Army Red (also known as Indian Army Football Team)is one of the football sections that represents Indian Army. The team regularly participates in the Durand Cup,Calcutta Premier Division and various regional tournaments.
This year this all soldiers’ contingent Army Red has been awarded the “Sportsman Spirit” trophy for their excellent sportsman ship, disciplined and great performance in the 2023-24 Calcutta Football League.
The ‘Sportsman Spirit’ trophy named after late Prodyut Dutta, the former secretary of the organization, was handed over to the Army Red team.
Why a Defence team has been chosen for this Prestigious award?
I talked to Ajit Bandopadhyay, President, Indian Football Association.
According to him “IFA has chosen Army Red for this award because of their excellent sportsman spirit, discipline and great performance in the 2023-24 Calcutta Football League. They played attacking football throughout the tournament with the civilian teams.They deserve much appreciation for their constant co -operation with IFA during the entire tournament.
This honour will motivate them in a big way in achieving their target in the upcoming Durand Cup and other tournaments.”
The Chief Coach of Indian Army Football Team, Antony Ramesh is very confident about his squad.
“Everyone says Mohan Bagan ,East Bengal, Mohammaden sporting club in Calcutta are always the best teams and I agree with that but I had a desire in my heart that everyone should say the same about Our army red football team. So I worked accordingly and prepared my team and I am proud of my team for reaching that level in the Calcutta premier league. Our players played a good game and also showed sportsmanship with discipline on and off the field in front of Kolkata fans and I think we have increased our fan base in Kolkata.”
Asst. Coach of Army Red Sudhir Mishra said– “First time we received this trophy from Indian football Association. It’s a proud moment for all of us.
It will encourage our team to play better football in the upcoming Durand cup.We are thankful to Army Sports Control Board(ASCB) to always fulfil our all requirements.”
Their stellar performance was a testament to the rigorous training, dedication, and discipline instilled in them by the Indian Army, enabling them to excel in the challenging and demanding conditions.
(Author is a Sr.journalist working for British Media with 20 years of experience in covering the east and northeast, with specialisation in Defence and Sports.In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism).
