Bengaluru FC are an Indian professional football club based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. They compete in the Indian Super League. The club was established in July 2013 and made their footballing debut in September 2013 in the I-League. They won the league title in their debut season under Ashley Westwood. They now compete in the ISL - Indian Super League and are the current champions of the 2018/19 ISL. 

Formation

In May 2013, it was officially announced that JSW has won the bid to form a club based in Bengaluru for the 2013/14 I-League season. Two months later, the club was formed officially as "Bengaluru FC". Bengaluru were safe from relegation for three-season as they had a no-relegation clause. Bangalore football stadium was named as their home stadium for the first season. Bengaluru FC’s Soccer Schools were formed as the club looked to develop kids at the grassroots level so they can be inducted into BFC Youth Academies. 

Ashley Westwood era (2013-2016)

The club's first signing was midfielder Thoi Singh from Mumbai Tigers. They also brought two foreigners, John Johnson & Curtis Osano. Former Blackburn manager Ashley Westwood was named as their first-ever manager. Bengaluru also signed Sunil Chhetri from Sporting CP B. Training methods used at European clubs were adopted and the Blues soon had the aid of GPS devices and heart-rate monitors to compare each player’s data on a day-to-day basis. This proved that the club was built on professionalism and had high standards.

The club played its first-ever game against the Indian National Team in a 1-1 draw as the national team was preparing for the SAFF Cup. On 22nd September 2013, the Blues played their first official game in the I-League against Mohun Bagan. The game ended 1-1 with Sean Rooney scoring Bengaluru's first-ever official goal. They won their first game against Rangdajied United by 3-0 at their home. In April 2014, the Blues defeated Dempo 4-2 at Fatorda to claim their first-ever league trophy in their debut season. Sunil Chhetri finished the season as the league's top-scorer. Westwood led Bengaluru to the I-League title in the debut season – an outstanding achievement considering the club were not taken seriously at the start of the season. The squad looked far from worthy title contenders on paper. Their squad was called a "team of rejects" as they signed some out of favor players. 

In the 2014/15 season, defending champions Bengaluru could've retained the title as they drew Mohun Bagan 1-1 in their last game. But the Blues managed to win their first-ever Federation Cup by beating Dempo in the final. Bengaluru managed to play in the AFC Cup and reached the R16 of the competition. They now had a new home ground, Sree Kanteerava Stadium. 

In the 2015/16 season, Bengaluru managed to win their second league title in three years. They also reached the QFs of the AFC Cup by beating Kitchee FC 3-2 in the R16. 

Albert Roca era (2016-2018)

Despite the club's achievements last season, the club parted ways with Ashley Westwood and appointed former Barca assistant coach Albert Roca as their new manager. Under Roca, Bengaluru became the first Indian club to qualify for the finals of the AFC Cup by beating defending champions Johor. However, they lost 1-0 against Air Force club in the final. Bengaluru won its second Federation Cup in 2017 but finished fourth in the league. 

For the 2017/18 season, Bengaluru joined the Indian Super League and finished runners-up. They won the 2018 Super Cup. Albert Roca left Bengaluru after the 2017/18 season and his assistant Carles Cuadrat was named the new manager. The Blues won their maiden ISL trophy in the 2018/19 season by beating FC Goa 1-0 in the final under him.

This season Bengaluru are the only unbeaten side in ISL alongside Northeast United. Bengaluru have 13 points from 7 games so far with three wins & four draws. Ultimately, the Blues’ success story is nothing short of a fairytale. Their success on both on and off the pitch is one that should be looked up to as the standard for the future of football in the country.

Bengaluru FC | Rise of a Blue Power

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