THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Kovalam FC vice-captain Beniston John’s football journey started when he was in Class VII. He became interested in the sport after watching matches on television which led to him playing the game with his friends at Vizhinjam. The turning point in Beniston’s life came in 2009 when he was selected to Kovalam FC by its coach and founder, Ebin Rose. “Due to financial crunch, I did not have the money to buy football shoes. It was our coach who bought proper shoes for all the players back then,” he said.
The 22-year-old is focussed on playing well for his club in the ongoing Kerala Premier League. “We have so far performed better this season compared to last year. The club has recruited new players from Malappuram and Kozhikode which has strengthened the team. We are also trying out new team formations against different sides,” said Beniston.
Representing Kovalam FC for the past 10 years, he played for the TDFA Corporation X1 team in the Mayor’s Cup tournament held in Thiruvananthapuram recently. One of the biggest accomplishments includes winning the U-21 football tournament in the district level in 2015. His goal scoring exploits in the tournament resulted in him being selected to the Santosh Trophy training camp the same year.
Due to the lack of football playing opportunities in the city, Beniston is often forced to find other jobs to sustain his livelihood. According to him, only one district tournament is held in the city every year.
“Tournaments such as the KPL and the Mayor’s Cup were introduced only recently. We need to be playing matches consistently to compete against a tougher opposition,” he said.
A knee injury had forced Beniston to miss the 2018 and 2019 Kerala State inter district football championships. His dream is to make it to the I-league one day. “It would be good if I can play in the I-league with Kovalam FC,” he said. He credited his family for supporting him during challenging moments in his career. Once the KPL is over, Beniston will be featuring in the district super league that commences in January.