I-League 2

I-League 2, officially known as the 2nd Division League, is an Indian men's professional football league.[1] It is the 3rd tier of Indian football, behind the Indian Super League and the I-League.[2][3][4] It operates as a system of promotion and relegation with the I-League and the I-League 3.

I-League 2nd Division
Organising bodyAll India Football Federation (AIFF)
Founded2008 (2008) (as I-League 2nd Division succeeding NFL 2nd Division)
CountryIndia
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams8
Level on pyramid3
Promotion toI-League
Relegation toI-League 3
Domestic cup(s)Federation Cup
Durand Cup[lower-alpha 1]
Current championsDelhi FC (1st title)
Most championshipsONGC (2 titles)
TV partnersSportsCast India (YouTube)
Websitei-league.org
Current: 2023–24

History

I-League 2nd Division was introduced during the 2008 season, with first game played on 25 March between Mohammedan Sporting and Amity United.[5]

That season saw Mohammedan Sporting, Mumbai FC, Vasco SC and Chirag United promoted to the I-League. The next season saw Pune FC, Shillong Lajong, Viva Kerala and Salgaocar getting promoted.

Since 2010, only top 2 teams were promoted to the I-League. ONGC FC and HAL SC in that year, in 2011 Shillong Lajong and Sporting Clube de Goa, with Lajong being promoted for the second time. In 2012, ONGC and United Sikkim were promoted for the upcoming season. The 2013 saw Rangdajied United FC and Mohammedan qualifying for the I-League.

In 2014, only one team got promoted from the 2nd Division, and similarly only one team got relegated from 2013–14 season.

In 2016, again only one team was promoted from the 2nd division (Aizawl F.C.), and only one was relegated from the I-League (Dempo).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional final round format was scrapped in 2020. It was decided that the league will be rescheduled into a new format and all non-reserve teams from the preliminary stage will automatically progress to this round. It was officially named as I-League Qualifiers.[6]

I-League Qualifiers logo

After making I-League the second division of Indian football, to avoid confusion AIFF decided to rename 2nd Division to I-league 2.[7]

Competition format

2008–2015

Previously, the league was formatted as a neutral venue competition with teams split into groups in which all the groups play in one stadium each. The final round is contested in a double round-robin format, after which the top two teams get promoted to the I-League.

2015–2017

The I-League core committee approved the plans for the 2015–2016 I-League 2nd division matches to be played on a home and away basis. The preliminary rounds will be played as the conference system with the teams being divided into Eastern and Western conferences. Top 3 teams from each conference will qualify for the final round of the 2015–2016 season of 2nd division I-League.[8]

To widen the football map of the country and to bolster the football structure, I-League committee decide to launch the 2nd division qualifier for 2016–2017 season. Participants from all the state associations would be invited to take part in 2nd division 2016–17 qualifiers. The state associations need to nominate two teams with best results, apart from the teams who would compete in Hero I-League and 2nd division league, from the state leagues to compete in the 2nd division qualifiers. The teams will fight it out amongst themselves in the zonal round followed by the final round. Eventually top two teams from the final round will get a nod to the 2nd division, provided that they fulfill the club licensing requirements in the due time.[9]

2017–2018

The format was further altered from 2017–2018 season, the league was divided in two stages: the Preliminary and the Final. The tournament will also feature reserve teams of Indian Super League clubs. In the preliminary stage, 18 teams are divided into three groups where all matches would be played on a home and away basis. The winners of each group plus the best second-placed team would qualify for the final round. However, if reserve teams of ISL clubs finishes as winners or runners-up in any group, the position is passed on onto the next non-ISL team. The final round will be played at a central venue, the winners of which would be promoted to the next tier of Indian Football.[10]

2018–2019

Sixteen teams were allowed to participate in this season by the league committee.[11]

2021

A new format was introduced named as I-league qualifiers. 10 teams promoted from state leagues battled for I-league qualification.

2022–2023

In a meeting held on December 16, 2022, the AIFF league committee has recommended that states that have conducted their regional leagues in previous season nominate clubs for the Hero I-League 2, with six reserve teams of the Hero ISL also joining them. A pre-tournament qualifier was held for the teams from states that have not conducted their leagues in 2021–22, from which the top two teams gained entry into the Hero I-League 2, bringing the total number of clubs to 20.

These 20 teams are divided into the four groups of five and play each other in a round-robin home and away format. The group winners, along with the best second-placed team, play in the final round, a single-leg round robin format competition.[12]

Clubs

Current clubs

Club State City Stadium Capacity
Maharashtra Oranje Maharashtra Mumbai Cooperage 5,000
Bengaluru United Karnataka Bengaluru Bangalore Football Stadium 8,400
Mumbai Kenkre Maharashtra Mumbai Cooperage 5,000
Sudeva Delhi Delhi Delhi Chhatrasal Stadium 16,000
United SC West Bengal Kalyani Kalyani Stadium 20,000
I-League 3 Champions - - - -
I-League 3 second - - - -
I-League 3 third - - - -

All-time clubs

Currently in I-League 2
Currently in Indian Super League or I-League
Currently in I-League 3 or State leagues
Reserve sides (Indian Super League)
Defunct clubs

As of 2023

Club City/State Appearances Seasons Current league
Aizawl FC Aizawl, Mizoram 4 2012 to 2015 I-League
Ambernath United Atlanta Mumbai, Maharashtra 1 2022-23 merged with Maharashtra Oranje FC
Amity United FC Gurgaon, Haryana 3 2008, 2009, 2010 Defunct
ARA FC Ahmedabad, Gujarat 4 2018-19, 2020, 2021, 2022–23 I-League 3
ATK (R) Barasat, West Bengal 2 2018-19, 2020 merged with Mohun Bagan SG
AU Rajasthan FC Jaipur, Rajasthan 1 2020 R-League A Division
BEML FC Karnataka 2 2010, 2011 Defunct
Bengal Mumbai FC Mumbai, Maharashtra 1 2009 Defunct
Bengaluru FC (R) Bengaluru, Karnataka 4 2017-18, 2018–19, 2020, 2022-23 Bangalore Football League
Bhawanipore FC Bhawanipore, West Bengal 4 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020 Calcutta Football League
BLG Diamond Rock Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh 1 2022-23
Chennaiyin FC (R) Chennai, Tamilnadu 4 2017-18, 2018–19, 2020, 2022-23
Chandni FC Calicut, Kerala 4 2008 to 2011 Kozhikode District League
Chanmari FC Aizawl, Mizoram 1 2015 Mizoram Premier League
Chhinga Veng FC Aizawl, Mizoram 1 2018-19 Mizoram Premier League
Corbett FC Rudrapur, Uttarakhand 1 2021
Delhi Dynamos (R) 1 2017-18 rebranded as Odisha FC
Delhi FC New Delhi, Delhi 2 2021, 2022–23 I-League
Delhi United FC Delhi 3 2013, 2016–17, 2017–18 DSA Senior Division
Dempo SC Panjim, Goa 2 2015-16, 2022–23 Goa Professional League
Downtown Heroes FC Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 1 2022-23
Denzong Boys FC Gangtok, Sikkim 2 2010, 2011 Defunct
DSK Shivajians Pune, Maharashtra 1 2013 Defunct
Eagles FC Kochi, Kerala 4 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 defunct
East Bengal (R) Kolkata, West Bengal 1 2022-23
Fateh Hyderabad Hyderabad, Telangana 4 2015-16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018-19 Telangana Rahim League
FC Bengaluru United Bengaluru, Karnataka 3 2020, 2021, 2022–23
FC Goa (R) Goa 4 2017-18, 2018–19, 2020, 2022-23
FC Green Valley Guwahati, Assam 3 2012, 2013, 2014 Assam State Premier League
FC Kerala Thrissur, Kerala 2 2017-18, 2020 Kerala Premier League
FC Pune City (R) Pune, Maharashtra 1 2017-18 defunct
Garhwal FC Delhi 2 2014, 2020 DSA Senior Division
Gangtok Himalayan S.C. Gangtok, Sikkim 1 2015-16 Sikkim Premier Division League
Gauhati Town Club Guwahati, Assam 3 2010, 2011, 2012 Youth League
George Telegraph S.C. Kolkata, West Bengal 2 2009, 2013 Calcutta Football League
Golden Threads FC Kochi, Kerala 4 2010, 2011, 2012, 2022–23 Kerala Premier League
Guwahati FC Guwahati, Assam 1 2015-16 Youth League
HAL Bangalore, Karnataka 2 2008, 2010 Bangalore Super Division
Happy Entertainment Tamilnadu Defunct
Hindustan FC Delhi 7 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 DSA Senior Division
Hyderabad FC (R) Hyderabad, Telangana 2 2020, 2022–23
Indian Bank Recreational Club Chennai, Tamilnadu 1 2008 Chennai Football League
Indian National FC Delhi 1 2010 DSA Senior Division
Jamshedpur (R) Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 3 2017-18, 2018–19, 2020
Jagat Singh Palahi Punjab 1 2022-23
JCB Bhilai Brothers FC Bhilai, Chhattisgarh 1 2010 Defunct
Josco FC Ernakulam, Kerala 2 2011, 2013 Defunct
Kenkre FC Mumbai, Maharashtra 8 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2021
Kerala Blasters (R) Kochi, Kerala 3 2017-18, 2018–19, 2020
Kerala United FC Malappuram, Kerala 2 2012, 2021
Kalighat Milan Sangha FC Kalighat, West Bengal 3 2012, 2013, 2014 Calcutta Football League
KGF Academy Karnataka 2 2012, 2013 Bangalore Super Division
Kohima Komets Kohima, Nagaland 1 2013 Nagaland Premier League
Langsning SC Shillong, Meghalaya 4 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017–18 Shillong Premier League
Lonestar Kashmir FC Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 6 2015, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020 JKFA Professional League
Luangmual FC Aizawl, Mizoram 2 2012, 2013 Defunct
Madhya Bharat SC Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 1 2017-18 Defunct
Madan Maharaj FC Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 1 2021
Malabar United FC Kerala 3 2009, 2010, 2011 Defunct
Minerva Punjab Jalandhar, Punjab 2 2015-16, 2020 I-League
Mohammedan SC Kolkata, West Bengal 10 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020 I-league
MP United FC Indore, Madhya Pradesh 1 2014 Defunct
Mumbai Mumbai, Maharashtra 1 2008 Defunct
Mumbai City (R) Mumbai, Maharashtra 2 2020, 2022–23
Mumbai Tigers FC Mumbai, Maharashtra 1 2013 Defunct
Mumbai United AC Maharashtra 1 2010 Mumbai Football League
NEROCA FC Manipur 2 2015-16, 2016–17 I-league
New Delhi Heroes FC Delhi 3 2008, 2009, 2010 Football Delhi Senior Division League
North Imphal Sporting Association Manipur 2 2010, 2011 Manipur State League
Oil India FC Assam 3 2008, 2009, 2010
ONGC Maharashtra 3 2008, 2009, 2010 Mumbai Football League
Ozone FC Karnataka 3 2016-17, 2017–18, 2018–19 Bangalore Super Division
PIFA Sports Maharashtra 6 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2015–16 Mumbai Football League
Pride Sports FC Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh 1 2016-17 Defunct
Pune Maharashtra 2 2008, 2009 Defunct
Rainbow AC New Barrackpore, West Bengal 1 2018-19 Calcutta Football League
Rajasthan United Jaipur, Rajasthan 1 2021 I-League
Rangdajied United Shillong, Meghalaya 4 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Shillong Premier League
Real Kashmir FC Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 2 2016–17, 2017–18 I-League
RKM Football Academy Narayananpur, Chhattisgarh 1 2022-23
Royal Wahingdoh Shillong, Meghalaya 4 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Defunct
Ryntih FC Shillong, Meghalaya 1 2021
Salgaocar Goa 1 2009 Goa Professional League
Samaleswari SC Odisha 2 2012, 2013
SBI Kerala Trivandrum, Kerala 2 2008, 2010 Defunct
Sesa Football Academy Sanquelim, Goa 4 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Goa Professional League
Shillong Lajong Shillong, Meghalaya 3 2009, 2011, 2022–23 I-League
Simla Youngs FC Delhi 5 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Football Delhi Senior Division League
Southern Samity Lake Gardens, West Bengal 4 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016–17 Calcutta Football League
South United FC Bengaluru, Karnataka 2 2013, 2018–19 Bangalore Super Division
Sporting Clube de Goa Panaji, Goa 1 2011 Goa Professional League
Sudeva Delhi Delhi 1 2016-17
Techno Aryan Kolkata, West Bengal 3 2011, 2012, 2013 Calcutta Football League
Techtro Swades United FC Una, Himachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh 1 2022-23
Titanium FC Trivandrum, Kerala 2 2009, 2010 Defunct
TRAU FC Imphal, Manipur 2 2017-18 to 2018-19 I-League
United Chirang Duar Chirang district, Assam 1 2022-23 Assam State Premier League
United SC Kolkata, West Bengal 3 2008, 2015, 2022–23 Calcutta Premier Division B
United Sikkim Gangtok, Sikkim 3 2011, 2012, 2014 Sikkim Premier Division League
Vasco Vasco da Gama, Goa 4 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 Goa Professional League
Viva Kerala Kochi, Kerala 1 2009 Defunct

Clubs promoted/relegated to I-League 2

Promoted clubs from I-League 3 to I-League 2
Season Clubs
2023–24 2023–24 I-League 3 Champions, 2nd & 3rd placed teams
Relegated clubs from I-League to I-League 2
Season Clubs
2007–08 Viva Kerala, Salgaocar
2008–09 Mohammedan, Vasco
2009–10 Sporting Clube de Goa, Shillong Lajong
2010–11 JCT, ONGC
2011–12 Viva Kerala, HAL
2012–13 Air India, United Sikkim
2013–14 Mohammedan
2014–15 Dempo
2015–16 None[lower-alpha 2]
2016–17 Mumbai
2017–18 None[lower-alpha 3]
2018–19 Shillong Lajong
2019–20 None[lower-alpha 4]
2020–21 None[lower-alpha 5]
2021–22 None[lower-alpha 6]
2022–23 Kenkre FC, Sudeva Delhi FC
  1. Participation via an invitation
  2. Aizawl FC were relegated, but reinstated to I-League due to withdrawal of 3 Goan clubs.[13]
  3. Churchill Brothers S.C. were relegated, but reinstated to I-League after the appeal.[14]
  4. Aizawl FC were relegated, but reinstated to I-League after inclusion of two I-League clubs to Indian Super League
  5. NEROCA FC were relegated but were reinstated by AIFF after viewing the situation of COVID-19 pandemic in India.[15]
  6. Mumbai Kenkre FC were relegated but were reinstated after the closure of the Indian Arrows project.[16]

Clubs promoted/relegated from I-League 2

Promoted clubs from I-League 2 to I-League
Season Clubs
2008 Mumbai FC, Mohammedan, United SC, Vasco SC
2009 Salgaocar, Viva Kerala, Shillong Lajong, Pune
2010 ONGC, HAL
2011 Shillong Lajong, Sporting Clube de Goa
2012 ONGC, United Sikkim
2013 Rangdajied United, Mohammedan
2014 Royal Wahingdoh
2015 Aizawl
2015–16 Dempo
2016–17 NEROCA
2017–18 Real Kashmir
2018–19 TRAU
2020 Mohammedan
2021 Rajasthan United, Kenkre
2022-23 Shillong Lajong, Delhi FC
Relegated clubs from I-League 2 to I-League 3
Season Clubs
2023–24 2023–24 I-League 2 bottom table clubs (TBA)

Champions

Performance by clubs

ClubTitlesRunners-upThird placeWinning seasonsRunners-up seasonsThird place seasons
ONGC 2 0 0 2010, 2012
Mohammedan 1 2 1 2020 2008, 2013 2012
Shillong Lajong 1 1 1 2011 2022–23 2009
NEROCA 1 0 1 2016–17 2015–16
Delhi FC 1 0 1 2022–23 2021
Mumbai FC 1 0 0 2008
Salgaocar FC 1 0 0 2009
Rangdajied United 1 0 0 2013
Royal Wahingdoh 1 0 0 2014
Aizawl 1 0 0 2015
Dempo 1 0 0 2015–16
Real Kashmir 1 0 0 2017–18
TRAU 1 0 0 2018–19
Rajasthan United 1 0 0 2021
Bhawanipore 0 2 1 2014, 2020 2013
Viva Kerala 0 1 0 2009
HAL 0 1 0 2010
Sporting Goa 0 1 0 2011
United Sikkim 0 1 0 2012
Lonestar Kashmir 0 1 0 2015
Minerva Punjab 0 1 0 2015–16
Southern Samity 0 1 0 2016–17
Hindustan FC 0 1 0 2017–18
Chhinga Veng 0 1 0 2018–19
Kenkre 0 1 0 2021
Vasco 0 0 2 2010, 2011
Ozone FC 0 0 2 2017–18, 2018–19
United SC 0 0 1 2008
Kalighat MS 0 0 1 2014
Chanmari 0 0 1 2015
Delhi United 0 0 1 2016–17
Bengaluru United 0 0 1 2020
Ambernath United Atlanta 0 0 1 2022–23

Sponsorship & media coverage

Sponsorship

From 2008 to 2011 the league was sponsored by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and was named the ONGC I-League 2nd Division. ONGC was also the title sponsor of the I-League. In October 2011 ONGC was dropped as a sponsor.

Period Sponsor Tournament
2008—2011 ONGC ONGC I-League 2nd Division
2011—2017 I-League 2nd Division
2017—2023 Hero MotoCorp Hero I-League 2nd Division / I-League Qualifiers (2020)

Broadcasters

Period TV telecast Online streaming
2007–2010 Zee Sports
2010–2017 Ten Action, Ten Sports DittoTV
2017–2019 JioTV
2019–2022 1Sports Facebook, JioTV
2022– YouTube

Winning coaches

Head coach Club Wins Winning years
India L. Nandakumar Singh Royal Wahingdoh, TRAU 2 2014, 2018–19
England Dave Booth Mumbai 1 2008
India Peter Vales Salgaocar 2009
India Caetano Pinho ONGC 2010
Scotland Pradyum Reddy Shillong Lajong 2011
Belgium Philippe De Ridder United Sikkim 2012–13
India Karsing Kurbah Rangdajied United 2013–14
India Hmingthana Zadeng Aizawl 2014–15
India Mauricio Afonso Dempo 2015–16
India Gift Raikhan NEROCA 2016–17
Scotland David Robertson Real Kashmir 2017–18
India Yan Law
(sacked midway)
Mohammedan SC 2020
India Vikrant Sharma Rajasthan United 2021
India Surinder Singh Delhi FC 2022-23

Top scorers

Season Top scorer Club Goals
2008 Nigeria Fredrick Okwagbe HAL 6
2009 Nigeria Badmus Babatunde Viva Kerala 6
2010 Nigeria Badmus Babatunde ONGC 4
India Joy Ferrao Vasco
2011 Nigeria Stanley Okoroigwe Techno Aryan 6
2012 Nigeria Daniel Bedemi United Sikkim 11
2013 Nigeria Badmus Babatunde Rangdajied United 8
Brazil Hudson Lima Da Silva Bhawanipore
2014 Nigeria Daniel Bedemi Bhawanipore 8
2015 India Ajay Singh Mohammedan 11
2015–16 Nigeria Felix Chidi Odili Dempo 7
India Atinder Mani Lonestar Kashmir
2016–17 Nigeria Odafa Okolie Southern Samity 9
Nigeria Felix Chidi Odili NEROCA
2017–18 Brazil Robert de Souza Ribiero Ozone 10
2018–19 Ghana Phillip Adjah Mohammedan 10
Nigeria Princewill Emeka TRAU
2020 India Syed Shoaib Ahmed ARA 7
Nigeria Ekombong Victor Philip Garhwal
2021 India Anwar Ali Jr. Delhi FC 4
2022–23 India Irfan Yadwad Bengaluru United 13

Awards

Prize money

As updated on 19 May 2023:

Champions 70 lakhs
Runners-up 50 lakhs
Match winner 50,000
Hero of the match 20,000

See also

References

  1. "Hero I-League Qualifiers". www.the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  2. Mergulhao, Marcus (27 September 2022). "AIFF set to ban foreign players from lower leagues". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Panaji, Goa. TNN. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. "Shillong Lajong return to Hero I-League after four years". the-aiff.com. New Delhi: All India Football Federation. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  4. Ganapathy, Vivek (21 May 2022). "Shillong Lajong Promoted to I-League After Four Years With 2–1 Win Over Bengaluru United". news18.com. New Delhi: News18 Sports. Press Trust of India. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  5. I-League 2nd Division 2016-17 Archived 6 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine kolkatafootball.com. Retrieved 6 August 2021
  6. "Hero I-League Qualifier 2020 to get underway on October 8 | Hero I-League". Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  7. "AIFF League Committee meeting chaired online by Lalnghinglova Hmar". www.the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  8. Abhishek Jain (26 August 2015). "Change in format for I-League 2nd division". Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  9. "Hero I-League | Football Calendar Will be Bolstered with Second Division League Qualifiers". Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  10. "AIFF LEAGUE COMMITTEE MEETS AT FOOTBALL HOUSE". 19 February 2018. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  11. "LEAGUE COMMITTEE MEETS AT AIFF HQ IN NEW DELHI". AIFF. 7 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  12. "AIFF League Committee meeting chaired online by Lalnghinglova Hmar". Archived from the original on 16 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  13. "I-League 2016/17: Aizawl FC reinstated after getting relegated last season, Salgaocar FC opt out". sportskeeda.com. 26 September 2016. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  14. "AIFF reinstates Churchill Brothers in I-League". The Times of India. 20 September 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  15. "AIFF likely to keep relegation on hold in I-League". The Times of India. 29 April 2021. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  16. "AIFF set to ban foreign players from lower leagues". twitter.com. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
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