Wikipedia - George Telegraph SC
George Telegraph Sports Club is an Indian football based in Kolkata, West Bengal, that competes in the Calcutta Football League, the top tier state football league in West Bengal. The club plays all their home matches at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium. They have also competed in the I-League 2nd Division, the second tier of Indian football league system.
Founded in 1925 and affiliated with the Indian Football Association (IFA), the club is known by its nickname "Georgians".
History
The club was founded by Haripada Dutta in 1925, and A. L. Corbett, principal of the George Telegraph Institute, became first chairman. They started out on the 4th division of the Calcutta League and after 21 years they were finally promoted to the 1st division of Calcutta Football League beating Rajasthan Athletic Club 3–1. In the same year, they reached the final of the IFA Shield, but due to the anti-British riots the final couldn't be held. Instead of declaring them as joint winners with Mohun Bagan AC, the entire tournament was scrapped. Some of notable Indian footballers including Rajen Ghosh, Monimohan Ghosh, Sheoo Mewalal, Sushil Bhattacharya, Runu Guha Thakurata, Monoranjan Bhattacharya, Satyajit Chatterjee, Aloke Mukherjee, Shasthi Duley, appeared with George Telegraph. Noted Indian football manager Yan Law began his playing career at the club.
They stayed at the top flight for 66 years but in 2002 and 2003, they suffered back-to-back demotions. Then again they got promoted twice in two successive years and since then they have been staying in the top flight. In 2004, they emerged as the runners-up of the All Airlines Gold Cup. In the same year, they reached semi-finals of prestigious Trades Cup. Their first participation in the I-League 2nd Division was in 2009, where they finished 4th, behind Oil India FC and were eliminated in the group stage. Therefore, George Telegraph was unable to qualify for the I-League, then top tier of football in India. In 2013, they again got a chance to play in I-League 2nd Division, which became their second season.
In 2020, the George Telegraph emerged as the runners-up in the prestigious IFA Shield tournament, the third oldest association football tournament in the world, losing to 2–1 to the I-League side Real Kashmir FC. They reached the semi-finals of 2021–22 Calcutta Premier Division in November 2021, but their campaign ended with a 1–0 loss to Railway FC.
In June 2023, the Indian Football Association (IFA) announced the merger of both Premier Division A and B of the Calcutta Football League ahead of its 125th edition, in which George Telegraph was placed in Group II.
Der George Telegraph FC hat eine lange und erfolgreiche Geschichte. Er hat den IFA Shield, den ältesten Fußballwettbewerb in Indien, dreimal gewonnen (1898, 1900 und 1902). Der Verein hat auch den Durand Cup, den zweitältesten Fußballwettbewerb in Indien, zweimal gewonnen (1895 und 1901).
In den letzten Jahren erlebte der George Telegraph FC eine schwierige Phase. Der Verein stieg 2012 aus der I-League ab und spielte bis 2020 in der I-League 2nd Division. Im Jahr 2020 gelang dem Verein der Wiederaufstieg in die I-League.
Der George Telegraph FC ist bekannt für seine starke Jugendarbeit. Der Verein hat eine Reihe von talentierten Spielern hervorgebracht, die für die indische Nationalmannschaft gespielt haben. Zu den berühmtesten Spielern des Vereins gehören Bhaichung Bhutia, IM Vijayan und Renedy Singh.
Der George Telegraph FC ist ein stolzer und traditionsreicher Verein mit einer leidenschaftlichen Fangemeinde. Der Verein hofft, in Zukunft wieder zu seinen Erfolgen zurückzufinden und an die Spitze des indischen Fußballs zurückzukehren.