagan AC 3-0 though.
National League Participated by Mohun Bagan
Name of the Tournaments | Year/s of Winning | Times Won |
National Football League (Presently I-league) | 1997/98, 1999/2000, 2001/02 | 3 |
Federation Cup | 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2008, | 13 |
Calcutta Football League (Premier Divn. ) | 1939, 1943, 1944, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 | 29 |
IFA Shield | 1911, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1998, 1999, 2003 | 22 |
Super Cup | 2006-07, 2008-09 | 2 |
Durand Cup | 1953, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1994, 2000 | 16 |
Rovers Cup | 1955, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2000 | 14 |
Sikkim Governer`s Gold Cup | 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001 | 9 |
Bordoloi Trophy | ...., 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1996, 2001 | 7 |
Airlines Gold Cup | 1989, 1991, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2012 | 7 |
Sait Nagjee Cup | 1978, 1981 | 2 |
McDowell`s Cup | 1996 | 1 |
DCM Trophy | 1997 | 1 |
Amritabazar Centenary Cup | 1968 | 1 |
PNB Centenary Invitational Trophy | 1995 | 1 |
Sanghati Cup | 1999 | 1 |
Bengal Jimkhana Shield | 1910, 1911, 1912 | 3 |
Bell Cup | 1934, 1935 | 2 |
Calcutta Soccer League | 1932, 1933, 1934 | 3 |
Chandicharan Memorial Shield | 1941, 1949 | 2 |
Chandannagar Cup | 1916 | 1 |
Civil and Military League | 1916 | 1 |
Coochbehar Cup | 1904, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1916, 1925, 1928, 1931, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1962, 1972 | 17 |
Dwarbhanga Shield | 1933 | 1 |
Darjeeling Gorkha Brigade Gold Cup | 1975, 1976, 1979, 1982 | 4 |
D. N. Guin Memorial Cup | 1944 | 1 |
Gladstone Cup | 1905, 1906, 1908, 1911 | 4 |
Governor"s Shield of Hazaribag | 1933 | 1 |
Griffith Shield | 1931, 1936, 1939, 1945 | 4 |
Hazaribag Governor"s Shield | 1939, 1941 | 2 |
Jabakusum Cup | 1925, 1929, 1934, 1936, 1937 | 5 |
Jadunath Memorial Shield | 1922 | 1 |
J.C. Guha Memorial Trophy | 1988 | 1 |
Khagendra Memorial Shield | 1917, 1918, 1938, 1940 | 4 |
Kohinoor Shield | 1941 | 1 |
Lady Hardinge Shield | 1935, 1936, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1948 | 6 |
Lakshmibilas Cup | 1909, 1910, 1928, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941 | 7 |
Lady Shifton"s Shield | 1933 | 1 |
Leslie Challenge Cup | 1923 | 1 |
Liberty Cup | 1934 | 1 |
Minerva Cup | 1918 | 1 |
Nawab Asanullah Challenge Shield | 1910, 1911, 1912 | 3 |
Nadia Challenge Shield | 1944 | 1 |
Park League | 1937, 1939, 1940 | 3 |
Power League | 1917, 1928 | 2 |
Power Memorial League | 1942, 1948 | 2 |
Raja Shield | 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 | 5 |
Sachin Memorial Challenge Shield | 1922 | 1 |
Shibdas Bhaduri Memorial Tournament | 1993 | 1 |
Shyamsunder Cup | 1917, 1918 | 2 |
St. John Ambulance Cup | 1917, 1918 | 2 |
S. N. Banerjee Memorial Cup | 1944 | 1 |
Suryakanta Memorial Shield | 1920 | 1 |
Trades Cup | 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1938, 1939, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1949, 1950, 1965 | 12 |
Victory Cup | 1945 | 1 |
William Younger Cup | 1936, 1937, 1949 | 3 |