Kochi :

For the footballing fraternity of Poojappura, P Natarajan is popularly known as MRC Natarajan. But the fanfare and recognition for having been the one who guarded the goal for the illustrious MRC Wellington football team stops there for this veteran.

Natarajan spent 15 years with Madras Regimental Centre at a time when they were a name to be reckoned with in Indian football and won many honours, including the Seth Nagji Trophy, Chakolas Trophy and Kollam Municipal Gold Cup in Kerala.

The former goalkeeper is described to have been ‘fearless’ on the pitch.

“Sometimes you were the last line of defence and everything was at stake and you had to go all out to deny the goal,” says Natarajan who has a bruised lip and a missing incisor to show for it. He began his career with Sporting Union, Poojappura as a schoolboy and joined MRC at Ooty in 1968. Returning from MRC after a highly successful stint, which included a Santosh Trophy appearance with the Services, he played football with KSRTC for six years before retiring in 1989.

But that was not to keep him away from the game. Ever since, Natarajan has been a regular presence at Mandapam Ground in Poojappura, training the youngsters of Sporting Union on most of the evenings.

“We have to fend off competition from cricketers to get some space to play. So, most of the time, we end up playing under the streetlights after sunset,” he says, adding that they are hopeful of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation sanctioning the club’s proposal to start a coaching centre for kids.

Natarajan also conducts two-month long coaching camps for children aged below nine years during the summer holidays. “I teach them very simple things like kicking, close control and passing. And more importantly, I share all the experience from my 21-year long career,” he says.

“Natarajan was a top performer for MRC and Services. He has also been serving as a referee for the Kerala Football Association for the past three decades,” says S Geevarghese, secretary of the Thiruvananthapuram District Football Association. Natarajan makes a living by working as a dispatch clerk at the KSFE here. But for this former goalkeeper, it is football that makes his life.

He is someone who believes in the value of experience than coaching certificates. Though he has been engaged in the game as a player, coach and referee for so long, he has never attended a coaching certificate course. “Some things you can only gain by experience and football is like that,” Natarajan says

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Adwaidh Rajan / July 02nd, 2014

With 2014 FIFA World Cup kicking off next week it is time to train the lights on some football greats of Kerala. A name that stands out along the stalwarts is 84-year-old Rufus D’Souza. His distinction is in having played hockey and football with equal felicity for the State. In 1954 Rufus captained Travancore Cochin in hockey. In 1960 he represented Tamil Nadu for both the games. In 1972 he was captain of the Kerala State hockey team but switched over to football and has been associated with football in the State for the last 44 years. Today, Rufus is known for his playing skills and also as a coach who has produced stars for the country. He is present daily on the Parade Ground, Fort Kochi, every morning training kids of different ages. No wonder he is popularly known as ‘Football Uncle’. Rufus is looking forward to the football extravaganza and places his odds on Uruguay this time. The game has been my life, declares Rufus. Excerpts from an interview with him:

Your early initiation into the game?

I started playing the game as a seven-year-old at Parade Ground. We were encouraged to play hockey and football. The late K.M. Aboo was my coach. I played for his club – Youngsters Football Club. In hockey, I was coached by C.R. Timmins and J.R. Jackson of Kerala Wanderers Sports Club. Aboo is the man who guided me and many other players to reach the top level of the game.

The Parade Ground is historic. It has been your playing and training ground. Your comments?

I began and ended my playing career at the Parade Ground. In the early 50s the ground was the centre for British parade. In those days many foreign warships came here. The English wanted a ground to play rugby, football, cricket and hockey. The ground was converted into a playing ground by bringing the grass from Australia. R.J. White and R.D. Bake were the two Englishmen who gave the ground a billiard table top finish.

Every year before the monsoon the English used to play rugby matches. Once the rains began nobody was permitted to play or work on the ground for the next two months. It was so at least till I left for Madras in 1960.

Some of the tournaments played here were the Reda Cup (All India Hockey tournament), Ranji Trophy cricket matches in which Balan Pandit and Ravi Achan played, and the All Kerala Luke Memorial Football Tournament were held on this ground. In 1948, Olympic gold medallist Nandy Singh of the Indian Navy, representing the Southern Naval Command, played in the Reda Cup.

Some of your memorable sporting moments?

The biggest moment for me was in 1957 when the All India School National Hockey Tournament was held at the Maharaja’s Ground, Ernakulam. There I met the 1956 Olympian gold medallist R.S. Gentle, the world’s greatest penalty corner specialist. He came to Ernakulam as a guest of the Bombay hockey team. Gentle played under Captain Balbir Singh Sr and scored the winning goal against Pakistan in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne. I invited him to Cochin to be the guest at a match between Gymkhana Club and Cochin Select. On entering the ground he told me that this is an Olympic park. He took the stick from C.R. Timmins. The goalkeeper was the late Percy Sparrow. Gentle asked the goalkeeper to move away from the post. He said he would take a shot in which the ball would deflect after hitting the crossbar. We waited and watched this spellbound. It was hard to believe.

Two British internationals Billy Wright and Tommy Walker (England World Cup soccer players) had visited the Parade Ground. Walker who had broken six wooden cross bars said after looking at the cross bar that it was six inches low. We measured and found him to be correct. I can’t forget such golden memories… of such greats visiting the Parade Ground and I standing next to them.

Tell us about Santos Club that you are associated with?

Santos Club was established in 1973 and was registered with the Kerala Football Association in 1980. The players who made Santos famous are P.P. Tobias, who captained Junior India at the Asian Youth Championship (1984-85), Kerala Police player K.A. Anson who played for India in the Nehru Cup, Feroz Sharif, goalkeeper who played for India in Pre-Olympics hockey, the late Bobby Hamilton who played for Youth India, Sebastian Netto, goalkeeper, who played for India, M.M. George, who played for Youth India, M.M. Sebastian who captained the sub-junior State team, Jacob Varghese, captain of the Indian Railways side and Anil Kumar who played for Kerala in the Santosh Trophy.

What are your coaching principles?

I teach my boys only discipline — punctuality, personality, behaviour and fair play.

source: http://www. thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Priyadershini  S / Kochi – June 05th, 2014

Thiruvananthapuram  :

His curly hairdo kept back with a sweatband, Jobby Justin is sure to grab more attention than any of his teammates while lining up to play football. But with his skills and ability to create goal-scoring opportunities on the field, it is hard not to notice that there is more to this youngster than style.

In the ongoing 10th SBT G V Raja All-India Football Tournament here, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) reached the final overcoming tournament favourites AG’s Office in the semifinal and Jobby was instrumental in scoring a couple and assisting four goals.

Having joined KSEB only four months ago, the 21-year-old has already established a place in KSEB’s midfield.

“He is a very hard worker with immense talent and a powerful shot in him,” says M Rajeev Kumar, coach of KSEB.

For a player who has only recently made the switch from the flanks as a wing back to the midfield, Jobby has adapted very well. “I love playing in midfield helping teammates to score and scoring a few myself. The coach has given me all the freedom to play which helps a lot,” Jobby said.

Jobby grew up playing football on the beaches of Vettucaud but did not take the game seriously until his eighth standard when he joined St Joseph’s HSS. Playing for St Mary’s Club, he was already being noticed in the city’s football circles.

“I was fortunate enough to learn under footballers like Sylvester Ignatius, Earnest and Vinu Jose,” Jobby said. After joining MG College here, the youngster continued to appear in tournaments including TNIE GOAL 2013.

Soon, the opportunity to represent Kerala under-19 team came in the Junior National Championship held at Kolkata. As a wing back, he also finished runners-up in the all-India inter-university tournament with the Kerala University before signing as a guest player for Travancore Titanium last year before joining KSEB.

“We are a young team, but the seniors are always helping and motivating us. There is a winning mentality in the team,” Jobby said. But his biggest challenge yet would come on Monday when he plays the live-wire of KSEB midfield against the intimidating opposition of State Bank of Travancore in the final of the GV Raja tournament.

And the youngster has only one target set in his mind for Monday. “We have reached this far. So there is no question other than going all out to win the tournament,” Jobby said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Adwaidh Rajan / June 02nd, 2014