Sporting Bengal United Football Club is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

football team from

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. They currently play in the .

History

The club was formed in 1996 to encourage Asian football in London. They initially played in the London Intermediate League until they were granted senior status in 2003 by the

London Football Association The London Football Association (LFA) is the regional Football Association for inner areas of London. The London FA was established in 1882 and is affiliated to The Football Association. The London FA administers all levels of men's, women's and ...

, following a tour to

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, where they played the Bangladesh national team. In the same year, Sporting Bengal joined the Kent League. In 2005, they were one of the first Asian teams to play in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

, along with London APSA of the

Essex Senior League The Essex Senior Football League is an English men's football league. It contains clubs from the Essex FA, Hertfordshire FA, London FA, Middlesex FA and the Amateur Football Alliance. It is a feeder league to Division One North of the Isthm ...

, whose roots are in the neighbouring borough of

Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the ...

. The Sporting Bengal set-up is unusual in that it is operated by the

Football Association (UK) and players are selected from (and retain their affiliation with) the Sunday league clubs which are affiliated to that organisation. In 2011 the club signed up ex

Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their ho ...

and Wimbledon striker Shahed Ahmed. They were also unusual in being the only Kent League club to play their home matches north of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, outside the traditional borders of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. In 2010, Sporting Bengal was targeted by the Bangladesh Football Federation for its players to represent the Bangladesh national squad. Sadiq Sarwar and Shahed Ahmed were selected to represent their country at the 2010 South Asian Games.

Records

*Best league position: 8th in the Essex Senior League, 2018–19 *Best

performance: First qualifying round, 2016–17 *Best FA Vase performance: Third round, 2011–12 *Attendance: 4,235 vs Mohammedan Sporting ClubMike Williams & Tony Williams (2012) ''Non-League Club Directory 2013'', p660

References

External links

Club website
{{Essex Senior League Football clubs in England Association football clubs established in 1996 Sport in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Football clubs in London Southern Counties East Football League Essex Senior Football League 1996 establishments in England Diaspora sports clubs in the United Kingdom Diaspora association football clubs in England

History

Records

See also

References

External links