Southern Samity
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Southern Samity is an Indian professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club from
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 ...
which was founded in 1945, and is also based in
Siliguri Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in West Bengal. It forms twin cities, "Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of Jalpaiguri. The city spans areas of the Darjeeling district, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian sta ...
in North Bengal. During that time, apart from sports they are also involved in various cultural activities. The club competes in the
Calcutta Football League 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 ...
premiere division A, and has previously participated in the
I-League 2nd Division I-League 2, previously known as I-League 2nd Division and officially known as or Hero I-League 2 (for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp), is an Indian men's professional football league. It is the 3rd tier of Indian football, behind Indian ...
, then second tier of
Indian football league system The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition in India is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest l ...
.


History


Formation and journey

Southern Samity was founded in the city of
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 ...
in 1945, during the
British rule in India 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 ...
. During that time they were involved in various sporting and cultural activities. In 1959, the club got their affiliation from the
Indian Football Association The Indian Football Association, abbreviated as IFA, is the organisation that administers association football in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the oldest Football Association in India and was founded in 1893. Among the founders was form ...
(IFA), but the club got their footsteps in Indian football long after their foundation. From 2007–08 onwards, Frontlink International took charge of the club's football department, which boosted the growth highly.


Present years

In the year of 2008–09, they emerged as the champions of Calcutta Premier Division B and were promoted to the Calcutta Premier Division A. In 2011, Southern Samity created history as they became the first club after Behala Youth in 1975 to reach the prestigious
IFA Shield The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the association, the IFA Shield tourn ...
semi-final on debut. They also reached to the quarter-final of the 2012 IFA Shield. Southern Samity participated in the
2013 I-League 2nd Division The 2013 I-League 2nd Division is the sixth season of the league under its current title. The season will begin on 9 March 2013. The original 21 clubs who would participate in the 2nd Division were officially announced on 25 January 2013, howev ...
and moved to the final round, where they achieved sixth position. In 2015, they played in the
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 ...
Group A. In 2016, Southern Samity appointed Amit Sen as their new head coach and participated in the
2016–17 I-League 2nd Division The 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division was the tenth season of the I-League 2nd Division, the second-tier Indian league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2008. The season began on 21 January 2017 and featured 12 teams which ...
, where they achieved success and qualified for the
Final Round A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. They finished the season as runners-up with 17 points from 10 matches, behind champions
NEROCA FC NEROCA FC is an Indian professional association football, football club based in Imphal, Manipur, that competes in the I-League. The club made its I-League 2nd Division debut in the 2015–16 I-League 2nd Division, 2015–16 season. The club w ...
. In
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, Southern Samity reached the quarter-finals of the
IFA Shield The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The IFA is the governing body of football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the association, the IFA Shield tourn ...
before losing 0–1 to
I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...
side
Real Kashmir FC Real Kashmir FC is an Indian professional football club based in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, Club competes in both the I-League, and J&K Premier Football League. Nicknamed ''Snow Leopards'', it is the first ever club from Jammu and Kashmir th ...
. Besides football, the club along with state football governing body IFA, and
Kalighat MS Kalighat Milan Sangha (also known as Kalighat MS), is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal, that competes in the Premier Division of Calcutta Football League. Founded in 1944, the club has mostly been ...
have joined the fight against
COVID-19 pandemic in West Bengal The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed in the Indian state of West Bengal on 17 March 2020 in Kolkata. The Health and Family Welfare department of Government of West Bengal has confirmed a total of 13,43,442 COVID-19 positive cases, inclu ...
from May 2021 by providing free vaccinations to people. On 1 July 2021, Southern Samity appointed
Biswajit Bhattacharya Biswajit Bhattacharya is a retired Indian professional footballer and football manager. He most recently managed Calcutta Football League club Calcutta Customs and is the current head coach of West Bengal football team. Playing career East Be ...
as their new head coach. The club then roped in Ugandan trio Hamdan Nsubuga, Peter Mutebi and Habib Kavuma. They began their 2021–22 Calcutta Premier Division campaign with a 3–0 defeat against Mohammedan Sporting. On 23 August, Southern Samity was deducted six points by IFA and also handed two losses which includes their forfeited match against United Sports, and were relegated to the Premier Division B.


Stadium

Southern Samity used
Rabindra Sarobar Stadium The Rabindra Sarobar Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Lake Gardens, Kolkata, India. It is used for football matches and it serves as the home of many Calcutta Football League matches. History The venue opened in 1961. It also was the home gro ...
in
Lake Gardens Lake Gardens is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. It has Kalighat to the north, Jodhpur Park to the east, Prince Anwar Shah Road or Tollygunge to the south and Charu Market to the west. The famous Golf ...
, Kolkata, as their home ground for matches of both the
I-League 2nd Division I-League 2, previously known as I-League 2nd Division and officially known as or Hero I-League 2 (for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp), is an Indian men's professional football league. It is the 3rd tier of Indian football, behind Indian ...
and
Calcutta Football League 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 ...
. Opened in 1961, the stadium is also known as Lake Stadium and has a capacity of 22,000 spectators.


Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors


Players


Current squad


Team management


Past internationals

The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Southern Samity. * Alfred Ndyenge (2011–2012) * Matthew Mayora (2012) * Sherwin Emmanuel (2012–2013) * Teah Dennis Jr. (2017–2018) * Victor Kamhuka (2017, 2021–) * Mahmoud Al Amnah (2019–2020) *
Habib Kavuma Habib Kavuma (born 4 September 1991) is an Ugandan professional footballer who plays for Southern Samity, as a defender. Career Born in Makindye, Kavuma has played club football in Uganda and Rwanda for Bunamwaya, APR, Kampala Capital City Au ...
(2022–)


Honours


League

*
I-League 2nd Division I-League 2, previously known as I-League 2nd Division and officially known as or Hero I-League 2 (for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp), is an Indian men's professional football league. It is the 3rd tier of Indian football, behind Indian ...
**Runners-up (1): 2016–17 * Calcutta Premier Division B **Champions (1): 2009 **Runners-up (1): 2018–19 * CFL Second Division **Champions (1): 2007–08


Cup

*
Kalinga Cup Kalinga Cup (also known as All India Kalinga Cup) is an Indian association football tournament held in Odisha and organised by Football Association of Odisha and Department of Sports and Youth of Government of Odisha annually. The tournament wa ...
**Champions (1): 2013 *Naihati Gold Cup **Champions (1): 2021 *
Darjeeling Gold Cup All India Darjeeling Gold Cup, also known as All India Brigade of Gorkha's Gold Cup Football Tournament, or simply GTA Chairman's Gold Cup, is an Indian association football tournament held in Darjeeling and organized by the Indian Darjeeling Go ...
** Runners-up (1): 2010


Other departments


Southern Samity Women

The club has its women's football section, that competes in the
Calcutta Women's Football League The Calcutta Women's Football League, also known as the Kanyashree Cup, is a women's association football, football league in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Founded in 1993, it is the oldest women's foot ...
. In the 2021–22 season, they achieved success with second place finish.


Honours

*
Calcutta Women's Football League The Calcutta Women's Football League, also known as the Kanyashree Cup, is a women's association football, football league in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Founded in 1993, it is the oldest women's foot ...
** Runners-up (1): 2021–22


See also

*
List of football clubs in Kolkata This is a list of football clubs in Kolkata. Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly river, it is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational centre of East India. Kolkata differ ...
*
Football in Kolkata Football is one of the most popular sports in Kolkata, West Bengal. East Bengal, ATK Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of Kolkata football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is one of the fiercest in the world and is conside ...


References


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links


Southern Samity club profile and results
at Soccerway
Southern Samity
at Everything For Football * * * {{I-League 2nd Division Southern Samity Association football clubs established in 1945 I-League 2nd Division clubs Sports clubs in India 1945 establishments in India Football clubs in Kolkata