IFA Shield
| Organising body | IFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1893 |
| Region |
 India
|
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Current champions |
Tata Football Academy
|
| Most successful club(s) |
East Bengal (29 times) |
| Television broadcasters | Kolkata TV |
| Website | ifawb.com |
 2016 IFA Shield
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The IFA Shield is an annual football competition organized by the Indian Football Association. The Indian Football Association is the association governing football in the state of West Bengal, came into existence in 1893. Named after the Association, the IFA Shield Tournament was started in the same year. It is India's one of the oldest football tournament and the fourth oldest Cup in the world. During the initial years after its inception, the IFA Shield was dominated by British army teams. However, their stranglehold over the Shield was broken in 1911, when Mohun Bagan Athletic Club became the first Indian team to win the IFA Shield by defeating East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1. That was a historic moment for Indian football, as the natives beat the Englishmen at their own game. East Bengal F.C. has won the IFA Shield 29 times, while their archrivals - Mohun Bagan has bagged the honour 22 times.
The IFA Shield is designed as an under-19 youth football tournament since 2015. The decision was taken by IFA due to busy schedule of All India Football Federation which includes Indian Super League, I-League and Federation Cup.
The origin of organized football in India can be traced back to one Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari. After learning about rules of the game from English soldiers, Sarbadhichari made efforts to spread the game among masses. He popularized football in Hare School, one of the premier educational institutions in Calcutta. Later he founded "Boys Club", which was the first attempt to set up a football club in India. In 1893, the Indian Football Association (IFA) was formed. IFA Shield was started in 1893, making it the 4th oldest football competition in history. Curiously, Indians were not allowed to join in the Indian football federation for till 1920s. IFA consisted of high-ranking British army officials, while football tournaments usually included British regiment teams.
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