Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that answer the question.
Query: Is there a national football league in India?
The National Football League (commonly known as the NFL) was an association football league competition in India between 1996 and 2007 which was organised into three divisions. The league is now transformed into the I-League and continues with that name. The Premier Division of the league was first introduced in 1996, though the country already had a long history in the sport thanks to the likes of the IFA Shield and the Federation Cup. In fact, the Santosh Trophy (started in 1941) was the top football competition in the country before the then National Football League started.[1][2]
The 1999–2000 National Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola National Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the fourth season of National Football League, the top Indian league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996.
The 2001–02 Indian National Football League, also known as Tata National Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the sixth season of National Football League, the top Indian league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996.
Football in India has existed in many forms since the game first arrived in the country during the 19th century with the first nationwide club competition, the Durand Cup, being founded in 1888. Despite India's early history in the game, the country's first nationwide football league did not begin until the semi-professional National Football League commenced in 1996. Prior to the creation of the National Football League, most clubs played in state leagues or select nationwide tournaments.
The 1996–97 National Football League, also known as the Philips National League for sponsorship reasons, was the inaugural season of the National Football League. The tournament began on 17 December 1996 and concluded on 16 March 1997. Before the commencement, the All India Football Federation maintained that it would be a semi-professional tournament for the first two years.
In 1977, the AIFF started the Federation Cup which was the first club based national tournament in the country. The Santosh Trophy, the national tournament for state teams, was started in 1941. In 1996, the AIFF began the first national league in the country, the National Football League. In 2007, the NFL was reformed as the I-League, the country's first professional football league.There are currently 36 state associations affiliated with the All India Football Federation.The following are on the board of the directors at the AIFF.
After being relegated to the second division in 1998, Air India paved their way back into the first division the next year and played in the National Football League in 2000 as well. The years 2001 to 2004 saw Air India going through a tough phase as they were playing in the second division. In 2005 the team qualified to the National Football League first division and then 2007 saw Air India finishing 7th and were the Mumbai Harwood Champions in 2005.
The 2004–05 National Football League was the ninth season of the National Football League, the top Indian professional league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996. 12 teams took part in the season. Dempo won the league by scoring 47 points in 22 matches. Sporting Clube de Goa won the second position by scoring 45 points in 22 matches. Dudu Omagbemi of Sporting Clube de Goa was the highest goal scorer of the league (21).
National Football League, established in 1996 by governing body All India Football Federation (AIFF) was the first "semi-professional" football league in India. 
The League was renamed and restructured and the I-League was founded in 2006 after India's former top league the National Football League disbanded in a successful effort aimed at increasing the game in India. Links with clubs that were not in the I-League were maintained, and each season the bottom two clubs are relegated from the I-League and replaced by two from the I-League 2nd Division. The I-League is currently contested between 11 clubs. The Kolkata Derby in the I League (and other tournaments) played between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is one of the most fierce rivalries in the world (featured in FIFA website) and one of the oldest derbies in the world (90 years). An average 80, 000 to 100, 000 supporters throng the stadium in this special fixture.
Following the success of the Indian Super League for football in India and the 2015 National Games of India, which were hosted by Kerala, it was announced that the Malappuram District Sports Council, with support from the Kerala Football Association, would launch the Malabar Premier League. The goal of the league would be to get young footballers from the district into a proper playing environment and thus make football a more professionalized sport in the area. On 2 March 2015 the official logo of the league was unveiled, as well as the initial eight franchises.
The 2003–04 National Football League was the eighth season of National Football League, the top Indian league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996.
Araang League is an annual football league in Manipur state of India that promotes young footballers in Manipur and NorthEast India. The League is registered with All Manipur Football Association (AMFA) - AMFA is the state governing body of football in Manipur. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the national governing body.
The 2005–06 National Football League, also known as the ONGC National Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the tenth season of the National Football League, the top Indian professional league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996. It started on 10 January 2006 and concluded on 21 May.
After being relegated to the second division in 1998, Air India paved their way back into the first division the next year and played in the National Football League in 2000 as well. The years 2001 to 2004 saw Air India going through a tough phase as they were playing in the second division. In 2005 the team qualified to the National Football League first division and then 2007 saw Air India finishing 7th and were the Mumbai Harwood Champions in 2005.
The 2002–03 Indian National Football League, also known as the was the Oil PSU National Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the seventh season of National Football League, the top Indian league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996. The season began on 17 November 2002 and concluded on 28 April 2003. East Bengal won the title, their second, with a game to spare.
The Uttarakhand Super League (USL) is a semi-professional football league, sanctioned by both the All India Football Federation and the Uttarakhand State Football Association, that represents the sport in the state of Uttarakhand. Founded in 2016, the league is organized by the Uttarakhand Adventure Sports Pvt Limited with the goal of promoting football throughout the state. The league began in July 2016 with fourteen teams and is based on the Indian Super League, the franchise based football league for India nationally.
Victorian Football League
South Australian National Football League
Western Australian National Football LeagueNBA Finals 
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Ten years after the formation of the National Football League, the All India Football Federation, the governing body for the sport in India, decided to reformat the league as the I-League in an effort to professionalize the game. However, during the following seasons, the league would suffer from a lack of popularity due to poor marketing and poor quality of football.
India's current top domestic league, I-League, was formed in 2007 in an attempt to professionalize domestic football and in 2013 the Indian Super League was formed with 8 teams to promote Indian football to the country and world. Also contested is Santosh Trophy, a knock-out competition between states (provinces) and government institutions. The current captain of the Indian national team is Sunil Chhetri and the team is coached by Stephen Constantine. India is currently ranked 96 among the FIFA World Rankings.
The AIFF sanctions and runs all competitive football tournaments and leagues at a national level, namely the Indian Super League, I-League and Federation Cup. The federation also indirectly manages local football competitions through the state associations. The federation is also responsible for managing the India national football team, as well as the women's team and the various youth national sides.
The 2000–01 National Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola National Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the fifth season of National Football League, the top Indian league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1996.
The competition was founded in 2007 as the successor to the National Football League (NFL) and competition commenced in November 2007. The league was launched as India's first ever professional football league and with the aim to increase the player pool for India's national team. Unlike the Indian Super League, the I-League operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the I-League 2nd Division. For the clubs that become I-League champions, they are granted the opportunity to participate in the AFC Champions League, Asia's top international club competition. However, no club has been able to progress past the qualification stage as of 2018.
East Bengal Football Club is a professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It competes in the I-League under licence from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The club has won three National Football League (India) (later named as ) titles, eight Federation Cups, and three Indian Super Cups, alongside other trophies.
The Indian Super League, a tournament just recently recognized by AFC or FIFA, was founded in 2013 in an effort to make football a top sport in India and to make Indian football a major player worldwide. The league operates along the lines of the Twenty20 cricket Indian Premier League, and Major League Soccer of the United States. Unlike the vast majority of football leagues around the world, the ISL does not use the promotion and relegation system. Instead, it uses an American style franchise system in which ten teams were specifically created to participate in the league. Each team in the ISL is composed of players from I league or state league, apart from the foreigners who may or may not be a part of the I league. Recently it was recognised as the second national league in India, which means ISL champions from 2017–2018 leagues will be eligible for an AFC Cup qualifying slot
India also got a major boost when the All India Football Federation created the National Football League in 1996. This was India's first ever national domestic league.