The National Football League was announced

April 28, 2015: The National Football League (NFL) was a league competition featuring football clubs from India. Founded in 1996 through the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the NFL was the first football league in India to be organized on a national scale. The AIFF then added a second division in 1997 and a third division was soon added by the governing body in 2006. The NFL was eventually replaced by the I-League for the 2007–08 season in order to professionalize the sport in India.

As well as league competition, clubs in the NFL would also participate in the two main domestic cup competitions, the Federation Cup and Durand Cup. The NFL champions would also participate in the Super Cup against the Federation Cup champion. NFL players could also participate in the state-based Santosh Trophy competition.