Punjabi footballers form new club, vow to revive game's popularity in state
A NUMBER OF top division footballers hailing from the state of Punjab have come together to form a new club with the ambition of reviving the sport in the region. Players like Rakesh Masih, Baljit Singh Sahni, Gurwinder Singh and Anwar Ali, who have plied their trade in various top flight Indian clubs, have come together with popular Punjabi singer-actor Garry Sandhu to form a professional football club based out of Rurka village, called Sporting Punjab FC.
Good luck to the newly formed Sporting Punjab FC launched by #Punjabi singer Garry Sandhu in village Rurka #Punjab. pic.twitter.com/gtGicsSBnt
— Baljit Rihal (@BaljitRihal) August 13, 2015
Ever since JCT retreated from the national scene, there has not been a single club from North India that has made it to the I-League first division. Although a number of talented players have come out of that part of the country, especially, Punjab, all of them have had to go elsewhere to find a club. Clubs like New Delhi Heroes and Lonestar Kashmir have made their presence felt in the 2nd Division League but have not managed to gain promotion. The aim behind Sporting Punjab FC is to harbour the interest around the sport that is still prevalent in the state and give them a team to support at the highest level by rising through the ranks, and becoming a prominent force in the nation's top tier.
The club's star owner Garry Sandhu has been associated with football for a few years now. His efforts started with setting up a football academy in Rurka Kalan. With the training facilities in place and junior teams ready to go, setting up a professional club around it was a natural progression of the plan, because almost everything required to acquire an AFC club license is already there.
The club made its first appearance in the qualifying tournament for the Punjab Super Division League earlier this month. One of eight teams all vying for just one qualifying spot for the regional league which begins mid-September. Yesterday, after topping their pool and reaching the final, they managed to beat Principal Harbhajan SC 2-1 in the final showdown and earn the coveted qualification. Now that they have made it to the top division of the local league, they are eligible to apply for a place in the I-League 2nd Division.
Although many of the players associated with the club will ot be able to play for the team just yet due to their association with other clubs in the I-League or ISL franchises but once the club gets the green light for playing in the 2nd Division League, they are expected to join.
Player-driven efforts like this have been seen in India before. A few years back, Baichung Bhutia partnered up with a Middle-Eastern group to launch United Sikkim. Bolstered by the presence of many ex national team players including Renedy Singh and Baichung himself, the club saw a quick rise up the ranks all the way to the I-League. But the club folded after the inflow of funds dried up.
Hopefully a similar fate would not fall upon Sporting Punjab FC, but at a time when a club like Pune FC is forced to shut down its first team, their course of action must be cautious and well thought-out indeed. If the club does managed to earn the loyalty of the local football enthusists, however, it could become the pivot that triggered the resurgence of football in North India.
