From 'B' division to 'Elite': IFFC Chanklapur's encouraging football journey

They say slow and steady wins the race. It sounds apt for Indian Friends Football Club (IFFC) Chankapur football club. Starting their journey from 'B' division football tournament in 1994, the club is playing in Elite division tournament of Nagpur District Football Association (NDFA) this season.

They will play their first match against Rabbani Club on November 14. The journey of IFFC Chankapur Club, which basically belongs to the Silewara mine, 25 km from Nagpur, is very encouraging. Lacking basic facilities, the club started its journey with the wards of mine workers two decades ago and now they have more than 100 senior and 120 junior players registered with them. The club also has branches at Chankapur, Mankapur and Godhni and aims to have more in the coming days.

Talking to Lokmat Times, Ankush Bhadange, who himself is a club player and now looks after its affairs as CEO, said, “We have taken a lot of efforts to reach at this stage. In 1994, we started with 'B' division and then gradually made progress by winning 'A' division, senior and last year's super division titles. At one time we had no transport facility to reach Nagpur to play the matches, but today, thanks to the support of Siddiqui family, our club is well established and aiming to win the Elite division title,” he said.

Bhadange said their 24-year-old coach Pranay had played an important role in making IFFC Chankapur super division champion last year. “Basically he is our main player, but due to his interest in coaching, he has become the coach of the team.”

Balance between sports and education

Bhadange, who is employed with a CBSE school in the city, said the club always gives importance to education and job opportunities along with football. "We always try to maintain a balance between sports and education. You must have seen that generally, football players are not much educated, but that is not the case with IFFC Chankapur. Our main thrust is on education. We give entry to such players who are pursuing education. So far our 18 to 20 players are doing the job at noted IT companies. Our players Aditya Vishwakarma and Mangesh Yaduvashi are engineers."

Umesh Yadav too had played for club

Indian pace bowler Umesh Yadav also used to play for IFFC Chankapur before he entered the cricketing field. Being the son of a coal mine worker, Umesh lived in Khaparkheda. Bhadange said, “Umesh had played with our club as goalkeeper in 2005 in NDFA 'b' Division Football Tournament. He was also a good athlete.”