Artificial Turf on Paljor Stadium

The process of laying the artificial turf has started at Paljor Stadium, Gangtok after the completion of all initial work like leveling the field. It was decided to lay artificial turf at the Stadium as the authorities found out that the natural grass was hard to maintain in Gangtok where it rains heavily during the monsoon season.

The work at Paljor Stadium is being jointly carried out by the United States based firm Field Turf Tarkett and Great Sports Infra, Hyderabad. The officials from these two companies are camped in Gangtok and is overseeing the operation. After the turf has been laid out it will be filled with rubber and silica which will be further compressed.

At Present the turf is two and half inches long but after its filled with compressed rubber and silica just two third portion will be exposed. Thus giving the players that perfect grip while they are out on the field. The process is expected to be complete in the next two weeks if all works move as per schedule.

This project began in January at a total cost of Rs 3.77 crores. The turf is of the same quality as the one laid at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. It is said that the turf can be used for eight to ten years with zero maintenance.

Photograph Courtesy- Basu Upreti

Seven Clubs from North-East in 2nd Division I-League

I-League second division first round matches will kick-off from the 31^ST of March with twenty one teams divided into three groups. Group A will play their matches at Madurai (Tamil Nadu) Group B matches will take place at Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) and Group C teams will fight it out in Guwahati (Assam).Two teams Shillong Lajong and Sporting Clube de Goa,last season’s relegated sides will join the six qualifiers in the final round to be held in Shillong.

There are seven teams from the North-East this season which points to the fact that club football is picking in this part of the country. Couple of years ago North-East produced only players but now that trend has changed and many good clubs are coming up. Shillong Lajong proved last season that with the right approach, North-Eastern clubs can go a long way. After a wonderful show in the Federation Cup they were unfortunately relegated from the I-League but their journey from a small club based in Shillong to the pinnacle of Indian football has been a source of inspiration for all the other clubs based in the North-Eastern states.

The North-Eastern Clubs which are taking part in this season’s second division  I-League are,Royal Wahingdoh SC,Langsning FC and Ar-Hima FC from Meghalaya, United Sikkim FC and Denzong Boyz FC will represent Sikkim other two teams are Guwahati Town Club and North Imphal Sports Association (NISA) from Assam and Manipur respectively.

So now it has to be seen which of the above clubs will go all the way and qualify for the I-League. The campaign will be tough as other clubs are also no pushovers and only a limited number of clubs will get the promotion, But no matter what all these clubs have given a new direction to the football in North-East and have also given hope to the other clubs to emulate them. The day is not far when there will be a number of clubs from this region competing in the I-League.

Photograph Courtesy- www.outdoors.webshots.com

Meeting Bhaichung Bhutia the Club Owner

Captain of the National Football team, Bhaichung Bhutia or should we say the owner of  United Sikkim Football Club, his recently acquired status  was in his home town Gangtok last week. The purpose of his visit was to locate a suitable land to set up the United Sikkim Football Academy.

Bhaichung along with the United Sikkim FC Senior Manager, Arjoon Rai saw some plots on the outskirts of the capital city Gangtok and they will zero in on the land of their choice in a few weeks time.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bhaichung at Arjoon Rai’s residence on Thursday evening. Arjoon Rai called me up to his place and I was off in flash as its always exciting to meet Bhaichung or Agya as I call him. After I greeted Agya we started talking about the chances of United Sikkim FC qualifying for the I-League division one in its very first season. It might be recalled here United Sikkim FC is slated to play their first round qualifiers at Guwahati. When I pointed out to Bhaichung that there is a high possibility of United Sikkim FC qualifying, He said the campaign will be very tough and they are not taking any teams for granted.

Bhaichung also told me that keeping in with the professional set up of the Club, he is looking for an office premises in and around Gangtok and he has already got a few options. He is also planning to shift his base from Kolkata to Gangtok where United Sikkim FC will be located to give full attention to his beloved club .A town planner was also present with him during that meeting and they were discussing places to set up the Academy compound along with the Club office.

After a day I again met Bhaichung at a hotel in Gangtok when I arrived he was having a meeting with the town planner and few other business men from Sikkim. Further discussion was going on for the land which will be used to set up the Academy. After the meeting I greeted Bhaichung and wished him all the best for the upcoming second division I-League matches and then he was off  to catch a chopper for Bagdogra en-route to Kolkata.

If all the plans fall in place United Sikkim Football Club will definitely become one of the best clubs in the country  in the next few years and with no other than Bhaichung himself leading the way this does not seem impossible. For me it was a pleasant experience to meet Bhaichung the Club owner and I can’t wait for that day when United Sikkim FC will start playing their home matches at the Paljor Stadium in Gangtok.

Sahara Club, Pokhara- Leading the way

In the year 1998 a club named Sahara was born in Pokhara, a tourist city in Western Nepal. This beautiful city is perched on the banks of the famous Phewa Taal (a natural lake) and is surrounded by the majestic  Annapurna Mountain Range. A must visit destination for all the tourists to the Himalayan Country of Nepal.

Sahara Club was formed as a social organization but football is also an integral part of the Club’s Set up. It regularly participates in the different Knock-out tournaments of Nepal along with the one hosted by the Club themselves, Aaha Gold Cup. A very successful Knock-out tournament. The ninth edition was held this year in January.

The Club is very well managed with the active participation of all its members and are sound financially as they regularly receive donations from Nepalis living in United Kingdom along with foreigners and the sponsors. It might be mentioned here that the Club also has a branch in the United Kingdom which is called Sahara Club UK. They have assisted many Nepali footballers to get trails in the different Clubs of UK. Example can be given of Anil Gurung who is currently playing for Indian outfit Shillong Lajong FC. In 2009 Sahara Club UK members had helped Gurung to get trails with Chelsea Reserve team along with few other lower division Clubs.

One unique feature of the Sahara Club, Pokhara is the Football Academy for street Children and orphans. These children are selected from the different districts of Nepal and imparted football training with free education and shelter. Now the Academy has more than fifty boys in different age groups. The funding for this Academy comes from the profit collected from the Aaha Gold Cup which is hosted Annually by the Sahara Club. A new Academy building is also being constructed which should be ready in a few months time.

As mentioned earlier Sahara Club is also dedicated towards the society. It holds regular blood donation camps, cleanliness drives in the city of Pokhara and also gives financial assistance to the poor and needy. We can say it’s more than just a football Club.

Clubs like Sahara are an example how football can be used as a social tool. Bringing about positive changes in the society as well as promoting the beautiful game. The Club has really set a bench mark for others to emulate in just over a decade of its formation. The successful hosting of Aaha Gold Cup every year points to the fact how serious the people concerned with the club are. It might not be an overstatement to say that Sahara Club, Pokhara is one of the best managed club in Nepal today.

The club’s aim is to keep serving the city of Pokhara and in that process promote the game of football.  Anil Gurung who started his career with Sahara Club is now a star of Nepali football. This has given the boys at Sahara Club and Academy a new hope and most of them would follow his footsteps and go on to play for Nepal, which will a wonderful news for the people involved with the Sahara Club.

Photograph Courtesy- Sudharshan Ranjit (Sahara Club,Pokhara)

DENZONG BOYZ FC- FROM THE VALLEY OF RICE

Football in Sikkim is on a roll these days with two teams United Sikkim Football Club and Denzong Boyz Football Club getting the nod from the All India Football Federation to participate in the I-League Division 2. Last year Denzong Boyz had played the qualifiers but had failed to reach the final round. Here is a  brief low down on the  team which believes they can go the distance this season.

Set up in the year 2008 Denzong Boys Football Club is a sister concern of Denzong Welfare Association. The Club was formed with an aim to promote the local players at the national platform.Denzong means “The Valley of Rice” and the Bhutia Tribe refers to Sikkim as Denzong.

The Club was formed by some like minded individuals who felt that the interest and popularity of Football was going down in Sikkim and a well managed club with a professional attitude could contribute a lot in reviving the people’s interest in football.

In a very short span of time Denzong Boyz FC has become a popular team in Sikkim winning the Independence Cup two years in row,2008-09.The team also reached the Quarter-Finals of the prestigious All India Governors Gold Cup Football tournament in 2009 beating reputed teams like Delhi Royal Rangers and Punjab Police. In the Quarter-Final they gave a tough time to the I-League side Chirag United but eventually lost in the tie-breaker.

This year the team is looking more focused and have signed many players with I-League experience to compete in a better way during  the I-League Division 2 campaign. Foreigners slot has been filled up by Enondji Patrick Arol,Cameroon Under-20 International and Abraham Bobby Fanny who had played for East Railways last season in the Calcutta Premier League.

The team has appointed Thupden Rapgyal as the head coach, who is a very respected and a senior coach in Sikkim. Popular amongst the footballers as “Thupden Sir”. Currently the team is training at Gaurds Ground in Gangtok, but next week they will head to Siliguri for the residential camp at the Kanchanjunga Stadium according to the General Manager Jigme Lachungpa.

Things are no doubt looking good at Denzong Boyz FC and if they qualify for the I-League Division 1,football will get a new meaning in Sikkim. As a fan I wish the team all the best for their campaign in the I-League Division 2. They have failed in their attempt last season to join the big boys of Indian Football but the effort is on this year. As we used to cheer our school team when we were kids “Keep on trying never saying dying, pull up together nobodies joking”. So Denzong Boyz keep on trying until the Glory will be yours.

Photograph Courtesy- denzongboyzfc.com

United Sikkim FC in Kolkata

United Sikkim Football Club along with twenty other teams from across the country has got the green signal from the All India Football Federation to participate in the second division I-League which starts next month.

It’s a welcome news for the Football lovers in Sikkim along with the players as United Sikkim FC’s entry into the second division will definitely give a boost to the game of  football in Sikkim, a state which has always prided itself on its unconditional love for the Beautiful game.

As far as the team is concerned its camped in Kolkata right now where the Head coach, Stanley Rosario along with the patron Bhaichung Bhutia (Who is now in Sikkim for a family wedding) is holding trails along with the training sessions at the Sports Authority of India complex to recruit new players into the team. Ten boys from Sikkim who are already part of United Sikkim is also included in this camp.

I had the pleasure of watching the team’s  training sessions at the SAI Center for four days where the boys from Sikkim along with the other players on trail played practice matches. Many stars of India football dropped in to watch the training which included the Indian player of the year 2010,Gouramangi Singh along with Mehrajuddin Wadoo and Renedy Singh who is likely to sign for United Sikkim.

Although it’s pretty early to judge but United Sikkim is looking a tough side to beat. It now depends on the coach, Stanley Rosario as he has to be very meticulous in planning which players to sign as All India Football Federation has allowed only five players on Inter State Transfer and three more can be taken on loan. Hope the coach gets the right balance and gels the new signings with the players who he has already got, most of them are from Sikkim.

In the mean time the team has also registered itself as a company and henceforth in all the official documents it will be known as  “United Sikkim Football Club Private Limited Company” and its main sponsor will be Camellia Group of Companies based in Kolkata with the sports equipment giants Nike supplying the kits.

I would also like to mention about the local players from Sikkim who are with United Sikkim. They are all good and with the right guidance they can soon become great. I was particularly impressed by their striker Tenzing Tsephel who was most consistent during the training sessions which I was watched and also scored a couple of excellent goals. Later I found out that he has already represented the Tibetan National Football Team and has also toured some European countries with the team.

Within a month’s time we will all find out where will United Sikkim land up but things are looking good at the moment and I wish they get promotion to the I-League Division one in their very first year.

Three Star Club lifts the Aaha Gold Cup

Three Star Club lifted the 9^th Aaha Gold Cup trophy after defeating Manang Maryshandi Club in the Finals held at Pokhara, yesterday evening. The final score read 1-0 in favour of Three Star. The lone goal was scored by Buddha Chemzong in the 24^th minute. The goal was scored off a freekick when it hit the Manang defender and deflected favorably for Chemzong to slot home.

Manang was under pressure right from the start and after Chemzong’s goal, Three Star stared playing even better but against the run of play Manang had a chance to score but Sujal Shrestha could not capitalize.In the 38^th minute Chemzong failed to score after he received the ball in the Manang Penalty area.

Towards the end of the first half Manang has another opportunity to equalize but Shiva Shrestha failed to convert and the teams headed for the dressing room with the score reading in favor of Three Star 1-0.

Manang’s star striker, Santosh Sahukhala also failed to convert in the 60^th minute and put his team back into the match. Biraj Maharjan was of Three Star was announced man of the match.

It was a match of missed opportunity as both the teams wasted many chances to score but Three Star Club once again proved that they are the team to be beaten in Nepal. This was Three Star’s second triumph at the Aaha Gold Cup.

A record twenty thousand spectators watched the match at the Pokhara Stadium and it was also beamed live on Nepal National Televison (NTV).Aaha Gold Cup was once again a grand success and Sahara Club, the event’s organizers have shown that if you pursue something with hardwork, passion and conviction nothing can stop you from achieving the goal.  

Photograph Courtesy- Sudharshan Ranjit (Sahara Club,Pokhara)