Sushil Bhattacharya
Sushil Bhattacharya (1924 – 18 July 2015) was an Indian football player and coach. He was the first manager of the India women's national football team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | Bagdogra, Bengal Presidency, British India | ||
| Date of death | 18 July 2015 (aged 90) | ||
| Place of death | Kolkata, India | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Town Club | |||
| Vidyasagar College | |||
| Sporting Union | |||
| 1945–1949 | East Bengal | ||
| Eastern Railway | |||
| 1951 | → East Bengal (loan) | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| East Bengal | |||
| India women | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Playing career
Born in Bagdogra, Bhattacharya began his playing career with Town Club in Baharampur, representing them in the IFA Shield.[1] He then played for Vidyasagar College and Sporting Union, before signing for East Bengal in 1945.[1] With East Bengal he won the Calcutta League and IFA Shield, and earned a call-up to the national team in 1946.[1] He moved to Eastern Railway in 1949, returning briefly to East Bengal on loan in 1951, for the Durand Cup.[1]
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Bhattacharya began his coaching career with Eastern Railway, as an assistant coach.[1] He later became the first-ever professional coach of East Bengal.[1] He won the IFA Shield and Calcutta League with East Bengal in 1961.[2] In 1975, he came the first-ever manager of the Bengal women's team, and the first-ever manager of the newly formed India women's national football team.[1][2]
References
- Atanu Mitra (19 July 2015). "egendary Indian coach Sushil Bhattacharya passes away". Goal.com. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- Arunava Chaudhuri (21 July 2015). "India's first women's football national team coach Sushil Bhattacharya passed away". Sports Keeda. Retrieved 22 July 2015.