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Allahabad Sporting Club to celebrate 125 years of journey in style
Allahabad Sporting Club has decided to celebrate its quasquicentennial (125 years) in 2023 in style
Allahabad Sporting Club has decided to celebrate its quasquicentennial (125 years) in 2023 in style. “The club has drawn up a yearlong programme which will start with reunion of its old players in February 2023 and will end with a concluding function in December 2023 with release of its quasquicentennial celebrations souvenir,” said president of the club Prof Ramendu Roy.
The celebrations will consist of organising YM Roy Memorial Bridge Tournament and UP State ranking table-tennis tournament besides a football tournament with prominent hostel teams and football academies as well as a carom tournament and a grand cultural programme during the year as part of the celebrations, he added.
As per the club’s organising secretary Biplab Ghosh, the Allahabad Sporting Club was founded in 1898 with the late Amulya Charan Dey (Grey & Company) as its founder president and the late Nandalal Dey as founder secretary. They continued to guide the club as president and secretary till 1937 and 1935 respectively.
“From the very beginning, the Allahabad Sporting Club patronised football as its main activity. It won the senior division football league of Allahabad for 12 years continuously which is still a record,” he said.
“The club also produced a number of football players who excelled at various levels. It has organised All India Patu Majumdar Football tournament every year from 1946 in which many reputed national level teams of India and many international have players participated,” he added.
“These reputed teams include Mohun Bagan, Calcutta, Eastern Railway Calcutta, Peerless Calcutta, Bata Sports Club, Calcutta, Howrah Union Calcutta, Port Commissioners, Calcutta, United Bank of India, Calcutta, State Bank of India, Calcutta, Border Security Force Jalandhar, Punjab Police-Jalandhar and TELCO-Jamshedpur among many others,” Ghosh said.
To celebrate its centenary in 1998-99, the Allahabad Sporting Club set up a football academy to impart coaching to boys of age-group 12 to 16 years to boost talent of these young players.
“Allahabad Sporting Football Academy was established in June 1999 to develop a world class technical programme accessible to all which provides young footballers an opportunity to prove their mettle with former U.P. football team captain Shadab Raza as the head coach. The academy has produced three international and more than 70 national level players,” said treasurer of the club Sanjeev Chanda.
He said many players have also made it to India’s top professional football clubs and academies. “Around 25 trainees are working under sports quota in various government offices. As a team, the academy has won many national and state level football tournaments and has also become senior division league champion of Allahabad.
From organising bridge tournaments and promoting other sports like table tennis and hockey, the club has also done yeoman service in propagating Bengali culture in the domain of Bengali Jatra and theatre,” he added.
