, the first president of Mohun Bagan The foundation of Mohun Bagan stretches back into the 1880s when the neighborhood youth of presently known Fariapukur Lane in
Shyambazar had set out in search for an ideal place to establish a football club, and came across a marble palace,
Mohun Bagan Villa, owned by the family of a leading
jute trader, Kirti Chandra Mitra. On 15 August 1889, after a meeting of three prominent aristocratic
Bengali families of
North Kolkata – the Mitra family, the Basu family, and the Sen family – presided over by
Bhupendra Nath Basu himself,
Mohun Bagan Sporting Club was formed. Bhupendra Nath Basu became the first president of the newly founded club and Jyotindra Nath Basu was the first secretary of it. The club management hugely emphasized providing memberships to the youth and maintained a strict code of conduct with an avowed objective of producing excellent sportsmen and imbuing them with impeccable moral and social values. At the first-anniversary assembly, the
Presidency College students and members of the club invited their professor,
F. J. Rowe, to attend. Rowe pointed out the inappropriate naming of the club and suggested replacing
"Sporting" with
"Athletic" since the club didn't indulge in sporting activities, like
angling or
rifle shooting. Thus, the members agreed and renamed the club as
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club. The second-anniversary assembly was presided by Sir Thomas Holland, who later became a member of the Executive Council of
Governor-General of India. In 1891, with the help of the
Maharaja Durga Charan Laha of
Shyampukur, the club ground was relocated within his residential estate, now known as Laha Colony. The club ground was later relocated to Shyam Square in
Bagbazar, with the help of the
Kolkata Municipal Corporation chairman, Henry Lee. In 1900, Mohun Bagan became the partner of Presidency College and shared their ground at
Maidan, where they would continue to play for 15 years. Mohun Bagan have a fierce rivalry with
East Bengal, which is mainly focused on the century old footballing rivalry of the two clubs and they play the
Kolkata Derby which is referred to as 'Boro Match' (Big Match) in Kolkata. However, cricket and hockey matches between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have also witnessed some fierce contests, significant crowds and clashes among the supporters of the two clubs. Mohun Bagan also have a rivalry with
Mohammedan, with whom they play the 'Mini Derby' and is also mainly a footballing rivalry. == Structure ==