Southern Samity
Wikipedia - 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.
O Southern Samity foi fundado por um grupo de jovens entusiastas do futebol que queriam criar um clube que representasse a comunidade do sul da Índia em Calcutá. O clube começou a jogar em ligas locais e, em 1948, foi eleito para a I-League.
O Southern Samity é um dos clubes mais antigos e tradicionais da I-League. O clube conquistou cinco títulos da I-League, em 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 e 1953. O Southern Samity também conquistou duas vezes a Copa da Federação Indiana, em 1950 e 1951.
O Southern Samity é um clube muito popular entre os torcedores indianos. O clube tem uma torcida apaixonada que comparece em grande número aos jogos do time. O Southern Samity é conhecido por seu estilo de jogo ofensivo e seus jogadores habilidosos.
O Southern Samity é um dos clubes mais importantes da Índia. O clube é um símbolo da rica história do futebol indiano e é uma das equipes mais tradicionais do país. O Southern Samity é um clube que sempre luta por títulos e é uma das forças do futebol indiano.