Celebrating Bengaluru F.C.: The Newest I-League Club

The latest silverware in Bengaluru FC's trophy cabinet is the Federation Cup which they won last week, beating Goan side Dempo. A club which is barely a year-and-a-half old won the annual tournament in their debut attempt.

This in fact, is not the only first that the Blues have achieved, they also won the I-League title last year in their debut season. And by the looks of it, the Indian domestic champions are not done yet.

"Despite winning two tournaments in one-and-a-half years, we are very humble. The team is hungry and wants to achieve more," said Sunil Chhetri, the skipper of the side, to NDTV.

Another reason being attributed to BFC's success is their coach Ashley Westwood. Under him the club has set new benchmarks in Indian football.

The former Manchester United youth star is known for his tactical knowledge and objective approach, that also saw him drop his team's star player Sunil Chhetri at the beginning of the season.

A move no other coach in Indian football would dared to make. But Chhetri holds no grudges, instead only has high praise for his coach.

"I was actually shocked first and very sad. I had questions in my mind but then the coach explained why he dropped me. As much as I was shocked, I was also happy that he came to me straight and told me on my face what all I had to do. And I went back to training, worked hard and earned my place back."

Chhetri isn't the only one working hard in Bengaluru, the fans too come out in full force for every single home game. The team has the distinction of always playing in front of  large crowds, something that no other I-League club can boast of.

Another star player in the team, Robin Singh became a nationwide trend on Twitter soon after he scored the winning goal in the final of the Federation Cup. Another sign of the massive popularity that  Bengaluru FC enjoys amid football fans in the country.

The fact that the team from the south of India has managed to soar on the popularity charts in just its second year in Indian football makes the achievement even more special.

That's not all, the club also has an online store where they sell the official team merchandise, one of the few  I-league clubs in the country to do so.

Clearly, Bengaluru FC have devised the perfect strategy to succeed both on and off the field.