Football in Kalimpong

Introduction

Kalimpong is a town which is located in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It’s a beautiful hill station perched at an altitude of about 4500 feet above msl. Its population comprises of predominantly Indian Nepali or the Gorkha community along with sizeable Marwari, Bengali, Bhutia and the Tibetian community.

History of football in Kalimpong

Football as a game was introduced to the locals by the Britishers in the latter part of the 18^th century. The missionaries were the first to play an organized form of football in Kalimpong according to some of the senior citizens.Satal Singh Trophy which was started in the year 1939 is said to be the oldest tournament of the town. Then in the 1947 after India gained its freedom, an Independence Shield was started. The league football named after Kaluram Mintri ( A well known and respected businessman of that time) was started in the 40’s.One more tournament called Sudama Shield was also played during this period..Then in 1954-55 Governor's Cup was started where only two teams Sikkim and the host Kalimpong participated and the latter emerged victories. The inaugural edition was more like and exhibition match. From the following year a proper tournament was played. Raja S.T. Dorjee Gold Cup was another tournament which was started in the late 60’s along with Kumar Jigme Dorjee Shield. But all this tournaments came to an abrupt halt during the Gorkhaland agitation of the 80’s.Post Agitation only one tournament was revived, the Independence Shield which attracts capacity crowds to the Mela Ground (The main football stadium of Kalimpong).Teams from the neighboring countries of Bhutan and Nepal along with other good teams from within the country come and participate in this tournament.Shahid Cup is another tournament which came into existence after the Gorkhaland agitation. This tournament is held annually during the month of July. As the name indicates the tournament is held to honor the martyrs who sacrified their lives for the sake of Gorkhaland during the agitation. To sum up Kalimpong has 3 main tournaments in the present time- The Independence,Shahid Cup and the Kalimpong League.

Kalimpong League

Till last year there was only one division in the league but from this year its has been divided into three divisions. The Super Divison,1^st Division and the Mini Division.

Super Division

Six teams play in this divison.In a round robin format.2 teams gets relegated to 1^st divison and and 2 teams are promoted.

1^st Division

This divison comprises of 17 teams. Mostly school teams along with some club sides.

Mini Division

In this division only the schools students who are currently studying in class VIII and below are allowed to participate. There are some more interesting criteria for players to qualify in this category. The outfield  players should be 95 points and below and the goalkeeper has to be 104 points and below (one kg equals to 1 point, 1 cm = 1 point)

All the tournaments in Kalimpong is organized by the Kalimpong Sports Association (Estd, 1947).The Association believes that by having this 3 tier system, young footballers will get introduced to competitive game at an early age and will help them in the long run as they will be playing against some established players in the league.The Association also runs a non-residential football Academy called the Kalimpong Football Academy.

International players from Kalimpong

-Jerry Basi

-Lt Pem Dorji- captained India

-L.B. Basnet (Services)

-Lt Ravilal Lama (Gorkha Regiment)

-R.B. Gurung (Gorkha Regiment)

-Bikash and Vijay (Services)

Major teams during the 1930’s were

-Young man Christian Club

-St Andrews Colonial Homes (Dr Graham’s Homes)

-Industrial School

-Scottish University Mission Institution (S.U.M.I)

Major teams in the 40’s and 50’s

-Reat Raft

-Ex Army

-S.U.M.I.

-Motor Sporting Merchant

-Friends Union Club

-D.N.S.K.H.S

-Himalayan Sporting Industrial

School Football in Kalimpong

All the schools of the town have very decent teams and have brought back lots of laurels to Kalimpong.One school namely the Scottish University Mission Institution has a rich tradition with regards to football. This schools impact is such that, if you see a good footballer in Kalimpong you can bet you life that 9 out of 10 times the player is sure to be a student of S.U.M.I.The school has represented the town in the D.C. Memorial Cup and won it 3 times. In 1967 S.U.M.I reached the Quarter finals of the prestigious Subroto Mukherjee Tournament in Delhi. The following Year they once again became Bengal Champions and represented the state in the Subrato Cup. This time they reached the semi-finals.Last year S.U.M.I again became the State Champions after 40 years and went to Delhi and participated in the Subrato Cup but they bowed out of the tournament in the league stage.

Main Clubs of Kalimpong (Present day)

-Apex Club

-Kalimpong Football Club

-Kalimpong Football Academy

-Gorkha Youth Club

-Himal-Shree Athletic Club ( A very well known club which has unfortunately ceased to exist)

Problem faced by the football administrators and players in Kalimpong

Although the passion for football which the town has can be compared to Kolkata or any other major football centres of the country. There are many problems faced by the people associated with the game.

Financial Problems

As the town of Kalimpong or for that matter the entire Darjeeling district doesn’t have big industries its very difficult to arrange for finances. There is an acute lack of sponsors which is hampering the progress of football in Kalimpong.The tournaments are run from the donations and the tickets sale money. The clubs also face this problem as they also can’t attract any sponsors. The club officials shell out money from their own money and run the clubs. Its only the passion of the people which has kept the game alive in Kalimpong.

Infrastructure

The Kalimpong town has only one public football stadium, The Mela Ground which lacks even the basic facilities and the surface is sandy where the chance of players getting injured is very high. This is also the reason why the teams from Kalimpong find it hard to match their opponents in the plains as they have to adjust to the grassy field where the movement of the ball is completely different from the sandy surface.

Lack of opportunities for the players

There are no proper facilities for training in Kalimpong.There is also no Academy and good clubs who can compete at the State level, so many talented players don’t have the platform to show thier talent and attract big clubs towards them. Many players who have it in them to play at the highest level, play around the town and the district and vanish which is sad.

Photo Courtesy- Akhilesh Raj Gurung

Information Courtesy- Gyaltshen Dorjee Moktan

(This article was originally written for indianfootball.com in June,2009) 

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Football in the Land of the Thunder Dragon

(This article was originally written for indianfootball.com on September 2009) 

It is a known fact that football’s popularity around the world cannot be questioned. Football is without any shadow of doubt the most popular sport in the world. In Bhutan too it’s no different; the Landlocked Himalayan Kingdom also shares that special bond with the Beautiful game. Football enjoys tremendous popularity amongst the masses. After football Archery and Basketball are other two disciplines which interest the Bhutanese. The passion for the beautiful game started picking up in the country after the Bhutan Football Federation was set up in the year 1983, the BFF worked towards improving infrastructure and popularizing the game in the country under the Royal patronage. In 2000 Bhutan Football Federation got FIFA’s affiliation which further boosted the progress of football in the country which is known as the “Land of the Thunder Dragon”

Football first started catching the fancy of the Bhutanese people in the fifties when Schools started opening up in the Haa and Paro regions. The teachers were recruited from foreign countries and it was them who introduced football to Bhutan. But the credit for popularizing the game and taking it to the masses, even before the BFF was formed  goes to the Bhutanese Students who went to the foreign countries in pursuit of further education and when they retuned they also bought back the knowledge about football and passed it on to the natives.

Bhutan had a strong national side from 1970 to 1984.Teams from the country participated in major tournaments abroad  and lifted many trophies. Bhutan reached the finals of ANFA Cup (All Nepal Football Association), an international tournament four times. Teams from countries like China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka used to participate in this tournament. At present the national team is managed by Khare Basnett (Khare), a renowned footballer of his times.

On June 30, 2002,Bhutan National team was involved in a very interesting and an unusual match, on the day when the World Cup final was played, Bhutan, then the second-lowest ranked team in the world, recorded their first victory ever. They played against the lowest ranked team, Montserrat, in a friendly match jokingly referred to as "The Other Final", winning 4-0 at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. "The Other Final" was organized by a group of Dutch filmmakers.

Prior to the 2010 World Cup qualification round, Bhutan football suffered a set back as they were the only FIFA member not to have attempted to qualify for the World Cup. Bhutan withdrew from the qualifying rounds because their stadium would not be ready in time for their match vs. Kuwait. That was the low point but in the 2008 South Asian Football Federation Cup tournament, Bhutan reached the Semifinals, where they lost, a hard fought battle narrowly to India (2 - 1).

Bhutan also has league football in place,(Bhutan Premier League) which is run in a very amateur way but  its contribution cannot be ignored, it has  helped many players to develop in the country.BPL is contested by eight teams and is keenly followed by the people. Some of the teams playing in the BPL are Transport United (the most successful team), Yeedzin FC, Druk Star FC and the Royal Bhutan Army. 

So we can see Bhutan has seen both ups and downs in football but with improving facilities and a growing enthusiasm among the younger generations, the future of football in this tiny Himalayan Kingdom looks bright. The construction of the state of the art Changlimithang Stadium, the first International standard facility  in the country is one of the positive steps Bhutan has taken. With a boost in Corporate Sector, the future of Bhutanese Football seems well on course and seeks to find its right footing in the World Football scene, as well as in the Asian Football fraternity.  It’s about time now when the thunder dragon will strike and announce its arrival on the world football scene with a streak of lightning and that loud bang!

*This article was written with the help of Keshav Gurung who is based in Thimphu (Bhutan)

UKFC ORGANISED FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT KICKS-OFF

United Kurseong Football Club (UKFC),a renowned football team from the Hills of Darjeeling, as name indicates based in the sub-divisional town of Kurseong will be hosting a football tournament to honour its former Player Ladup Lama and Manager Chand Pradhan. The first match of  the tournament was played today. This event is also supported by Kurseong Gorkha Hill Sports Association (KGHSA) and the football loving people of the hill town.

Ladup Lama was an exceptional Stopper of his times and was an integral part of the UKFC team along with Dinker Chettri and Crispin Chettri.I remember Ladup Lama’s game in the Independence Cup,Gangtok 1997.He was brilliant throughout the tournament giving tough time to the Opposing Strikers in that process helping his team lift the Trophy. I must say here Ladup Lama is the best stopper I have seen in our parts without a shadow of doubt. After the finals I went and met him at their hotel and we had a brief interaction. He came across as a very humble person a sharp contrast to the tough attitude he showed on the field. It’s a fitting tribute by UKFC to the man who always loved to play football.

I must admit here that I don’t know much about Chand Pradhan but according to Crispin Chettri he was a die-hard football fan and was the man behind launching of the United Kurseong Football Club in the year 1989 and it was he who has coined the club’s name.

The tournament which is in its second year will be officially called “2nd Ladup,Chand Memorial Invitational Football Tournament”.It has dual goals, one is to honour UKFC’s beloved members Ladup Lama and Chand Pradhan and second is to bring about a revival of football in the hills

The winner of the tournament will be awarded Rs 50,000 and the runners-up will get richer by Rs 25,000.There will be a total of ten teams in the fray with the home team going in with two teams one will be their Junior side called Young Gorkha Football Club. The Final is slated to be played on the 21st of December.

It might be added here that United Kurseong Football Club is also planning to try for a berth in the I-League Division 2. The ground work is almost complete and by hosting this tournament the UKFC management wants to give its players that much needed exposure.

United Kurseong Football Club has always been a tourch bearer of Football in the Darjeeling hills since its inception in the year 1989.During the 1990’s it was a force do be reckon with, in the Darjeeling District and the neighboring state of Sikkim, winning almost all the tournaments in this area, Now with the hosting of the “2nd Ladup, Chand Memorial Football Tournament” UKFC has once again proved that there is something special about this club and has set a benchmark for other Clubs to emulate.

Photo Courtesy- Keshav Tamang

LIST OF PARTICIPATING TEAMS

United Kurseong Football Club

Young Gorkha Football Club (UKFC Junior team)

Dharan XI (Nepal)

Chandragari FC (Nepal)

North Bengal State Transport Corporation (Siliguri)

Denzong Boyz ( Gangtok)

United Sikkim FC (Gangtok)

Tarun Sangha (Kolkata)

Kalimpong XI

Dogra Regiment

MY DATE WITH THE LEGENDS

Every football fan dreams about meeting their heroes. The stars and the legends who have always entertained them. It’s the same with me. I remember running around Footballers when I was a kid trying to shake their hands, back home in Gangtok when they used to come and play at the All India Governors Gold Cup Football Tournament. During those days I.M. Vijayan was a big star in Indian football, I clearly remember shaking his hands and nervously telling him “Well played”.

After I came down to Kolkata things which I had never thought about started happening to me.I had never dreamt about meeting the biggest legends of World Football. But here in Kolkata that dream without even me dreaming it started coming true. I had the opportunity of a life-time on 27^th May 2008, when I got a chance to watch one of the greatest goalkeepers to have played the game Oliver Kahn in action and later shake hands with him. He was here in Kolkata for his farewell match against Mohun Bagan with the Bayern Munich team. This handshake happened only because of my quick thinking. I was in the Zee Sports production crew and as we were doing the live telecast of that match I was put up at the control room to assist in match stats and graphics. So I had to watch the match in the control room monitor.When Oliver Kahn was substituted during the second half after his team had scored three goals. I quickly told my Producer to kindly manage the stats for a while so that I could go out and shake his hand. The Producer agreed and I was out in a flash. I waited at the tunnel and there came that huge frame of Oliver Kahn, walking slowing towards the dressing room. I adjusted my Zee Sports ID card to make sure that he noticed that I had access to that place. Next thing I remember, I was shaking his hands and blurted out “Pleasure to meet you Sir”. Kahn smiled and said “Thank you” in a German accent and walked away. I was in awe. I just could not believe it. Only regret I have from that day is I did not carry a camera or a mobile phone with a “camera” otherwise I could have had that picture with a legend. A day before this event I also got a chance to say hello to Van Bommel.It was at the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CCFC) where a kids football clinic was organized. We had gone there with Zee Sports to cover the event. Many small sized grounds were created and in one of the grounds Van Bommel was helping the kids with short passing basics, one of the kid mis-timed his pass and ball came towards my direction and Bommel came running to fetch it. When he was picking up the ball I said “Hello Van” he looked at me and said “Hello,how are you”.I was  taken aback as I was not expecting more than just a “Hello”. I could only say “Yes” and by the time I completed my sentence he had rejoined the kids in the middle.

                      

Then on the 6^th of December came the biggest moment of my life as a football fan. The “Football God” himself had descended to Kolkata and I had the opportunity to attend his Press Conference at the ITC Sonar Bangla hotel. We reached there pretty early and we were taken to the make shift Press Area which was created at the hotel lawns. I just sat there and started to get excited to see non other than  Diego Armando Maradona himself. Many call him God and I am also one of them. Never saw him play live but my Dad’s story about him and the recorded videos of his matches was enough for me to become his follower. During my school days I had pasted his picture on my school dairy which a caption “God of Football” and had always dreamt to be like him one day. Now I know those were childish fantasies as I firmly believe there can be no another Maradona.Many legends have already failed in front of him so who was I to even dream about such a possibility. There were nearly hundred media people there and all of them had that look of excitement on there faces. That day I think all the journalist had become fans. I also over-heard one scribe talking to another about a possibility of a photo op with the “God”. But the security was tight and we were kept ten feet away from the dais. It did not matter to me at all as I was over the moon just to be there. I thought I will just sit there and listen to the God answering the questions. Then the moment came someone shouted “He is coming” and there was a chaos with the camera-persons running to get the best shot and some of the journos even trying to break the barrier and ask Maradona some questions, but none of them succeeded and he was quickly taken to the Dais. Someone threw a ball at him. He caught it and put it on his head to balance it but the ball didn’t stay on his head. He caught it and said something in Spanish followed with a wink! his interpreter quickly translated that for us so we could also understand the sense of humour.He had said “Out of touch thesedays,not good anymore”. But in the very next moment he proved that his ball skills were still intact, he not only balanced the ball on his head, he also joggled it with his shoulders, taking turns with his head, what made this special was that he was doing all these in such a limited area. After that he gave a thumbs and sat down. Made a short speech about his visit and the question, answer session with the Press started. I had already decided I will not ask any questions as I was in awe of the God and also didn’t want to make myself a fool in front of so many senior sports Reporters. Simply put I was too nervous to ask any questions. So I just sat there. Towards the end I suddenly felt an urge to ask him a question and started mustering courage to ask for the microphone. Courage finally arrived and it was at the nick of time, as mine was the last question he took I didn’t know how to address him Sir? Mr. Maradona? Maradona? or simply Diego?.With that confusion in mind. I got up asked for the microphone and there I went  choosing the last option “Diego! Diego! This side” I said. The God looked at me and I could hear myself on the loud speakers, I was trembling like anything but also I asked him the question “Diego I have heard that people have built churches in your name and they go and worship you, How to you feel to be compared with God? He looked at the interpreter nodded and quickly replied in Spanish and smiled. The interpreter in turn translated that to English “It’s nice to be compared with God. But I have never felt like god but you can call me God of Football if you want to”. Felt a little proud next morning as all the newspapers had carried the question which I had asked.

Will write about Diego Forlan in my next post and will conclude this write up.

Photograph Courtesy- www.kolkatafootball.com