KateHinson76890 at 00:04, 26 January 2026

2026-01-26T00:04:12Z

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{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Dacca
| current =
| image =
| image_size =
| fullname = Dacca football team
| nickname =
| motto =
| founded = 1941
| dissolved = 1947
| ground = [[Paltan Maidan]], [[Dhaka|Dacca]]
| capacity =
| owner = Dacca Sporting Association
| chrtitle =
| chairman =
| mgrtitle =
| manager =
| league = [[Santosh Trophy]]
| season =
| position =
}}
The '''Dacca football team''' was an Indian domestic football team that represented the city of [[Dhaka|Dacca]] and the eastern region of [[Bengal Presidency]] in Indian state football competitions including the [[Santosh Trophy]]. The team played in the Santosh Trophy from [[1944–45 Santosh Trophy|1944–45]] season until [[1945–46 Santosh Trophy|1945–46]] season in [[British Raj|India]], before the [[partition of India]].

==History==
===Origins of Dacca football===
The Dacca Sporting Association (DSA) was formed in 1895 as an apex body for the control of sports in [[Dhaka|Dacca]], and also played an important role in the spread of [[association football]] in eastern Bengal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/kaler-khela/2014/05/23/87414|title=ব্রাজিলিয়ানদেরও আগে বাঙালিরা!|date=23 May 2014|language=bn|website=Kaler Kantho|archive-date=15 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215143848/https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/kaler-khela/2014/05/23/87414|url-status=bot: unknown|access-date=14 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="ijcrt">{{Cite web|url=https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2207661.pdf|title=Origins and Growth of Football Club Culture in Colonial East Bengal (Present Bangladesh)|first=Dhurba|last=Kar|date=7 July 2022|publisher=IJCRT|access-date=26 February 2025|archive-date=26 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226110030/https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2207661.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The players from eastern Bengal played for the [[Calcutta]]-based clubs that participated in the [[Calcutta Football League]] and the [[Dhaka|Dacca]]-based clubs such as [[Wari Club Dhaka|Wari Club]], which participated in the [[Indian Football Association|IFA]] tournaments such as [[IFA Shield]], [[Trades Cup]] etc. The players also represented the [[West Bengal football team|Bengal football team]] or IFA XI representative sides which was administered by the IFA for [[Bengal Presidency]].

DSA representative sides also played friendly matches against other Indian and British sides. One such notable moment came in 1937, when DSA secured a victory against a visiting British side in 1937. They defeated [[Islington Corinthians F.C.|Islington Corinthians]] 1–0, on 22 November 1937, with the goal scored by Pakhi Sen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://icetoday.net/2018/07/kick-score-scream-the-history-of-football-in-dhaka/|title=Kick, Score, Scream! The History of Football in Dhaka|first=Dhrubo|last=Alam|location=Dhaka|date=16 July 2018|publisher=Ice Today|access-date=6 October 2022|archive-date=1 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101015051/http://icetoday.net/2018/07/kick-score-scream-the-history-of-football-in-dhaka/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/sub-editorial/2017/11/21/568060|title=৮০ বছর আগে ঢাকার ফুটবলে জয়|date=November 1, 2017|website=www.kalerkantho.com}}</ref>

===Provincial representation===
The [[All India Football Federation|AIFF]] which was formed in 1937, then instituted the national football championship for inter-state football competition, which came to be known as the [[Santosh Trophy]]. Dacca became the provincial member under Dacca Sporting Association on 29 December 1938.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 30 December 1938|page=21|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19381230/292/0021|access-date=2026-01-07|via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> The team was slated to participate in the inaugural Santosh Trophy in the [[1941–42 Santosh Trophy|1941–42]] season against [[West Bengal football team|Bengal football team]], but withdrew.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.1464/page/4/mode/1up Inter Provincial Football], Bombay Chronicle, 18 April 1941</ref> Bengal received a walkover as Dacca withdrew drew to communal riots, while the match was scheduled to be held in Dacca on 13 July.<ref name=abj7>[http://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/document/OUVGZm1XRVlDWTRCcjVWRXRKeWxCUT09 Dacca withdraws due to riots], Amrita Bazar Patrika, 7 July 1941</ref> Dacca made its national debut in the Santosh Trophy in the 1944–45 season, when it played its first match but lost 2–0 against Bengal.<ref name=expaug28>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_Is-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=IUwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5011%2C2922698|title=Bengal beat Dacca|publisher=The Indian Express|date=28 August 1944|language=en|access-date=26 February 2025|archive-date=26 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226104817/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_Is-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=IUwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5011%2C2922698|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1945–46 season, it played against [[Maharashtra football team|Bombay]], but lost 3–0 in their last appearance at the national championships.<ref>[http://ndl.iitkgp.ac.in/document/Q1JpWnJnNkdpVFppUmRWR3JHMzB6UT09 Amrita Bazar Patrika], 8 October 1945</ref>

===Successor===
Following the independence and partition of India, the Dacca team became defunct as they could no longer participate in the national championships, as the region became a part of [[Pakistan]] as the province of [[East Bengal]] (later [[East Pakistan]]). The domestic league continued with the [[Dhaka Football League]] from 1948.

Eventually, players from Dacca would represent teams from [[East Pakistan]] in the [[National Football Championship (Pakistan)|Pakistan National Football Championship]]. In 1961, after the National Championship was made division-based, Dacca Division would win the tournament in both 1961–62 and 1962.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kalerkantho.com/online/sport/2024/01/06/1352503|title=ফুটবলে তখন নাম ছিল, টাকা-পয়সার ব্যাপার ছিল না|first=Shajahan|last=Kabir|date=6 January 2024|website=Kalerkantho|language=bn|archive-date=7 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107182356/https://www.kalerkantho.com/online/sport/2024/01/06/1352503|url-status=bot: unknown|access-date=14 March 2024}}</ref>

Eventually in 1971, Bangladesh became independent and the [[Bangladesh national football team]] played its first international match in 1973. In the same year, the Dhaka District football team would win the [[National Football Championship (Bangladesh)|Bangladesh National Football Championship]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/sports/2020/07/26/939253 |script-title=bn:সেদিন লাল-সবুজ পতাকা উড়িয়েছিল ফুটবল |date=25 July 2020 |work=Kaler Kantho |language=bn |access-date=30 August 2022 |archive-date=30 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220830102857/https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/sports/2020/07/26/939253 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Squads==
The Dacca squad for the [[1945–46 Santosh Trophy]]:
* G Burton; D. Dutta and [[Sheikh Shaheb Ali|Shaheb Ali]]; H Mitra, S Guha and R Sen; S Bose, A Roy, P Mukerjee, A Rachia, A Das, B. Bose, R. Talukdar, C. Bose, Bailey, S. Sen
The Dacca squad for the [[1944–45 Santosh Trophy]]:
* Marshall; A Mukherjee; [[Sheikh Shaheb Ali|Shaheb Ali]]; Shubal Pal; Reynolds; Onahoy; Horn; Alom; Dutch; A Das; Abbas<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP262-1-2-8-241#?open=true&cv=3&xywh=-5156%2C-1%2C15979%2C9620|title=Jugantar. Vol: 07; Issue: 342; Page: 04 (29 August 1944)|language=bn|access-date=2 January 2026|website=eap.bl.uk|archive-date=2 January 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260102082718/https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP262-1-2-8-241#?open=true&cv=3&xywh=771%2C1000%2C2149%2C1659|url-status=live}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Santosh Trophy}}

[[Category:Football in Dhaka]]
[[Category:Santosh Trophy teams]]
[[Category:1941 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:1947 disestablishments in India]]

Dacca football team - Revision history

KateHinson76890 at 00:04, 26 January 2026