Never before had I thought that I would be watching a Football match in a stadium; especially after leaving Kolkata. But fate had its own plans!
Today I went to witness the birth of a new sports frenzy in the country: The BFC club in I-League. The KSFA stadium was painted fresh and looked majestic. The AstroTurf on the ground was mind blowing and I was salivating at the prospect of diving on it. The Football fan in me just had to see it. I picked up a couple of friends and my dad (yeah! though he is not a big Football fan) just for the experience. It was a sunny day, we were lined up outside the stadium an hour in advance. The crowd was swelling by the minute. I felt butterflies in my stomach as i got the tickets in my hand. It was a match between BFC and Rangdajied Utd from Shillong.
As soon as we entered the stadium, the lush green field endeared me instantly. The crowd around me was typically college going, but I spotted a generous mix of family fans. Young girls with painted faces and school kids in BFC jerseys! I even spotted a couple of Saree clad women who had come with their husbands and children for a family picnic! It was so heartening to see people turn up to cheer their city. In the row before me were seated a Bengali father-son duo and I have never seen a more knowledgeable Indian football fan than that 8 year old boy. Some people beside me were discussing how Sunil Chettri was transferred into BFC for this season, but they got the club wrong. The kid turned back and lectured them for 5 mins on the origins of the Indian captain, the goalkeeper and the 3 foreign players in the team.
The match started with both the teams being led by school children and no sooner had the kickoff happened than the party started. I heard innovative slogans like "Namma Ooru... Bengaluru, Who are we... BFC!" and the anthem "Oh when the Blues go marching in". There were cheers for every attacking move and boos for every decision that was given against the team by the referee. There were player specific slogans and for Jonhson and Osano; there were coaching directions given to defender Vishal in Kannada. Everyone were shouting out their lungs! The atmosphere was electrifying.
The energy was epidemic, we all joined the slogan shouting. Later I heard the announcement that the crowd was 7000 strong. The first goal was scored by the English John Johnson and the crowd started chanting the slogan "Johnny Johnson.. he scores when he wants". Australian Sean Rooney scored another one in the second half from a corner kick and the third from captain Sunil Chettri; the largest applause was reserved for him. Every goal scored, every replacement announcement made, every free kick awarded, made the crowd go beserk. There was dancing, whistling and clapping. The giant screen showed replays when goals were scored and the crowd cheered the goal scorer all the more.
Food consisting of samosa and burgers was humble fare and toilets were makeshift but manageable. All in all, a wonderful experience. I am glad to see an IPL style fan base developing for Football city teams. I am hoping that the BFC continues to innovate into the next season with more half time entertainment and wins more loyal fans.
P.S: I am still trying to buy the team jersey but it is always sold out!
