The golden Goal

The Club will celebrate its Diamond Jubilee Year on December 5 and has invited former international greats like I Arumainayagam,ex-Mohun Bagan who represented India from 1961 to 1968; Bir Bahadur,ex-Services; M. John,ex- Mohammedan Sporting,who represented India from 1967 to 1969; and N Ulganathan,ex- Mohun Bagan and East Bengal,who represented India from team 1972 to 1977 to grace the occasion.

The history of the club starts in 1948,when the British influence still remained and football was popular. The club came into existence under the presidency of Gulab Kalu,with D Munuswamy as secretary. Within four years,they had their first taste of victory after lifting the coveted St. Mary’s Cup in 1952.

“Khadki was at that time the breeding ground for football talent in the country”,explains S M Valan,secretary of the club. Testament to that fact is the number of national level footballers like G Tulsiram,J B Saha,Suresh Ravellu,Shyam Revathi and J Sinha that the club has produced. Early success included victories of the Dr Duggal Cup,Hule Cup,Shri Sotatawala Cup and the Maharashtra League Championship.

However,this success was followed by the lean patch that every non – professional club goes through. There was a financial crisis due to lack of sponsors; some players quit football altogether for a job while others quit to play for a professional club in Mumbai. “This was a tough period for us but it did not last long as we came together,built a new squad and started winning tournaments again”,said Valan. This success gave them a berth into the top division of the league for the first time in 1975. The team even won the league in the same year and managed to maintain their position in the top division of the league till date.

To commemorate the efforts of the past players,the club has planned to start a benevolent fund. The plan includes having the first Sunday of the month as ‘Veteran’s Day’ to offer their respect to the former players. “Many of our ex-players are in a financial crisis because of a lack of education and lack of availability of jobs. Sometimes we are not even aware of their death. This insignificance cannot be tolerated. Hence we have decided to pool in all our resources and help all our former players all over the country”,Valan says.