Aryan Football Club (also known as both Aryans and Aryan; formerly Techno Aryan FC) is an Indian professional

multi-sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

based in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

, that competes in the Calcutta Football League. The club was founded in 1884 as ''Aryan Sports Club''. It started playing football some years later, making it one of Asia's oldest football clubs. It plays home matches at the East Bengal-Aryan Ground.

History

Formation and journey (1884–1930)

During the age of associations of Bengali nationalism in late 19th century, Sir Dukhiram Majumder, Kalicharan Mitra, Manmatha Ganguly were the pupils of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari, who practiced and popularized football. Majumder founded a sporting organization named "Students Union" in Mohun Bagan Villa. When the organization discontinued due to disagreements over wearing boots, Majumder went on to form Aryans Club in

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

Durga Charan Laha's Telipara field in Shyampukur. Before the advent of

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

and Mohammedan Sporting club, it was Aryan (then known as ''Aryans Club'') and

Mohun Bagan AC Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...

, who enjoyed an elite status among Indian football clubs. Founded in 1884 as a multi-sports club, association football was introduced in Aryan few years later and thus it became one of the oldest football clubs in India. Majumder (1875 – 16 June 1929) became father figure of Aryans during the pre-independence era, regarded as first coach of India who brought up and guided players like Syed Abdus Samad,

Gostha Pal Gostha Behari Pal (20 August 1896 – 8 April 1976) was an Indian footballer who played as a defender. He was the first captain of the India national team, played during the 1920s and 1930s. Spending most of his career in Mohun Bagan, Pal is r ...

Shibdas Bhaduri Shibdas Bhaduri (1887–1932) was an Indian professional footballer who captained Mohun Bagan in the historic 1911 IFA Shield final, where they defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment with a score of 2–1 to become the first Indian team to win the ...

and others. Forming a coaching institute within the club, he managed the team throughout his life. It was Majumder, who started Aryan's famous policy of bringing up unknown yet talented footballers. In 1914, the Indian Football Association (IFA) permitted only two native clubs in the CFL Second Division; It Aryan one of them. In that season, Mohun Bagan earned promotion to the Premier Division but Aryan was promoted to the top division two years later. Under Majumdar's coaching, Aryan achieved fourth place in 1920–21 Calcutta Football League and reached the semi-finals of Rovers Cup in 1928. Legendary footballers

Balaidas Chatterjee Balaidas Chatterjee (10 March 1900 – 1974) was a former Indian football player and was the first head coach the India national football team during the 1948 Summer Olympics. During his playing days, Chatterjee played for Mohun Bagan in various ...

and

Karuna Bhattacharya Karuna Sankar Bhattacharya (1909–1979) was a former Indian footballer who represented and captained the India national football team and Mohun Bagan, a football club in Kolkata. The Karuna Bhattacharya Award is given to the best player of Mohu ...

appeared with Aryan at that time.

1930–1960

While Aryan didn't enjoy the same degree of success as Mohun Bagan, they did perform well in patches. The club participated consecutively in the Calcutta Football League with their rivals, and Mohammed Salim ( first Indian footballer who played for an overseas club) was one of the legendary players who appeared with Aryan in 1933–34. One of Aryan's greatest moments came in 1940, that year, they won IFA Shield defeating Mohun Bagan 4–1, one of India's premier tournaments. They became only the 3rd Indian run club to win the prestigious title. Moreover, they crushed Mohun Bagan 4–1 in the final. In the 40s, Alil Dey and Modassar Yasin Ali Khan from

Tangail Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল, ), is a major city within the Dhaka Division in central Bangladesh. It sits on the bank of the Louhajang River, north-west of Dhaka, the nation's capital. It is considered to be the main urban area of ...

, became two of the earliest known Bangladeshi footballers to play for the club. Sheeo Mewalal Indian football player 1950s

Aryan enjoyed another spell of success in mid-1950s, reaching the final of IFA Shield in 1955 and 1956 with an ageing

Sahu Mewalal Sheoo Mewalal (also known as Sahu Mewalal; 1 July 1926 – 27 December 2008) was an Indian footballer in Kolkata. He played as a striker and was known for his fitness, bicycle kicks, and goal-scoring abilities, especially using the rabona kick ...

in their ranks, who scored multiple hat-tricks for the team. He also emerged as top scorer of CFL in 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1958. Before or after gaining independence from the

British raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, Aryan participated in every Calcutta Football League editions (until the formation of Premier Division B), which is Asia's oldest football league. During that time, legendary players from Bengal including Sanat Seth have appeared with the club colours.

1960–1980

As the years progressed they gradually lost their status as a top club, instead Aryan became the breeding ground of some of the most famous players in Kolkata maidan. Players like

Pradip Kumar Banerjee Pradip Kumar Banerjee (23 June 1936 – 20 March 2020) was an Indian professional footballer who played as a striker for the India national football team. He also captained the national team and later on became the coach of the national ...

Prasun Banerjee Prasun Banerjee is an Indian former professional footballer and politician who is serving as an MP in the Lok Sabha from Howrah. He is an Arjuna Award winner (1979). Younger brother of the Pradip Kumar Banerjee, Prasun had also captained the ...

, Sanat Seth, Pradyut Barman, Goutam Sarkar and Sudhir Karmakar started out in Aryan, before moving on to the bigger clubs.

Balai Dey Balai Dey ( bn, বলাই দে; born 11 October 1946) is a retired Indian football player who played as a goalkeeper. He is one of the few footballers who represented the two nations, India and Pakistan, in international football. In July ...

, the only footballer who represented the two nations

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in international football, appeared with Aryan in 1967. Other than another IFA Shield win in 1983 (title shared with East Bengal), Aryan didn't achieve a lot of success in modern era. On the morning of 5 August 1971, the Naxalite intellectual and poet

Saroj Dutta Saroj Dutta (March 13, 1914 – August 5, 1971) popularly known comrade SD, was an Indian communist intellectual and poet, active in the Naxalite movement in West Bengal in the 1960s. He was the first West Bengal state secretary of Communist Pa ...

was killed by the police in the grounds of the Aryan club on the Calcutta maidan. In 1975, Aryan emerged champion of Churachand Singh Invitation Trophy defeating Rajasthan Club.

1990–present

In 1998, Aryan reached the final of

All Airlines Gold Cup The All Airlines Gold Cup was a domestic football tournament organised by the Indian Football Association The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Be ...

but lost 4–3 to

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

in penalty-shootout. They again finished on second position in 2010.

Home ground

Aryan FC plays most of their home matches of

Calcutta Premier Division The Calcutta Football League (CFL) is a ladder-based football competition in the Indian state of West Bengal, organised by Indian Football Association (WB), under state football leagues in India. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is off ...

at the

East Bengal Ground The East Bengal Ground, also known as East Bengal–Aryan Ground, is the home stadium of East Bengal and Aryan. The stadium has a capacity of 23,500 people. It is one of the venues for Calcutta Football League. The stadium lies in the Kolkata ...

, which is located in Kolkata Maidan area and has a capacity of 23,500 spectators. East_Bengal_Ground_layout

The stadium is officially known as East Bengal–Aryan Ground, having Aryan AC gallery in its northeastern part. EB-Ground

Sponsorship

The club is currently being sponsored by the Techno India Group, which is a group of

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

and

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

colleges, public schools.

JIS University JIS University is a private university located near Agarpara, West Bengal, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous count ...

is the shirt sponsor. The club also acquired service of Trak-Only as their main shirt sponsor.

Current squad

Notable players

''For current and former notable Aryan FC players with a Wikipedia article, see: Aryan FC players''.

Honours

League

* CFL Second Division **Champions (2): 1991, 1996–97

Cup

* IFA Shield Fourth oldest football tournament, organized by the

IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Act ...

( W.B.), and played between the local clubs of

and other invited ones. **Champions (1): 1940, 1983 (''joint winners'') **Runners-up (2): 1955, 1956 *

Trades Cup The Trades Cup (also known as the Trades Challenge Cup or IFA Trades Challenge Cup) is an Indian football tournament held in Kolkata and organised by Indian Football Association. Incorporated in 1889, it is the second oldest football tournament i ...

**Champions (1): 1913 *

Bordoloi Trophy The Bordoloi Trophy, also known as the Bharat Ratna Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy, is a premier annual Indian football tournament held in Guwahati and organized by Guwahati Sports Association (GSA). The tournament was first started in 1952 ...

**Champions (2): 1965, 1966 *

**Runners-up (2): 1998, 2010 *

Churachand Singh Trophy Churachand Singh Trophy, also known as the Churachand Singh Invitation Trophy (Sir Churachand Singh Memorial Football Tournament), is an annual Indian football tournament held in Manipur and organized by All Manipur Football Association (A.M.F ...

**Champions (1): 1975 *

Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup Lal Bahadur Shastri Cup, also known as the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Football Tournament, is an Indian association football tournament held in Delhi and organized by Shastri Football Club. The tournament was first started in 1978 in the memor ...

**Champions (1): 1978 * Rovers Cup **Runners-up (1): 1950 *Independence Day Cup (WB) **Runners-up (1): 1999 *Manik Upadhayay Memorial Trophy **Runners-up (1): 2022

Notes

Bibliography

* * *Dutta, P. L., ''Memoir of 'Father of Indian Football' Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikary'' (Calcutta: N. P. Sarbadhikary Memorial Committee, 1944) (hereafter Memoir) * * *Ghosh, Saurindra Kumar. ''Krira Samrat Nagendraprasad Sarbadhikary 1869–1940'' (Calcutta: N. P. Sarbadhikary Memorial Committee, 1963) (hereafter Krira Samrat). *Roselli, John. ''Self Image of Effeteness: Physical Education and Nationalism in Nineteenth Century Bengal''.

Past & Present (journal) ''Past & Present'' is a British historical academic journal, which has been a leading force in the development of social history. Founded in 1952, the journal is published four times a year by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Past and Pres ...

. 86 (February 1980). p. 121–48. *Sinha, Mrinalini. ''Colonial Masculinity, The Manly Englishman and the Effeminate Bengali in the Late Nineteenth Century'' (

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Manchester University Press Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with th ...

, 1995). *Chatterjee, Partha. ''The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Post-colonial Histories'' (Calcutta:

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1995). *Mason, ''Football on the Maidan'', p. 144; Dimeo, ''Football and Politics in Bengal'', p. 62. * * * * *
''From recreation to competition: Early history of Indian football''
. pp. 124–141. Published online: 6 Aug 2006. ''www.tandfonline.com''. Retrieved 30 June 2021. * *