Southern Samity

Southern Samity () is an Indian professional multi-sports club from Kolkata. Founded in 1945,Southern Samity Club Kolkata. . kolkatafootball.com. Retrieved 19 September 2021. the club was initially based in Siliguri. Its football section competes in the Calcutta Football League, and previously participated in the I-League 2nd Division, then second tier of Indian football league system.

History

Formation and journey Southern Samity was founded in the city of Kolkata in 1945, 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. From 2007 to 2008 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 semi-final on debut.Southern Samity Football Club profile and history . Khelnow.com. Retrieved 28 February 2021. In 2011–12 CFL season, the club was managed by Shabbir Ali. They also reached to the quarter-final of the 2012 IFA Shield. Southern Samity participated in the 2013 I-League 2nd Division and moved to the final round, where they achieved sixth position. In 2015, they played in the Calcutta Premier Division Group A.Calcutta Premier Division A 2015 Group A Kolkata Football. Retrieved 28 February 2021

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

In 2020, Southern Samity reached the quarter-finals of the IFA Shield before losing 0–1 to I-League side Real Kashmir.Indian Arrows share points with Southern Samity in the IFA Shield 2020 opener the-aiff.com. Retrieved 28 February 2021Mohammedan Sporting to meet Real Kashmir in the Semi-finals . Sportstar The Hindu. Retrieved 28 February 2021.IFA Shield 2020 all group matches results. . ifawb.org. Retrieved 28 February 2021. 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.Kolkata football clubs join hands in COVID vaccination drive. . The Bridge. Retrieved 1 August 2021.

On 1 July 2021, Southern Samity appointed Biswajit Bhattacharya as their new head coach.সাদার্ন সমিতির কোচ হলেন তিন প্রধানে কোচিং করানো বিশ্বজিৎ ভট্টাচার্য . . bangla.hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.Indian Football Transfers 2021 . kolkatafootball.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021. 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.CFL 2021 -- Mohammedan Sporting, BSS SC make a winning start The Fan Garage. Retrieved 19 August 2021জয় দিয়ে কলকাতা লিগ অভিযান শুরু করল মহামেডান স্পোর্টিং . sportsnscreen.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021. 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. 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.

Stadium

Southern Samity used Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in Lake Gardens, Kolkata, as their home ground for matches of both the I-League 2nd Division and Calcutta Football League.Southern Samity Football Club official account Twitter.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021. Opened in 1961, the stadium is also known as Lake Stadium and has a capacity of 22,000 spectators.

Team management PositionNameChairperson Jinia Roy ChowdhuryPresident Asraf Ali ShaikhSenior vice president Pranab MukhapadhyayVice presidents Tirthankar Bagchi, Sanjay Bose Lalit SharmaHead coach Sujata KarTeam manager Amit SenGeneral secretary Sourav Pal

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.

Echezona Anyichie (2011–2012) 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 (2022–)

Noted Indian player(s) Deepak Mondal (2017) – recipient of both the Arjuna Award and AIFF Player of the Year.

Honours League I-League 2nd Division 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 Champions (1): 2013 Jananayak Karpuri Thakur Cup Champions (1): 2014 Naihati Gold Cup Champions (1): 2021 Domjur Gold Cup Champions (1): 2010 Netaji–Subhash Trophy Champions (1): 2010 Darjeeling Gold Cup Runners-up (1): 2010 ONGC Gold Cup Runners-up (1): 2010–11

Women

Calcutta Women's Football League Runners-up (1): 2021–22

Other departments Southern Samity Women The club has its women's football section, that competes in the Calcutta Women's Football League. In the 2021–22 league season, they achieved success with runner-up finish.

Southern Samity

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