The Stafford Challenge Cup is an Indian football tournament held in Karnataka, organized by the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA).[1] Instituted in 1938, it is the oldest football tournament in South India.[2][3] The tournament was abolished in 1993, but was revived in 2023.[4][citation needed]
| Organising body | Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1938 |
| Region | India |
| Number of teams | various |
| Current champions | Bengaluru United (1st title) |
| Television broadcasters | FanCode |
 2023 | |
History
editThe Stafford Challenge Cup was introduced by Staffordshire Regiment in 1938 in Bengaluru. They also donated the silver rolling trophy. Bangalore Muslim Club was the first Indian club to win it in 1941.[citation needed][5]
In 1990, the Iraqi Olympic team won the tournament but didn't return the trophy since the cup was lost during the Gulf War.[4] It was held for the then-last time in 1993, before the revival 30 years later.
Venue
editThe older edition matches used to be held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium[2] and Vyalikaval Ground.[6] The revived edition is held at Bangalore Football Stadium.[4]
Awards
edit| Award name | Prize money |
|---|---|
| Champions | ₹ 2,50,000 |
| Runners-up | ₹ 1,50,000 |
Results
edit| Year | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 |  Wiltshire Regiment
|
[7] | ||
| 1939 | Wiltshire Regiment
|
[8] | ||
| 1941 | Bangalore Muslim Club | Hyderabad City Police | [2][9] | |
| 1942 | Bangalore Sporting | [2] | ||
| 1943 | Mysore Rovers | [2] | ||
| 1944 | Sullivan Police | |||
| 1945 | Sullivan Police | |||
| 1946 | Sullivan Police | |||
| 1947 | Sullivan Police | |||
| 1948 | Sullivan Police | |||
| 1949 | Sullivan Police | [10] | ||
| 1952 | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited | [5] | ||
| 1954 | Binny Mills | [5] | ||
| 1956 | Bangalore Blues | [5] | ||
| 1957 | LRDE | [5] | ||
| 1958 | Mysore State Police | [5] | ||
| 1961 | Mysore State Police | [5] | ||
| 1964 | Howrah Union | [11] | ||
| 1966 | MEG & C | [5] | ||
| 1967 | CIL | [5] | ||
| 1968 | Mohammedan Sporting | [12] | ||
| 1970 | Mohammedan Sporting | [12] | ||
| 1971 | CIL | [5] | ||
| 1972 | Orkay Mills | 1–0 | A.S.C. Centre (South), Bangalore | [13][14] |
| 1973 | Vasco | [15] | ||
| 1974 | Orkay Mills | |||
| 1975 | Dempo and Orkay Mills (joint winners) – 0–0 | |||
| 1979 | Dempo | 2–0 | ITI | [16] |
| 1980 |  Al-Shabab
|
4–2 | ITI | [17] |
| 1981 | East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting (joint winners) | [18][19] | ||
| 1982 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya
|
1–0 | Mohun Bagan | [20] |
| 1984 | Al-Talaba
|
3–0 | Salgaocar | [2] |
| 1986 | East Bengal | Dempo | [21] | |
| 1987 | Salcete FC | [22] | ||
| 1990 | Iraq Olympic
|
[2] | ||
| 1991 | Mohammedan Sporting | |||
| 1993 | ITI | 2–1 | Union Bank of India, Mumbai | [23] |
| 1994–2022 | Tournament not held | |||
| 2023 | Bengaluru United | 2–1 | Chennaiyin (R) | [24] |
References
edit- ^ Muralidharan, Ashwin (10 May 2018). "All you need to know about the football league structure in Karnataka". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Stafford Challenge Cup: One cup, many emotions". Deccan Herald. 22 February 2023. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "On decline mode for long". The New Indian Express. 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "After 30 years, KSFA to relaunch Stafford Cup". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Stafford Challenge Cup: A Brief History of Time". theawayend.co. The Away End. 23 February 2023. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Suchindran, Aravind (17 January 2017). "Caught in a time warp". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ "THE HISTORY: STAFFORD CHALLENGE CUP – KARNATAKA". ksfa.in. Bengaluru: Karnataka State Football Association. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "THE HISTORY". ksfa.in. Karnataka State Football Association. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Veerappa, Manuja (2 April 2018). "When sports, fandom thrived on local grounds". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Bangalore: The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "FC Bengaluru United on Instagram: "The Stafford Challenge Cup is back after a hiatus of 30 years! 🤩🏆 𝙒𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙁𝘾 𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙪 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩. 💪 This tournament has a rich legacy, and we're honoured to be a part of it. 🔥 #FCBU #NammaUnited #WeAreUnited #UnitedWeStand #KSFA #BengaluruFootball #StaffordChallengeCup2023"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Howrah Union – at a glance". howrahunion.com. Howrah Union Club. Archived from the original on 25 April 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b "AIFF condoles N. Pappana's death". the-aiff.com. AIFF. 13 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "Sportsweek No. 302-324 (july-dec) 1974". archive.org. 1974. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ Technologies, Sancoale (3 August 2020). "Stafford Challenge Cup 1975". demposportsclub.in. Dempo Sports Club. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Former Vasco defender George Ambrose no more". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Panaji, Goa: The Times of India. TNN. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Technologies, Sancoale (3 August 2020). "Stafford Challenge Cup 1979". demposportsclub.in. Dempo Sports Club. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "From ITI, HAL in '70s to Bengaluru FC in 2013: How the football scene in Bengaluru evolved". thenewsminute.com. The News Minute. 21 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ "East Bengal Club - Trophy Room". eastbengalclub.co.in. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Mohammedan Sporting bestowed the honour of the Shan-e-Mohammedan to Prasun Banerjee". indiafooty.com. India Footy. 4 July 2016. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "Sportsweek No.705-717(april-july) 1982". archive.org. 1982. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Shreekumar, S. S. (15 August 2020). THE BEST WAY FORWARD FOR INDIA'S FOOTBALL. HSRA Publications. p. 244. ISBN 9788194721697. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
- ^ Bharadwaj, Sathvik K (31 August 2022). "Five most successful Indian football coaches". khelnow.com. Khel Now. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ Shreekumar, SS (22 February 2023). "Stafford Cup: City's glamour event set for kick-off". Bangalore Mirror. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "Stafford Cup 2023: FC Bengaluru United become champions- Highlights". thebridge.in. The Bridge. 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.