India - List of Mumbai (Bombay) League Champions

The Bombay League, also known as the Harwood League, first began in 1902. The earliest editions were organised by Colonel J.G. Harwood (RAMC), who was also the founding president of the Western India Football Association (W.I.F.A.) founded in September 1902; however, this association dissolved and the Harwood league and Rovers tournament were organized by separate committees until 1911, when a second incarnation of the W.I.F.A. (with the same name) was formed to govern football in the region. Some modern sources suggest that the league only became named after Col. Harwood in later years, but newspaper reports from the period indicate otherwise; the league was referred to in the majority of reports as "The Harwood League" even from its first edition in 1902. As with all competitions in colonial India, the league was dominated by British army regimental teams in its first few decades. The first native Indian team to win the league was the Western India Automobile Association Staff team, in 1942.

In later years disputes developed between competing associations attempting to organise competitions in the Bombay region, and during the 1990s there were two competing leagues, only one of which retained the Harwood League name; the major clubs gravitated towards the other more prestigious league (further information is below). The two rival leagues were reunited in 2000.

Bombay was renamed Mumbai in 1996.


The Harwood League


Year    Winners
1902    Oxfordshire Light Infantry
1903    Royal Garrison Artillery
1904    Cheshire Regiment
1905    Yorkshire Regiment
1906    Royal Scots
1907    Royal Scots
1908    Royal Scots
1909    Gloucestershire Regiment
1910    Royal Garrison Artillery
1911    Royal Warwickshire Regiment
1912    Royal Army Temperance Association
1913    Sherwood Foresters
1914    Sherwood Foresters
1915    Royal Garrison Artillery
1916-20 [not held]
1921    King's Shropshire Light Infantry
1922    King's Shropshire Light Infantry
1923    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
1924    West Yorkshire Regiment
1925    West Yorkshire Regiment
1926    South Staffordshire Regiment
1927    Cheshire Regiment
1928    Royal Ulster Rifles
1929    Royal Warwickshire Regiment
1930    Duke of Wellington's Regiment
1931    Duke of Wellington's Regiment
1932    King's Own Scottish Borderers
1933    Royal Irish Fusiliers
1934    Royal Artillery (Colaba)
1935    Durham Light Infantry
1936    Durham Light Infantry
1937    Cheshire Regiment
1938    Cheshire Regiment
1939    South Lancashire Regiment
1940    Welch Regiment
1941    Y.M.C.A.
1942    Western India Automobile Association Staff
1943    Western India Automobile Association Staff
1944    Embarkation Headquarters
1945    Tata Sports Club
1946    Trades India Sports Club
1947    Trades India Sports Club
1948    Tata Sports Club
1949    Trades India Sports Club
1950    Tata Sports Club
1951    India Culture League
1952    India Culture League
1953    Tata Sports Club
1954    Indian Navy
1955    [abandonded]
1956    Burmah-Shell Sports Club
1957    Indian Navy
1958    Tata Sports Club
1959    Western Railway
1960    Tata Sports Club
1961    Tata Sports Club
1962    Western Railway
1963    Central Railway
1964    Tata Sports Club
1965    Central Railway
1966    Tata Sports Club
1967    Tata Sports Club
1968    Mafatlal Group
1969    Mafatlal Group
1970    Mahindra & Mahindra
1971    Mafatlal Group
1972    Mafatlal Group
1973    Tata Sports Club
1974/75 Tata Sports Club
1975/76 Mafatlal Group
1976    Mafatlal Group
1977    Orkay Mills
1978/79 Mafatlal Group
1979    Tata Sports Club
1980    Orkay Mills
1981    Century Rayon
1982    Mahindra & Mahindra
1983    Mafatlal Mills
1984    Mahindra & Mahindra
1985    Mahindra & Mahindra
1986    Bank of India
1987    Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (RCF)
1988    Orkay Mills
1989    Union Bank

From 1990-1999, two separate leagues ran in competition to each other. One league was organised by the Bombay District Football Association (B.D.F.A., later renamed M.D.F.A. when Bombay was renamed Mumbai), and the other league was organised by the W.I.F.A. The B.D.F.A. league retained the right to use the name "Harwood League". Over the next few years, the best teams migrated to the W.I.F.A. league.

B.D.F.A. / M.D.F.A. League (The Harwood League)

Year    Winners
1990    Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (RCF)
1991    United Boys (Sahar)
1992    Central Railway
1993    Oil & Natural Gas Commission (ONGC)
1994    Carmelites
1995    Central Railway
1996    Royal Caterers
1997    [abandoned]
1998    Village Amboli
1999    unknown *

* the 1999 winner was either Holy Family, Chembur English, or Rhino.

W.I.F.A. League, Super Division

Year    Winners                 League Sponsor
1990    Bank of India           Four Square Special (cigarettes)
1991    Central Bank            Four Square Special (cigarettes)
1992    Air India               Thums Up (cola)
1993    Bank of India           Air India
1994    Air India               Thums Up (cola)
1995    Mahindra & Mahindra     Lotto (shoes)
1996    Air India
1997    Air India               Gulf Oil
1998    Bengal Mumbai FC        Gulf Oil
1999    Air India               Gulf Oil

In 2000 the two leagues merged when the M.D.F.A. and the W.I.F.A. resolved their various disputes. The resultant league has since been run by the M.D.F.A. (affiliated to the W.I.F.A.), with the restored title of The Harwood League.

The Harwood League / Mumbai Football League Elite Division

Year    Winners
2000    Mahindra United
2001/02 Mahindra United
2002    Mahindra United
2003    Mahindra United
2004    Mahindra United
2005    Maharashtra State Police
2006/07 Mahindra United
2007/08 Mahindra United
2008/09 Mahindra United
2009/10 Air India
2010/11 Mumbai FC
2011/12 Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 
2012/13   not held
2013/14 Air India
2014/15 Air India
2015/16 Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 
2016/17 Air India
2017/18 Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 
2018/19 Mumbai Customs  
2019/20 Karmatak Sporting Association
2020/21   cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic  

1902 Harwood League - full results

Final Table:
 1. Oxfords          12 10  2  0 47- 5 22  [Oxfordshire Light Infantry]
 2. R.G.A.           12  9  3  0 44- 2 21  [Royal Garrison Artillery]
 3. Bombay Rovers    12  6  3  3 24-18 15
 4. Bombay Gymkhana  11  3  3  5 16-21  9
 5. Telegraph Club   11  2  2  7  9-29  6  [Government Telegraph Recreation Club]
 6. B.V.A.           10  2  0  8 10-35  4  [Bombay Volunteer Artillery]
 7. H.M.S. Magdala   12  1  1 10  8-48  3

Results:
19-6-1902 Gymkhana  3-1 Telegraph
20-6-1902 B.V.A.    3-1 Magdala
23-6-1902 Oxfords   4-1 Gymkhana
24-6-1902 Gymkhana  2-2 Magdala
25-6-1902 Rovers    1-0 Telegraph
 1-7-1902 Oxfords   3-1 B.V.A.
 2-7-1902 R.G.A.    6-0 Magdala
 2-7-1902 Rovers    1-1 Gymkhana
 4-7-1902 R.G.A.    7-0 Telegraph
 7-7-1902 Oxfords   3-1 Gymkhana
 9-7-1902 R.G.A.    1-1 Rovers
11-7-1902 R.G.A.    4-1 B.V.A.
14-7-1902 Oxfords   6-0 Magdala
15-7-1902 R.G.A.    6-0 Gymkhana
17-7-1902 Telegraph 4-0 B.V.A.
19-7-1902 Rovers    6-1 Magdala
22-7-1902 Gymkhana  2-0 B.V.A.
23-7-1902 Oxfords   4-2 Rovers
24-7-1902 R.G.A.    4-0 Telegraph
27-7-1902 Gymkhana  1-1 Telegraph
28-7-1902 Oxfords   6-0 Magdala
29-7-1902 Gymkhana  5-0 Magdala
29-7-1902 R.G.A.    3-0 B.V.A.
30-7-1902 Rovers    1-1 Telegraph
 1-8-1902 R.G.A.    5-0 Rovers
 2-8-1902 Telegraph 2-1 Magdala
 4-8-1902 Oxfords   8-0 B.V.A.
 5-8-1902 R.G.A.    2-0 Gymkhana
 6-8-1902 R.G.A.    6-0 Magdala
 6-8-1902 Rovers    5-1 B.V.A.
 7-8-1902 Oxfords   5-0 Telegraph
11-8-1902 Oxfords   3-0 Rovers
13-8-1902 Rovers    1-0 Gymkhana
14-8-1902 Magdala   1-0 Telegraph
15-8-1902 R.G.A.    0-0 Oxfords
15-8-1902 B.V.A.     -  Telegraph  [apparently not played]
19-8-1902 B.V.A.    3-2 Magdala
20-8-1902 Rovers    3-0 Magdala
23-8-1902 R.G.A.    0-0 Oxfords
27-8-1902 Rovers    3-1 B.V.A.
28-8-1902 Oxfords   5-0 Telegraph
??-8-1902 B.V.A.     -  Gymkhana   [apparently not played]

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Neil Morrison for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Neil Morrison
Last updated: 26 Jan 2021

(C) Copyright Neil Morrison and RSSSF 2012/21
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All rights reserved.