Five-decade-old ‘Bolgatty friendship’ fosters future footballers in Kochi
KOCHI: A five-decade-old camaraderie keeps football fervour alive in the Bolgatty Football Club. While money-minting professional academies mushroom in the city, the legacy team continues to conduct free football coaching sessions every weekend at the Kochi Ambedkar stadium.
The collective ensures its part in the growth of budding talents from the tiny islets of Bolgatty and Ponjikkara. Britishers who lived at the Bolgatty Palace can be credited in bringing the game to the islanders. Played during their recreational time, the game instilled passion into the lives of the islanders.
Father Gessu, a French missionary who founded the Vaduthala Don Bosco school, formed a football club to tap the talent.
“Gessu arrived at Ponjikkara in the 1950s and found that kids played at the tiny Ponjikkara St Sebastian’s school ground with a ball made of cloth. Upon witnessing the match, he arrived with a football the next day. Later, he selected the players for the Don Bosco team. With a few players from Vaduthala, the team grew leap and bounds,” said Bony Thomas, renowned cartoonist and secretary
of the club.
When talent became abundant, the team amicably parted under Gessu’s guidance and became two different teams. “The separation holds significance in our area – players from both sides arrived in the middle of the backwater in country boats and shook hands before becoming separate teams,” said Bony.
In the 1970s, the club, which started as BF Bolgatty, was rebranded as Bolgatty FC in the early 1990s and started playing in district tournaments.
PP Thobias who donned the Indian jersey and went on to play with the likes of I M Vijayan, Jo Paul Anchery and V P Sathyan, is one of the major football icons from the area. Another resident, Bentila D’Couth, represented the national women’s team and became the international referee in U-20 Women’s World Cup and the Olympics.
“No matter where we are, the founding members meet every weekend virtually. Along with Thobias, former international Xavier Pious and other players often turn up at our training to give tips to the kids. Once the training sessions are over, we play for a while. We still have an active veteran team under the club,” said the 57-year-old.
Sky is the limit
The team training budding sports persons for more than a decade aims higher. “We intend to usher their interest in the game and ensure a platform to grow further. A couple of our kids have already participated in the trials of a few I-League teams. Currently, we have 50 kids in U-16 and senior teams,” said Henry Shajan, the former Kerala police player and current head coach.
“Though the club currently plays in Ernakulam district leagues, we are looking to bring them to national-level. Playing in Kerala Premier League is also on the cards,” added Damian Kocherry, president, Bolgatty FC.