East Bengal Club facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
East Bengal

Full name	East Bengal Club
Nickname	Red and Gold Brigade Bangal Brigade Torch Bearers
Founded	August 1, 1920; 104 years ago (1920-08-01)
President	Murari Lal Lohia

East Bengal Club, often called East Bengal, is a professional sports club from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It's most famous for its men's football team, which plays in the Indian Super League (ISL). This is the top football league in India. East Bengal is known as one of the most successful football clubs in the country.

The club also has teams for women's football, men's and women's cricket, field hockey, athletics, and eSports. East Bengal was started on August 1, 1920. It began with just football but later added other sports like hockey and cricket. The women's football team started in 2001.

East Bengal is one of the most popular sports clubs in Asia. Many of its fans are from the eastern part of Bengal (now Bangladesh). These people had to leave their homes during the partition of 1947. For them, East Bengal Club became a symbol of their identity and hope. This led to a big rivalry between people who moved from East Bengal and those who were already living in West Bengal. This rivalry is seen in many parts of life, including sports like football, cricket, and hockey.

East Bengal has a big rivalry with its local competitor, Mohun Bagan. This match is called the Kolkata derby, and it's Asia's biggest sports rivalry! East Bengal also has a local rivalry with Mohammedan. The club's famous colours are red and golden yellow, which is why they are nicknamed the Red and Gold Brigade. Their fans are also called the Torchbearers.

History

Suresh Chandra Chaudhari (founder)

Sailesh Bose

Sarada Ranjan Roy (First president)

On July 28, 1920, a football match was supposed to happen between Jorabagan Club and Mohun Bagan. But a player named Sailesh Bose was left out of the Jorabagan team. Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri, who was the vice-president of Jorabagan Club, wanted Bose to play. When his request was denied, Chaudhuri left the club.

He, along with Raja Manmatha Nath Chaudhuri, Ramesh Chandra Sen, and Aurobinda Ghosh, decided to start a new club. They formed East Bengal Club on August 1, 1920. They chose the name "East Bengal" because the founders were from the eastern part of Bengal. Sarada Ranjan Ray became the first president of the new club. Suresh Chandra Chowdhury and Tarit Bhusan Roy were the first joint secretaries. Soon, a team was put together, ready to play!

Crest, colours and kits

Crest

In 1930, during Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha movement, Indian football clubs stopped playing. East Bengal was not allowed to move up to the First Division league. Thousands of fans and club officials protested at the East Bengal Ground. During this protest, people carried flaming torches. This image of a hand holding a flame torch (called 'Mawshal' in Bangla) became the club's emblem. It has been their symbol ever since! In 2020, East Bengal released a special crest to celebrate its 100th birthday.

Colours

Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. department store in 1945

East Bengal's main colours are red and yellow. Usually, their home uniform is a red and yellow jersey with black shorts. The away uniform colours can change each year. These colours were chosen when the club was first formed. The founders saw a red and gold shirt at the Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co. department store in Chowringhee, Kolkata. They loved the colours and decided they would be perfect for the club. The jersey cost ₹80 in 1920, which was quite expensive back then! These colours have been a part of the club ever since.

Traditional kit

Centenary year kit

Departments

Men's football

The men's football team is the most famous part of East Bengal Club. It was the first team when the club started in 1920. East Bengal FC is one of India's most successful football clubs. They have won 39 state leagues and 3 national titles, plus many other cups like the Durand Cup and Federation Cup. East Bengal is also the only Indian club to win an international tournament recognized by FIFA, which was the ASEAN Club Championship in 2003.

Women's football

The women's football team started in 2001. They won the Calcutta Women's Football League in their very first year! In 2002, they were runners-up. The team was restarted in the club's 100th year. In their first year back, the East Bengal women's team finished second in the 2020 Kanyashree Cup.

Reserves team and Academy

The East Bengal Club Reserves is like a second team for the club. It's the highest level below the main team. It usually has younger players, but sometimes older players join too. The reserve team plays in the Calcutta Football League.

The East Bengal Academy has teams for players under 21, under 18, under 15, and under 13. The under-21 team is the last step for young players before they might join the main team. These youth teams play in leagues like the Reliance Foundation Development League and the Youth League.

Cricket

The East Bengal Club Cricket team plays in different tournaments organized by the Cricket Association of Bengal. They play their home matches mostly at the Eden Gardens. They have won about 60 major state-level trophies! Famous cricketers like Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly have played for the team.

Hockey

This hockey team started after India became independent. The club played in the BHA First Division hockey league and the Beighton Cup. They won 13 trophies before the team was stopped in 2000. The hockey team was restarted in 2021 and now plays in the Calcutta Hockey League.

Athletics

East Bengal also has an athletics team. They compete in various tournaments in West Bengal. The club also holds its own yearly athletics events at the club ground.

E-Sports

East Bengal also joined the first season of e-ISL. This is where teams from the ISL compete by playing the video game FIFA 22. Two young players, Ankit Gupta and Shayantan Mondal, represented the club.

Ownership

East Bengal is set up as a registered society, which means people can become members. There are about 12,000 members! A company called East Bengal Club Pvt. Ltd. was also formed later. Both the society and the company work together to run the club. Sponsorships and investments come through this company. The club has its own rules, and changes are made at special meetings.

Right now, 77% of the football rights are owned by Emami. This means Emami East Bengal FC Pvt. Ltd. is owned jointly by East Bengal Club and the Emami Group.

Stadiums

The club has used many stadiums in Kolkata and nearby areas. The Eden Gardens was used for football before the Salt Lake Stadium opened in 1984. The very first ground the club used was Kumartuli Park.

Salt Lake Stadium

Salt Lake Stadium

The Salt Lake Stadium, also known as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), is a large stadium in Kolkata. It was built in 1984. This stadium is mainly used for football matches. It has a running track, a long jump track, an electronic scoreboard, and floodlights. The Salt Lake Stadium is where East Bengal plays its home games in the Indian Super League and AFC competitions. The stadium can hold 68,000 people.

East Bengal Ground

East Bengal Ground

The East Bengal Ground is in Kolkata and is the club's historic home. It's located near the Eden Gardens. This stadium is mostly used for Calcutta Football League matches. The academy, women's, and hockey teams also use it. The stadium can hold 23,500 people.

Eden Gardens

The Eden Gardens is the second-largest cricket stadium in India. It can hold 68,000 people. East Bengal has used this stadium many times. For a long time, Eden Gardens was the home ground for the men's football team before Salt Lake Stadium was built. After that, the club continued to use it for its cricket teams.

Other grounds

Barasat Stadium is also used by the club for some local matches. This happens especially if the Salt Lake Stadium or East Bengal Ground can't be used. Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri has also hosted club football matches, including the 2012 Federation Cup. Kalyani Stadium, near Kolkata, was used by East Bengal as their home ground during the 2019–20 I-League season.

The team also practices at one of the VYBK practice grounds.

Honours

Football

Here are some of the major trophies East Bengal FC has won:

•      Record
• ^S Shared record

Cricket

• CAB First Division League

Champions (16): 1974-75, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2016-17

• CAB Senior Knockout

Champions (13): 1975-76, 1977-78, 1979-80, 1982-83, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1997-98, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15

• J. C. Mukherjee Trophy

Champions (12): 1977-78, 1983-84, 1986-87, 1987- 88, 1993-94, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2016-17

• P. Sen Memorial Invitation Trophy

Champions (10): 1976-77, 1978-79, 1993-94, 1997-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2016-17

• A. N. Ghosh Memorial Trophy

Champions (8): 1992-93, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16

• CAB Super League

Champions (1): 2016-17

Hockey

• Calcutta Hockey League

Champions (10): 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1989, 2022

• Beighton Cup

Champions (4): 1957, 1962, 1964, 1967

Runners-up (3): 1963, 1970, 1987

Awards

• Banga Bibhushan: 2022

Affiliated clubs

Here are clubs that have worked with East Bengal:

• Leicester City (2002–2003)
• Sheikh Russel KC (2022–present)

See also

• East Bengal Club in international football
• East Bengal Club league record by opponent
• List of East Bengal Club wins against Foreign teams
• List of foreign players for East Bengal Club
• List of East Bengal Club records and statistics
• Indian football clubs in Asian competitions