Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section was one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment in the 1911 IFA Shield final. This victory made Mohun Bagan the first all-Indian side to win a championship over a British side and was a major moment during India's push for independence. Although Mohun Bagan is a multi-sport club, the primary sport since its foundation has been football. Mohun Bagan was established by three famous aristocratic Bengali families of North Kolkata. Bhupendra Nath Bose was the first president of the club. The team won its first trophy in 1904 when it won the Coochbehar Cup.
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The history behind the club's origin
It may sound strange in current circumstances, but Indian football culture outdated that of some of the established footballing countries. It started way back in the 1850s when the natives saw the games being played by British army men. In the late 1880s, a monumental event took place. In the area currently known as Fariapukur Lane in Kolkata, local youth set about establishing a place where they could regularly play their favorite game. This was done on the premises of a famous marble palace called “Mohun Bagan Villa'', owned by Kirti Mitra. A meeting was held which was presided over by Bhupendranath Basu, a well-known lawyer. He & Jyotindranath Basu would be the first presidents of the newly formed club. In sync with the name of the palace, the club was named “Mohun Bagan Sporting Club ''. The date of foundation? 15th August 1889. By a curious twist of fate, the national club of India would be founded on a date which would be the independence day of the nation several years later.
The club name was changed to “Mohun Bagan Athletic Club” on the recommendation of F.J.Rowe, an eminent professor. The club received universal praise. The Manchester Guardian wrote on 4th August:
“A team of Bengalees won the Football Association Shield in India after defeating the crack teams of three British Regiments amidst the applause of 80,000 of their countrymen. There is no reason of course to be surprised. The victory of association football goes to the side with the greatest physical fitness, the quickest eye, and the keenest wit.”
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