The first parent body of Delhi football was formed in 1926, with professor Mohammed Zubair Qureishi as secretary.
There was no proper local league but the clubs used to participate in private tournaments organised by sport enthusiasts.
Due to the violence and upheaval caused by the Partition of India, the Delhi League was suspended after 1946.
However, club officials would strive to get their top players jobs in leading public sector concerns like Delhi Audit, Northern Railway, State Bank of India, Central Secretariat Service, Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking (DESU), Food Corporation of India (FCI) and so on.
From 1985, a new format, Super League (two groups followed by knock-out semifinals and final), was adopted.