FAO League
| Organising body | Football Association of Odisha (FAO) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Country | India |
| Divisions | 2 (FAO First Division, FAO Second Division) |
| Number of clubs | 24 (total in all 3 groups) |
| Level on pyramid | 5–8 |
| Promotion to | I-League 3 |
| Relegation to | Various |
| Domestic cup(s) | Kalinga Cup |
| League cup(s) | FAO Super Cup |
| Current champions | Sunrise Club (7th title) |
| Most championships | Sunrise Club (7 titles) |
| TV partners | FA Odisha SportsKPI (YouTube, Facebook) |
| Current: 2024 FAO League | |
The Football Association of Odisha League (also known as the MGM FAO League for sponsorship reasons, often abbreviated to the FAO League) is the top state football league of the Indian state of Odisha, organised by Football Association of Odisha (FAO) in association with Department of Sports & Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha.[1][2]
History
[edit]The major domestic league in the state held at Cuttack was known as Cuttack Football League until 2010 when FAO decided to restructure the league as FAO league. It continues as the top tier competition for Cuttack based football clubs.[3]
The FAO League was brought up as Siddhartha Odisha First Division League in 2010 as Odisha's premier level football league. FAO introduced the league system to provide the footballing talents of the state a platform to showcase their abilities. The league system continued with the same format for seven years, until its revamp in 2018. Since the inception of the FAO League, a total of five clubs have been crowned champions. Sunrise have won the most titles in league history, being crowned champions four times. Odisha Police have won the league twice whereas East Coast Railway, Sports Odisha, Radha Gobinda Club, and Radha Raman Club have each won it once.
In a total competition revamp, FAO League was converted to a threeptier first division highest level footballing league of the state in 2018. The First Division League currently has three tiers, Diamond, Gold and Silver leagues, followed by the Second Division.[4][5]
League structure
[edit]| FAO League | |
|---|---|
| Tier | Division |
| I (Level 5 on Indian Football Pyramid) |
FAO Diamond League ↑promote (to I-League 3) ↓relegate |
| II (Level 6 on Indian Football Pyramid) |
FAO Gold League ↑promote ↓relegate |
| III (Level 7 on Indian Football Pyramid) |
FAO Silver League ↑promote ↓relegate |
| IV (Level 8 on Indian Football Pyramid) |
FAO Second Division League ↑promote |
Venues
[edit]
Bhubaneswar
[edit]Cuttack
[edit]- Barabati Stadium
- Odisha Police Ground
- Satyabrata Stadium
Diamond League
[edit]| Organising body | Football Association of Odisha (FAO) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Country | India |
| Number of clubs | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | I-League 2nd Division |
| Relegation to | FAO Gold League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Kalinga Cup |
| League cup(s) | FAO Super Cup |
| Current champions | Sunrise Club (7th title) |
| Most championships | Sunrise Club (7 titles) |
2024 clubs
[edit]- Bidanasi Club
- Radha Raman Club
- Rising Student Club
- Rovers Club
- Sports Odisha
- Sunrise Club
- Rising Star Club
- Young Utkal Club
Champions
[edit]| Season | Winner | Runners–up |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | East Coast Railway | Rising Student's Club |
| 2011 | Odisha Police | Radha Gobinda Club |
| 2012 | Odisha Police | Jobra Durga Club |
| 2013 | Radha Gobinda Club | Jobra Durga Club |
| 2014 | Sunrise Club | East Coast Railway |
| 2015 | Sunrise Club | Rising Student's Club |
| 2016 | Sunrise Club | East Coast Railway |
| 2017 | Radha Raman Club | Sunrise Club |
| 2018 | Sunrise Club | Odisha Police |
| 2019 | Sports Odisha | Rising Students Club |
| 2022 | Sunrise Club, Radha Raman Club (joint-champions) | |
| 2023 | Sunrise Club | Sports Odisha |
| 2024 | Sunrise Club | Rovers Club |
Championships by team
[edit]| Club | Titles | Runners-Up | Winning Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Club | 7 | 1 | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Odisha Police | 2 | 1 | 2011, 2012 |
| Radha Raman Club | 2 | 0 | 2017, 2022 |
| East Coast Railway | 1 | 2 | 2010 |
| Radha Gobinda Club | 1 | 1 | 2013 |
| Sports Odisha | 1 | 1 | 2019 |
| Rising Student Club | 0 | 3 | — |
| Jobra Durga Club | 0 | 2 | — |
Gold League
[edit]| Organising body | Football Association of Odisha (FAO) |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Number of clubs | 7 |
| Level on pyramid | 5 |
| Promotion to | FAO Diamond League |
| Relegation to | FAO Silver League |
| League cup(s) | FAO Super Cup |
2024 clubs
[edit]- Chand Club
- East Coast Railway
- Independent Club
- Jay Durga Club
- Kishore Club
- Mangala Club
- Odisha Police
Winners
[edit]| Season | Champion | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | FAO XI | Eleven Gun Club |
| 2019 | Rovers Club | Rising Star Club |
| 2022 | Bidanasi Club | Rising Star Club |
| 2023 | Rising Star Club | Kishore Club |
| 2024 | Kishore Club | Mangala Club |
Silver League
[edit]| Organising body | Football Association of Odisha (FAO) |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Number of clubs | 8 |
| Level on pyramid | 6 |
| Promotion to | FAO Gold League |
| Relegation to | FAO League 2nd Division |
| League cup(s) | FAO Super Cup |
2024 clubs
[edit]Silver A
[edit]- Azad Hind Club
- Junior Gallant Club
- Radha Gobinda Club
- Sunshine Club
Silver B
[edit]- Chauliaganj Club
- Eleven Gun Club
- SAI STC Cuttack
- Town Club
Winners
[edit]| Season | Winner | Runners–up |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Sunshine Club | SAI-STC |
| 2019 | SAI-STC | Club-n-Club |
| 2022 | Kishore Club | Town Club |
| 2023 | Independent Club | Sunshine Club |
| 2024 | Junior Gallant Club | Chauliaganj Club |
FAO Second Division League
[edit]| Season | Champion | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Kishore Club | Town Club |
| 2011 | Yuva Vandhu Cultural Group (YVCG) | Lalbagh Club |
| 2012 | Town Club | Royal Club |
| 2013 | Jay Bharat Cultural Club | Uday Club |
| 2014 | Lalbagh Club | Royal Club |
| 2016 | Club 'N' Club | Royal Club |
| 2017 | Chauliaganj Club | Royal Club |
| 2022 | Eleven Gun Club | Uday Club |
| 2023 | Junior Gallant Club | YAFC Choudwar Club |
| 2024 | YAFC Choudwar Club | Uday Club |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "FAO First Division League". Orisports. 28 August 2011. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "FAO First Division League 2022". Orisports. 3 July 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Schedule". Orisports. 2011. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ "FAO to start Super Cup, Revamp FAO League". Orisports. 9 May 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "FAO restructures domestic football". Football Association of Odisha. 10 May 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
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