Durgapur Football League:

Football has always remained a passionate sport for the people of West Bengal. We witness a lot of enthusiasm for football in the daily evening matches in the neighbourhood as well as when we have World Cup.

One of the fastest developing Eastern Indian Cities, Durgapur, has experienced a lot capital investment on its demography and geography in terms of business. Industries like Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL), etc have been making attempts to promote sports and culture events.

The plan of organising a tournament, which will be, by the youth, for the youth and of the youth, was conceptualized by a B-Tech student Sibendra Mallick. His idea was supported by his friends who are also college students and thus “Durgapur Football League” was born.

THE RISING: Durgapur Footbal League was held for the first time in the year 2010 in the “Nemai Adhikary Ground” (Beside Zoom International School) with 8 teams battling against each other for a decent prize money. The tournament was organized by and dedicated to collegiates. The league became a very popular one and received support and appreciation from various corners of the society.

The 2010 chapter was a humble beginning with a few volunteers, few spectators and few teams which happened to be both registered and unregistered. Thus, a platform was created in order to lift up the inherent talents of players who did not get opportunities to play in the registered tournaments held held under the supervision of registered clubs.  The 200 Champion was D.N.B, followed by the first runner up G.H.Y.C. (Bidhannagar), and the third position was secured by Tarun Sangha from C.M.E.R.I. Colony.

THE FIGHT AGAINST  CRISIS:

After the massive success and popularity of “Durgapur Football League”  in 2010, the league was again organized in 2011 by the same college students at the same venue. This time it grew bigger and was much better organized and systematic. “The Telegraph” supported the organizers by featuring the tournament in the regional newsletter “WAVE” which was a milestone achievement for the Tournament. 2011 version features 12 teams, not only from Durgapur alone, but also from the outskirts like Ukhra and Chatimtala. Well known teams, such as Tansen, Sector 2C and Dishari Sangha also participated in the league. The champion position of 2011 was bagged by Sector 2C (Bidhannagar). The first runner up was once again bagged by G.H.Y.C. and the third position was grabbed by “Red Devils”.

July 2012 will witness yet another spectacular version of the “Durgapur Football League”. This year will be a much bigger and much better event with 16 teams participating from various towns of the district of Burdwan. The price money is Jackpot for the Champions and the 2 runners up. 1^st to 8 th July, 2012 will be a bonanza for the football lovers of Durgapur and a time segment for the young talents of the city to come up and showcase their skills and potential to the senior players and veterans. We believe that it will be a successful tournament.

What So Special about 2012? 2012 has got a lot of things for you. Those college students have now registered themselves under the name of “PlayTrack Public Charitable Trust” and now have an entity and an identity in the society.

Teams for “DURGAPUR FOOTBALL LEAGUE” 2012 are as under:

1. Vivek Sangha:B-Zone
2. Derozio Athletic Boys: Bidhannagar.
3. Third Street
   : Panagarh
4. Soccer Maniacs: Gandhimore
5. Insane Vipers:
   Dayananda Avenue
6. Hostel Avenue (A) : A-Zone
7. Hostel Avenue (B): A-Zone
8. Tansen (A) : B-Zone
9. Tansen (B) : B-Zone
10. Srijani: City Centre
11. Young Benga: Benachity
12. Dishari : A-Zone

2012 will not only witness “Durgapur Football League” but also “Verve”: a rock concert to be held on the 12^th of July at the Srijoni Auditorium, featuring 5 bands from various regions of West Bengal and Sikkim.