Mohun Bagan AC facts for kids

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest multi-sports clubs in Asia. The club has various sports departments like football, cricket, hockey, tennis, athletics, eSports etc.

History

Bhupendra Nath Bose, the first president of Mohun Bagan

The foundation of Mohun Bagan stretches back into the 1880s when the neighborhood youth of presently known Fariapukur Lane in Shyambazar had set out in search for an ideal place to establish a football club, and came across a marble palace, Mohun Bagan Villa, owned by the family of a leading jute trader, Kirti Chandra Mitra.

On 15 August 1889, after a meeting of three prominent aristocratic Bengali families of North Kolkata – the Mitra family, the Basu family, and the Sen family – presided over by Bhupendra Nath Basu himself, Mohun Bagan Sporting Club was formed. Bhupendra Nath Basu became the first president of the newly founded club and Jyotindra Nath Basu was the first secretary of it.

During the initial years, the meager ground inside the palace was used by the club for hosting matches, including their first match that was played against the team of Eden Hindu Hostel students, and lost 1–0. The club management hugely emphasized providing memberships to the youth and maintained a strict code of conduct with an avowed objective of producing excellent sportsmen and imbuing them with impeccable moral and social values.

At the first-anniversary assembly, the Presidency College students and members of the club invited their professor, F. J. Rowe, to attend. Rowe pointed out the inappropriate naming of the club and suggested replacing "Sporting" with "Athletic" since the club didn't indulge in sporting activities, like angling or rifle shooting. Thus, the members agreed and renamed the club as Mohun Bagan Athletic Club.

The second-anniversary assembly was presided by Sir Thomas Holland, who later became a member of the Executive Council of Governor-General of India. In 1891, with the help of the Maharaja Durga Charan Laha of Shyampukur, the club ground was relocated within his residential estate, now known as Laha Colony. The club ground was later relocated to Shyam Square in Bagbazar, with the help of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation chairman, Henry Lee. In 1900, Mohun Bagan became the partner of Presidency College and shared their ground at Maidan, where they would continue to play for 15 years.

Structure

Newly built Chuni Goswami Gate of Mohun Bagan AC in December 2023.

Mohun Bagan is registered as a society under Societies Registration Act, 1860 and West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961. Unlike many other top sports clubs in the country which are limited companies, it is not possible to purchase shares in the club, but only membership. The registered members forms the Mohun Bagan Society, which takes part in the general elections for the appointment for various posts. The club is governed by its own "constitution". Amendments and resolutions are passed via annual general meetings.

Management

Departments

Football

The Mohun Bagan football team is the most distinguished and revered department of this club. It was the original department with which the club was founded in 1889. The team plays its home matches mostly at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and also at the Mohun Bagan Ground. It competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of Indian football league system. The team is most notable for its victory over the East Yorkshire Regiment in the 1911 IFA Shield final. It is one of the most successful teams in the country. In its 130th year of existence, the team was inducted into the "Club of Pioneers", a network of the oldest existing football clubs around the world, on 29 July 2019.

Cricket

The Mohun Bagan cricket team participates in various tournaments for varying age groups conducted by the Cricket Association of Bengal. Currently, it participates in the CAB First Division League, CAB Senior Knockout, CAB Super League, and JC Mukherjee Trophy. The team plays its home matches mostly at the Eden Gardens and also at the Jadavpur University Campus Ground. They have won over 100 major state-level trophies so far. In past many big names like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and even Sri Lankan player Chaminda Vaas had played for the club.

Hockey

The Mohun Bagan hockey team participates in various tournaments for varying age groups conducted by the Hockey Bengal. The team plays its home matches mostly at the SAI Sports Complex of Salt Lake Stadium and also at the Mohun Bagan Ground. The club participates in the Calcutta Hockey League and the Beighton Cup. The team have won 41 major state titles which includes 25 CHL and 14 Beighton Cup titles.

Athletics

Mohun Bagan has an athletics team, which is affiliated with the West Bengal Athletic Association, and participates in various tournaments of West Bengal. The club also organizes Annual Athletic meets at the club ground.

eSports

Mohun Bagan also took part in the inaugural season of e-ISL where the ISL teams competed to play the video game FIFA 22.

Club awards

Since 2001, 29 July is celebrated as Mohun Bagan Day in honor of the club's victory over East Yorkshire Regiment in the 1911 IFA Shield Final. To commemorate the day, the club organises an award distribution ceremony along with various festivities. Mohun Bagan Ratna is an award presented each year on Mohun Bagan Day to outstanding former players, irrespective of the sports played. The first recipient was former footballer Sailen Manna. Apart from the Mohun Bagan Ratna, other awards are also presented which often differ in categories each year, except for an award for the best footballer and cricketer of the season which were presented for most of the years.

Honours

• Banga Bibhushan: 2022 (the highest civilian honour in West Bengal given by the Government of West Bengal)

See also

In Spanish: Mohun Bagan AC para niños

• Mohun Bagan Super Giant
• Mohun Bagan AC (cricket)
• Mohun Bagan AC (field hockey)