Bengaluru FC (women)
| Full name | Bengaluru Football Club Women (ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಕಾಲ್ಚೆಂಡು ಕ್ಲಬ್ ಹೆಂಗಸರು) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Blues (ಬ್ಲೂಸ್) | ||
| Short name | BFC women | ||
| Founded | 17 September 2021[1] | ||
| Ground | Bangalore Football Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 8,400[2] | ||
| Owner | JSW Sports | ||
| CEO | Sajjan Jindal | ||
| Head coach | Sandeep Singh | ||
| League | Karnataka Women's League | ||
| 2025–26 | 6th | ||
|
| |||
Bengaluru Football Club Women ([ˈbeŋɡəɭuːɾu] ⓘ; Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು.ಎಫ್.ಸಿ) commonly referred to as BFC Women, is a women's professional football club based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The club competes in Karnataka Women's League, the third-tier women's football league in India.
The club is owned and operated by JSW Sports and its CEO is Sajjan Jindal.[3][4] After seven years of successful establishment and operations of the men's team, Bengaluru FC, the club commenced its women's team operations in 2021.[1]
History
Background
In early 2013, JSW Group, which had previously considered forming a football club in Bengaluru, India, was interested in bidding for a spot in the I-League and on 15th May, The All India Football Federation (AIFF) received a bid from the group.[5][6] Two months later, on 28 May 2013, it was officially announced JSW Group had won the rights to form a direct-entry men's team for the 2013–14 I-League season in Bengaluru, Bengaluru FC.[7] On 20 July, JSW Group officially established the club as "Bengaluru Football Club" at the Bangalore Football Stadium, which had been announced as the men's home stadium for the upcoming season.[4]
Inception
Since its establishment of men's team, club has shown some support for, for example by wearing pink jerseys, worn by the men's team on International Women's Day in support of women.[8] In May 2019, the club had also organised women's 5-a-side tournament as part of the AFC Grassroots Festival involving eight teams across the city.[9] Later on 21 November 2019, the club facilitated a week-long trial for Indian women's national team's striker Bala Devi Ngangom, with Rangers W.F.C.[10] Karnataka Women's League was also established in 2019, thus supporting the discussions for the formation of a women's side of the club.[11]
Seven years later, on 17 September 2021, the club officially announced the formation of its women's team. Beginning with under-11, under-13 and under-15 girls' squads, the club decided to gradually build the foundation for a senior team that would take shape in due course, as per the then club's CEO, Mandar Tamhane.[1]
2021–2023: Karnataka Women's A Division
On 15 February 2022, Bengaluru FC Women with their under-15 squad, kicked-off their debut campaign at the KSFA Women's A Division league, the second tier of women's football in Karnataka. The debut match ended in a 2-0 defeat for the Blues against Modern Girls.[12][13] Two days later on 17th February in the club's second league game, the Blues registered a historic first victory with a thumping 10-0 win over against GRK Girls FC. Shloka Krishna became the first goalscorer for the team.[14]
They eventually ended their season with 11 points on the table and finished in fourth place.[15] Tanvi Nair was adjuded as U15 Girls' Academy player of the year on 30 May 2022, for her performance in the season.[16] In the following season, the Blues registered five consecutive wins in the league and on 11 June 2023, a 7-0 victory over Young Stars FC led to the club's maiden title. It also sealed the promotion to Karnataka Women's League, the top tier league of Karnataka and the third tier in India.[17]
2023–present: Karnataka Women's League
Upon promotion to Karnataka Women's League (KWL) in the 2023-24 season, the Blues registered their first win in the league against Rebels Women's FC on 18 September 2023. With Chinmayi Tili becoming the first goalscorer for the club in a 2-0 win at the state's top division.[18] With 21 local players in a squad with an average age of 15 years, the Blues eventually finished eigth.[19] Later in March 2024, Rheanna Jacob became the first player from the club to score for the Indian U-20 national team in any age category, against Nepal at the 2024 SAFF U-20 Championship.[20]
The Blues began their second season in KWL with four wins in three games, but a late goal in their fifth encounter against Pass FC resullted in four defeats. They eventually finished sixth on the table with sixteen points.[21] The 2025-26 season also saw the BFC Women finish sixth with thirteen points.[22]
Stadium
Like its Reserve and Academy counterpart, the women's team plays its games at the Bangalore Football Stadium (BFS),[23] a football specific stadium with 8,400 seating capacity, located in Ashok Nagar in Bengaluru.[24]
Crest and colours
The Bengaluru FC women's team carries the same home colours as men's team; the crest features the Bangalore Palace in white to symbolize the victory of the Wodeyars, who won the palace back.[25] In the middle of the crest, a blue Gandaberunda, a mythical two-headed bird.[25] The Gandaberunda is taken from the emblem of Karnataka.[25]
On 24 January 2015, Bengaluru revealed Eddie the Eagle as its official mascot.[26]
The club colour is blue; it is often known by the nickname "The Blues".[27]
Players
First-team squad
- As of 28 July 2025[28]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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|
Club officials
- As of 28 February 2026
| Role | Name | Refs. |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Sandeep Singh | [28] |
| Manager | Prarthana Sengupta | [29] |
| Psychologist | Liyaan Akkalkotkar |
Season by season record
| Season | Division | Tier | Performance | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Pos | |||
| 2021–22 | Karnataka Women's A Division | 4th | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 13 | 4th |
| 2022–23 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 5 | +39 | 28 | 1st | ||
| 2023–24 | Karnataka Women's League | 3rd | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 16 | -1 | 13 | 6th |
| 2024–25 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 16 | 6th | ||
Honours
| Type | Competition | Titles | Seasons participated |
|---|---|---|---|
| State | Karnataka Women's League | 0 | 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26 |
| Karnataka Women's A Division League | 1 | 2021–22, 2023–24 |
- Bold indicates champions of the season
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Bengaluru FC announce entry into women's football: Club To Start With Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15 Teams, With Trials Set For September 25". Bengaluru FC Official Website. Bengaluru FC Media. 17 September 2021. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ Munjunath, Akash. "Bengaluru FC's Home Support: Their 12th man!". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ Sharma, Akash (25 December 2016). "Bengaluru FC: In a league of its own". LiveMint. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- ^ a b "JSW Sports launches Bengaluru FC". I-League. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ Biju Babu Cyriac (8 March 2013). "I-League: Jindal Group back in talks". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ "AIFF receives three bid documents for new I-League Clubs". www.the-aiff.com. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ Rakhi Mazumdar. "JSW bags franchisee rights for Bangalore team in I-league, group forays into football". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ @bengalurufc (8 March 2017). "In our hearts, on our minds and on our sleeves. Today and every day, @bengalurufc celebrates the women in our lives" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @bengalurufc (24 May 2019). "We're hosting a Women's 5-a-side tournament as part of Day Three of the AFC Grassroots Festival, on Saturday!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Bala Devi begins Rangers FC trial". BengaluruFC.com. 21 November 2019. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ^ Madigan, Grace (12 September 2019). "How Karnataka's first women's football league is picking new talent". Citizen Matters, Bengaluru. bengaluru.citizenmatters.in. Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "BFC U15 Girls go down to Modern Girls FC". Bengaluru FC Official Website. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ^ @bengalurufc (15 February 2022). "It ends in defeat for the BFC U15 Girls against Modern Girls FC in their KSFA Women's A Division League debut" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Media, Bengaluru FC (17 February 2022). "BFC U15 Girls run riot at the BFS". Bengaluru FC Official Website. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ^ Media, Bengaluru FC (9 March 2022). "BFC U15 Girls draw against Roots FS". Bengaluru FC Official Website. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
- ^ @bengalurufc (30 May 2022). "In a historic first, Tanvi Nair is the Player of the Year for our first ever girls' team, picking up the accolade for her performances with the BFC U15 Girls in the KSFA Women's A Division League" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "BFC, Kemp crowned A & B division champions". The Times of India. 11 June 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ @bengalurufc (18 September 2023). "BFC Women registered their first win in the KWL!" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ @bengalurufc (9 November 2023). "Our girls finished 8th with the youngest squad in the competition, and maximum local representation" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ @bengalurufc (7 March 2024). "𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐂! 𝐑𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 becomes the st ever #BFCWomen's team player to score for the National Team in any age category" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ "The Karnataka Women's League 2024-25 final standings are here and this competitive season showcased the rising talent in women's football". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "Karnataka Women's League". The Away End. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ^ "Defending Champions Bengaluru FC all set for BDFA Super Division League". BengaluruFC.com. 12 November 2019. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ "Bangalore Football Stadium – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "The club crest decoded: Everything BFC stands for". Bengaluru FC (Facebook). Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ "The big signing we told you about has just walked the field – Eddie the eagle! BFC now has a new mascot, people! #BFCvDEM". 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2015 – via Twitter.
- ^ Neel Shelat (17 December 2020). "Odisha FC 1–2 Bengaluru FC: Report, Ratings & Reaction as the Blues Battle Their Way Past Odisha". Sportslens.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ a b @bengalurufc (28 July 2025). "Led by Head Coach Sandeep Singh, here are the #BFCWomen who will take part in the 2025-26 Karnataka Women's League campaign" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ "Prarthana Sengupta's LinkedIn profile". LinkedIn.