 | |
| Abbreviation | SFA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1976; 48 years ago (1976) |
| Headquarters | Paljor Stadium, Gangtok |
Region served | Sikkim, India |
Membership | 4 district associations |
President | Menla Ethenpa |
Secretary | Phurba Sherpa |
Treasurer | Susan Tamang |
Parent organization | All India Football Federation (AIFF) |
The Sikkim Football Association (SFA) is one of the 37 Indian state football associations that are affiliated with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), based out of Gangtok, Sikkim.[1][2] It sends state teams for Santosh Trophy and Senior Women's National Football Championship.
The Sikkim Football Association was formed in the year 1976, while previously it was known as the Gangtok Football and Sporting Association. Sikkim football dates back with first local team, Kumar Sporting Club.[3][4][5]
The association started Sikkim Gold Cup in 1979 with the help of the Sikkim government.[6]
As interest in football in Sikkim went down due to the lack of organizing, former India football team captain Baichung Bhutia, who was born in Sikkim, founded the club United Sikkim. It became the main player source for Sikkim football team.
| Tier | Division | Promotion & relegation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Level 5 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Sikkim Premier Division League | 8 teams, bottom relegate to Sikkim B Division[7] |
| 2 (Level 6 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Sikkim B Division | 12 teams, top promote to Sikkim Premier Division League, bottom 2 relegate to Sikkim C Division[8] |
| 3 (Level 7 on Indian Football pyramid) |
Sikkim C Division | 12 teams, top 2 promote to Sikkim B Division[9] |
The Sikkim Premier Division League is the men's franchise football league in Sikkim, held post longtime inactivity of the top tier. The first season dates back to the 1970s. The Sikkim Premier Division League is not to be confused with the "Sikkim Premier League", a private franchise based tournament organised by the Football Development Private Limited (FDPL), a private company based out of Sikkim.
The winner of the Sikkim Premier Division League, barring the exception of Sikkim Police Football Team, gains the nomination to the Ileague 3.
The league features six teams, namely Young Girls FC (Gyalshing), Pakyong United FC, Northerners Girls FC, Soreng Girls Academy, Dentam Girls Academy and Southerners Girls (Namchi). It offers women players the opportunity to excel and gain recognition. Teams are allowed a maximum of 25 players, including five outside the state. It is designed for each team to play at least five matches.[10]
|
Football in Sikkim
| |
|---|---|
| State teams |
|
| Clubs |
|
| League competitions |
|
| Cup competitions |
|
| Stadiums |
|
|
| |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
| National teams |
| ||||||||||
| League system |
| ||||||||||
| Cup competitions |
| ||||||||||
| Defunct competitions |
| ||||||||||
| Sports complexes |
| ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
