THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: There was a time when Travancore Titanium Products Limited (TTPL) at Kochuveli was renowned for its achievements in sports. Back then, Titanium FC football and Titanium Volleyball team - were a force to reckon with.
The Titanium FC, a widely popular football club which was formed in the 1970s had won many coveted tournaments including the Santosh Trophy. Najumuddin and Thomas Sebastian were some of the great players who represented the club during its early years. Like the football club, the volleyball team was also not short of success. Winners of the Federation Cup in 1993, the team had plenty of talents like Cyril C Velloor, K Udayakumar, Abdul Razak, N C Chacko, Binu Jose and Danikutty David in their ranks.
However, at present TTPL does not have either team. According to former players, it has been almost 10 to 15 years since players were recruited to the volleyball team. “There is a shortage of good players within the team now. The company is yet to take an initiative in maintaining a volleyball team. A lot of new players need to be appointed along with an experienced coach to build a competitive team,” said Danikutty, a former volleyball player. The lack of volleyball tournaments within the state was another issue that was a stumbling block in building a strong team.
The situation remains the same for Titanium FC, which had played its last competitive game in 2015. The decrease in the number of players appointed by the government through the sports quota was one of the reasons pointed out by former players for the dismal state of affairs. “We used to be among the top four teams in the Federation Cup (1977). The lack of recruitment had eventually resulted in the shutdown of the club,” said Rajeevkumar M, district Football Association President and former Indian player. He was part of the Titanium football team that had won the South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup in 1997.
According to a TTPL official, 63 old football and volleyball players were signed through direct recruitment by the company. Abdul Rasheed, chairman of the club, said: “Last year, we had submitted a proposal to the government about starting a football academy. A lot of funds including financial assistance from the government is required in the long run,” he said. However, TTPL is yet to receive government approval to start work on the proposed academy.