• Source: Southern Samity

Southern Samity is an Indian professional multi-sports club from Kolkata. Founded in 1945, 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, 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. 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.
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. 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.
On 1 July 2021, Southern Samity appointed Biswajit Bhattacharya as their new head coach. 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. 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. Opened in 1961, the stadium is also known as Lake Stadium and has a capacity of 22,000 spectators.




Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors






Players






= Current squad

=

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




Team management






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 season, they achieved success with second-place finish.




See also



List of football clubs in Kolkata
Football in Kolkata




References






Further reading


Kapadia, Novy (2017). Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-143-42641-7.
Martinez, Dolores; Mukharjiim, Projit B (2009). Football: From England to the World: The Many Lives of Indian Football. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-88353-6. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022.
Dineo, Paul; Mills, James (2001). Soccer in South Asia: Empire, Nation, Diaspora. London, United Kingdom: Frank Cass Publishers. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7146-8170-2. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022.
Nath, Nirmal (2011). History of Indian Football: Upto 2009–10. Readers Service. ISBN 9788187891963. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022.
Sharma, Nikhil Paramjit; Gupta, Shantanu (4 February 2019). India's Football Dream. SAGE Publications India. ISBN 9789353283063. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006). A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score. Routledge. ISBN 9780415348355. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021.
Basu, Jaydeep (2003). Stories from Indian Football. UBS Publishers' Distributors. ISBN 9788174764546. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022.
"United Sikkim, Samity and Mohd. Sporting through to the final round". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. 14 April 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
"123RD IFA SHIELD RESULTS 2020–21: Awards after the FINAL (VYBK)". kolkatafootball.com. Kolkata Football. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
Jitendran, Nikhil (9 July 2016). "Deepak Mandal joins Southern Samity for Calcutta Football League". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.




External links


Southern Samity club profile and results at Soccerway
Southern Samity at Everything For Football
Southern Samity on Twitter
Southern Samity on Facebook
Southern Samity on Instagram

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Southern Samity
• 2023–24 Calcutta Women's Football League
• Rishi Rajput
• 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division
• Biswajit Bhattacharya
• List of football clubs in West Bengal
• Southern Sámi
• 2022 CFL Premier Division
• Victor Kamhuka
• Odafa Onyeka Okolie