Calcutta Police

There is no home to speak of, no gate that belongs to them.

The founders were investigating officers of the Kolkata Police, ranked sub-inspector and upward, who put a side together in 1932. The distinction matters in a city with more than one police team: this is not the West Bengal Police club from Bhatpara, formed twenty years later.

The football that made the name came before independence. In 1939 they took the IFA Shield, beating Calcutta Customs 2–1 in the final. Four years on they were back in the final and East Bengal beat them 3–0.

What followed was a long descent through the tiers. The 2019 title in the CFL 1st Division was the first thing in decades worth putting on the record.

Nor has a ground of their own — Calcutta Police are still borrowing pitches to play on.