Ulaganathan is proud of Odafe's feat

Scoring a hat-trick is a difficult task and that too in the finals – a rare feat! Odafe Onyeka Okolie has achieved this accomplishment in the 2009 Durand Cup final against Mohun Bagan yesterday.

However, Odafe is not the only one who has achieved this rare feat. Way back in 1974, football star of the 1970's, N. Ulaganathan tricked JCT's defence, and scored three goals against them. In that exciting Durand Cup final, Mohun Bagan got the better of JCT by 3-2.

Talking to IndianFootball.Com from Bangalore, Ulaganathan was elated, "I am proud that Odafe has joined me, I was quite feeling alone for many decades." Laughs Ulaga, who was popularly known by this name to his Kolkata football fans.

"It is always difficult to score so many goals in the finals - lot of pressure, you get the best opponent, and you are always marked. Odafe is a great player and he displayed his class in the final," adds Ulaganathan.

Bangalore Kickers lift the BDFA 3rd Division title

Bangalore Kickers defeated Jawahar Union 2-1 in a keenly contested match to win the BDFA 3rd Division title.

Both teams gained a promotion spot to the B Division after impressive performances in the league.

Jawahar Union, coached by veteran Thyaga Rajan, lead by a solitary goal in the first half. Bangalore Kickers came from behind in the second half with a flurry of attacks two slot in two goals.


'Fair Play Day' observed by BDFA

The BDFA organized a prize distribution ceremony for the 2008-2009 B and C Division leagues after the match. Cash prizes and several individual awards were given away to the winners.

Further a unique football press photography award was given away to the print media to promote football in Bangalore.

Bangalore Football Stadium to become 'weather-proof'

The process has started to make football pitches in India weatherproof – be it incessant rain or scorching heat, the grass shall always remain green in the football stadiums.

As IndianFootball.Com reported a few days back, the representatives from FIFA inspected the Bangalore Football Stadium, home to the Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA).

As a part of the "Win in India with India" initiative by FIFA, artificial turfs consultant, Dr. Eric Harrison visited the Bangalore Football Stadium on Thursday, September 17. Dr. Harrison was also accompanied by Chrysantha Perera, FIFA's Assistant Development officer who is also the CEO of Football Federation of Sri Lanka.

The FIFA consultants expressed satisfaction over laying the synthetic turf in the stadium. The work should start anytime in January next year once the tendering process is completed. The installation typically takes four months.

The FIFA consultants are touring India to finalize the other locations for artificial turfs.

Former Bangalore city footballer Amal Dass dead

Former Bangalore city footballer, Amal Dass, expired on Friday, September 11. He was 77 years of age and was suffering from long illness.

Dass, who played in the forward position, represented Services in the Santosh Trophy. He was also a part of the Rovers Cup winning team of 1966 which won the then prestigious tournament.

He regularly turned out for EME Secunderabad in several other national-level tournaments, including Durand Cup and Chakola Gold Cup.

A breath of fresh air in the Bangalore football scene

Current football season in Bangalore is definitely not going to be a boring affair for the footballers as well as for the football lovers.

Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) has roped in a sponsor for the Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) league.

Leading sports management company, SPT Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. will be conducting the BDFA league for this season. Speaking to the IndianFootball.Com, KSFA president, AR Khaleel gave this news. Also, he was cheerful about the fact that this initiative will bring in more professionalism to the game here. There will be various cash rewards for the best performing teams and players, added Mr. Khaleel.

Earlier, the IndianFootball.Com had covered an article on the grass-root level initiatives taken by SPT Sports in Bangalore. Sponsoring the local league is a new foray in the sports management space for SPT Sports.

The Bangalore Football Stadium is also readying for a major facelift. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has selected the Bangalore Football Stadium as one of the 10 venues for laying synthetic turf. Mr. Khaleel said that the ground experts from FIFA will inspect the Bangalore Football Stadium on September 14.

This plan will be done under the Win in India with India project. The experts will also inspect the grounds in Imphal, Shillong, Hoshiarpur, and Cooperage.

AFC Referees Day awards
Celebrating AFC Referees Day, the KSFA awarded Vijayakumar, employee of the Postal department as the referee of the year. The best assistant referee award was given to Andrew Shekhar, employee of AGORC.