The fixtures for the first phase of the season (till round 11) were announced on 20 November 2003. It was contested by 12 teams, Mohammedan SC and Sporting Club De Goa were promoted from NFL2.
East Bengal won the championship, in the month of April under the coach Subhas Bhowmick. Dempo came second and Mahindra came third. Indian Bank and
Mohammedan were relegated from the National Football League next season. ==League standings==