Southern Samity

Indian association football club From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Southern Samity

Southern Samity is an Indian professional multi-sports club from Kolkata.[3][4][5] Founded in 1945,[6] the club is also based in Siliguri, North Bengal. Apart from sports, they are also involved in numerous cultural activities. Its football section competes in the Calcutta Football League premiere division A,[7][8][9] and previously participated in the I-League 2nd Division,[10][11] then second tier of Indian football league system.[12]

Quick Facts Full name, Founded ...
Southern Samity
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Full nameSouthern Samity Football Club[1][2]
Founded1945; 80 years ago (1945)
GroundRabindra Sarobar Stadium
Capacity22,000
PresidentAsraf Ali Shaikh
Head coachSaheed Ramon
LeagueCFL Premier Division
Websitewww.southernsamityfc.in
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History

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Perspective

Formation and journey

Southern Samity was founded in the city of Kolkata in 1945,[13] during the British rule in India. During that time they were involved in various sporting and cultural activities. In 1959, the club got their affiliation from the Indian Football Association (IFA), but the club got their footsteps in Indian football long after their foundation.[14] From 2007 to 2008 onwards, Frontlink International took charge of the club's football department, which boosted the growth highly.[15]

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.[16][7] In 2011, Southern Samity created history as they became the first club after Behala Youth in 1975 to reach the prestigious IFA Shield semi-final on debut.[17] In 2011–12 CFL season, the club was managed by Shabbir Ali.[18][19] They also reached to the quarter-final of the 2012 IFA Shield.[20] Southern Samity participated in the 2013 I-League 2nd Division[21] and moved to the final round, where they achieved sixth position.[22] In 2015, they played in the Calcutta Premier Division Group A.[23]

In 2016, Southern Samity appointed Amit Sen as their new head coach and participated in the 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division,[24][25][26] where they achieved success and qualified for the final round.[27] They finished the season as runners-up with 17 points from 10 matches, behind champions NEROCA FC.[28]

In 2020,[29] Southern Samity reached the quarter-finals of the IFA Shield before losing 0–1 to I-League side Real Kashmir.[30][31][32] Besides football, the club along with state football governing body IFA, and Kalighat MS have joined the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in West Bengal from May 2021 by providing free vaccinations to people.[33][34][35]

On 1 July 2021, Southern Samity appointed Biswajit Bhattacharya as their new head coach.[36][37] The club then roped in Ugandan trio Hamdan Nsubuga, Peter Mutebi and Habib Kavuma.[38] They began their 2021–22 Calcutta Premier Division campaign with a 3–0 defeat against Mohammedan Sporting.[39][40] On 23 August, Southern Samity was deducted six points by IFA and also handed two losses which includes their forfeited match against United Sports,[41] and were relegated to the Premier Division B. In June 2023, the Indian Football Association (IFA) announced the merger of both Premier Division A and B of the Calcutta Football League, ahead of its 125th edition, in which Southern Samity was placed within Group-I.[42][43][44]

Stadium

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Rabindra Sarobar Stadium on a matchday before renovation

Southern Samity used Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in Lake Gardens,[45] Kolkata, as their home ground for matches of both the I-League 2nd Division and Calcutta Football League.[46][47][48] Opened in 1961, the stadium is also known as Lake Stadium and has a capacity of 22,000 spectators.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

More information Period, Kit manufacturer ...
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2021–present Nike, Inc.[49] Track-Only[50]
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Players

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...
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Team management

More information Position, Name ...
Position Name
Chairperson India Jinia Roy Chowdhury
President India Asraf Ali Shaikh
Sr. Vice president India Dr. Pranab Mukhapadhyay
Vice presidents India Dr. Tirthankar Bagchi,

India Sanjay Bose
India Lalit Sharma

Head coach India Saheed Ramon
Team manager India Amit Sen
General secretary India Sourav Pal
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Notable players

Past and present internationals

The foreign players below had youth/senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Southern Samity.[51][52]

Noted Indian player(s)

Honours

League

Cup

  • Kalinga Cup
    • Champions (1): 2013[75]
  • Jananayak Karpuri Thakur Cup
    • Champions (1): 2014[76]
  • Naihati Gold Cup
    • Champions (1): 2021[77]
  • Domjur Gold Cup
    • Champions (1): 2010[78]
  • Netaji–Subhash Trophy
    • Champions (1): 2010[78]
  • Darjeeling Gold Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 2010[78]
  • ONGC Gold Cup
    • Runners-up (1): 2010–11[76]

Women

Other departments

Southern Samity Women

The club has its women's football section, that competes in the Calcutta Women's Football League.[80] In the 2021–22 league season, they achieved success with runner-up finish.[81][79]

See also

References

Further reading

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