Calcutta Hockey League is a

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

league organized by Hockey Bengal (formerly the Bengal Hockey Association). The first edition was held in 1905. It is a division based league held at

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 ...

and is the oldest field hockey league in India. Until the formation of the top division national leagues such as

Premier Hockey League Premier Hockey League (PHL) was a professional field hockey league competition for clubs in the top division of the Indian hockey system. There were seven teams in the PHL. The competition was held every year from 2005 until 2008. History The ...

and

Hockey India League Hockey India League (HIL), known as the Coal India Hockey India League is a professional field hockey league in India. The league is organized by Hockey India, the governing body for the sport in India. HIL, along with the Indian Premier League, ...

post 2000s, the Calcutta Hockey League was the most competitive league in the country.

History

The league was first held in 1905, ten years after the initiation of

Beighton Cup Beighton Cup is a field hockey tournament organized by Hockey Bengal (formerly the Bengal Hockey Association). Instituted in 1895, it is one of the oldest field hockey tournaments in the world and is held every year at Kolkata. History Aristocr ...

Tournament and three years before the formation of the Bengal Hockey Association (BHA) in 1908. It is considered the next prominent competition to Beighton Cup in status and eminence. The First Division commenced in 1905, and later expanded to the Second Division in 1907, Third Division in 1920, Fourth Division in 1932 and Division ll - B in 1933. The competition has been held annually ever since, except the year of partition in 1947. The early years were dominated by the collegiate teams such as Sibpur B.E. College followed by the prominence of the Anglo-Indian club Calcutta Rangers and the Calcutta Customs throughout the 1910s and 1920s decades. The first team composed of Indian players to win the league was Greer Sporting who managed the feat in 1919. Later years and post-Independence era were dominated by the "Big Three" of Kolkata,

Mohun Bagan 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 ...

, Mohammedan Sporting and

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 ...

League structure

The current league structure consists of the First Division which has two groups played across two tiers at the senior level. The Second Division and Third Division is held at U19 and U17 level. The top six teams of First Division Group A competes for Premier Hockey League while top four teams of First Division Group B competes for Super Hockey League.

Venue

The matches are held at SAI Sports Complex at

Salt Lake Stadium The Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK; ), commonly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium located in Bidhannagar, with current capacity of 85,000 spectators. Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium f ...

Mohun Bagan Ground Mohun Bagan Ground, also known as Mohun Bagan–Calcutta FC Ground, is a football stadium located in the maidan region of central Kolkata, just opposite the Eden Gardens. The stadium is leased to Mohun Bagan AC and is mostly used as training gr ...

and

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 ...

Results

The results of the Calcutta Hockey League:

References

External links

Calcutta Hockey League
{{Sports leagues of India Sport in Kolkata Field hockey in West Bengal Recurring sporting events established in 1905 Field hockey leagues in India