The Calcutta Women's Football League is the oldest women's football

Women's football (soccer)

Women's association football has been played for many decades, but was associated with charity games and physical exercise in the past before the breakthrough of organized women's association football came in the 1970s. Before the 1970s, football was basically seen as a men's game...

 league in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is based in the city of Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

 (formerly Calcutta) in the state of West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

. The league was founded by the Indian Football Association

Indian Football Association

The Indian Football Association , [abbreviated as IFA] is the organization that administers association football in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the oldest Football Association in India and was founded in 1893. Amongst the founders was former England international Elphinstone Jackson....

 in 1993.

In 2001, the big Kolkata football clubs East Bengal Club

East Bengal Club

Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club are an Indian professional football club based at Kolkata. They are known to be one of the best footballing sides in India. They have won the most IFA Shields in Indian Football and are tied for the most National Football League and Durand Cup championships with...

 and Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is a sports club in India, best known for its football team based in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal. It is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, having been established in 1889...

 entered their women's teams into the competition.

See also

• Football in India
  Football in India
  Association football is one of India's most popular sports, next to cricket. It is a very popular sport in states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala and the entire North-East India, especially Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim....
  
  

The oldest women's football league is Manipur

Manipur

Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...

women's league started in the year 1976

The oldest women's football league in India is Manipur state women's league which started in the year 1976.