Before Bengaluru FC, PSU teams defined city’s football culture
“In the 1980s, as children, we watched intense football practice sessions at Nandan Ground in Austin Town, which were followed by endless discussions about football
“In the 1980s, as children, we watched intense football practice sessions at Nandan Ground in Austin Town, which were followed by endless discussions about football, planting a strong passion for the game. All those who watched those matches dreamt of playing the game and emerging as heroes,” said R.C. Prakash, a former India player from Bengaluru. Like Mr. Prakash, hundreds of children growing up in the 1970s and thereafter developed the same passion, eventually taking up football seriously. This helped sustain Bengaluru’s strong football culture, which was originally introduced by the British. Prakash said that apart from the game itself, players who had featured in the Olympics used to practice at several grounds, including Nandan Ground and Bangalore Football Stadium, attracting more youngsters. “There was already substantial admiration for Olympic players, and they went on to start something called the Veterans Coaching Camp, which gave another push,” explained Mr. Prakash. Chikka Chennaiah of the Bangalore District Football Association said that football practice had meanwhile started in many parts of Bengaluru, including Vyalikaval and Malleswaram. While places like Gowthampura, Cox Town, and Austin Town produced many star players, such as Ulaganathan, Bengaluru also produced quality players from different parts of the city.
Stalwarts emerged from Basavanagudi, Jeevanahalli, Periyar Nagar, Malleswaram, and many other areas, Mr. Chennaiah said. V. Ramkumar, who played in the 1980s for Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), explained that football was not seen merely as a passion but also as a gateway to employment, as PSUs actively recruited local talent. “Teenagers started honing their football skills so that they could get opportunities to represent the State at an early stage. Once selected, they could land jobs in PSUs, as these organisations had started recruiting young players and building teams that could remain competitive for 10 to 15 years,” Mr. Ramkumar said. Chennaiah reiterated that the PSU dominance began in the 1970s, and the organisations quickly developed strong scouting systems, helping sustain the city’s football culture through the years until the early 2000s. The rivalry A. Saravanan, a former India player, explained that a mix of teams such as HAL, ITI, BEML, the Police Department, and MEG fueled Bengaluru’s football culture, while rivalries among these institutions further strengthened it. Among them, the most famous rivalry was between the HAL and ITI, which still gives goosebumps to football enthusiasts, said Mr. Chennaiah. “Their matches used to be intense, and fans would be on the edge of their seats,” he said.
The BriefWire