Nostalgia: Football Focus

I was in Bangalore for 3 years - 2002 to 2005. I have always loved the city. More than the climate or the posh malls, it is the people who make Bangalore what it is.

I miss my friends at Bangalore a lot. The friendships that we forged were unadulterated. No pretensions. No Maggu, Ghissu, Stud or Pro. Just the names or the nicknames. Nothing else.

In my school at K.V. Jalahalli No-1, all of us understood each other. Or at least we thought we did. When we played football, not a single soul stayed back at the class - at least not among the boys.

We tried to utilise our 'break' to the fullest. We would have our tiffin in 5 minutes and rush to the football ground. Teams were fixed so that we did not waste our time in deciding the team.

The Rules

The rules of the game were simple.

No corner. No offside. Fouls allowed to the point of not causing an injury. The area of play was not defined. The player closest to the goal was the goalkeeper by default.

The rest was all common sense.

Structure of an Average Game

The games were played with a lot of passion. We did not play for 'time-pass'. We played to win.

An average game lasted 20-25 minutes. It comprised of vicious crosses (Arun was particularly good at them), long distance shots but no header. It is no mean task to head a Cosco ball flying past you.

We played in the hockey ground. So our goal posts were the hockey goal posts. Roles were preassigned. I, for instance, always defended the goal.

The end was usually quiet abrupt. The bell would ring followed by sharp whistles from the P.T. teacher - which meant we had to empty the ground immediately. But that is how it was - Time Management at its very best.

Variations

It wasn't always intra-section. At times, we played against the other sections. We would then club together the best players of both the teams and give our best.

On one occasion, 2 or 3 good players from our team defected to the opposition. But more than the players, it was about the chemistry within the team. If the team members gelled well, the team won. Otherwise it lost.

When we were short of Cosco balls, we switched over to mineral water bottles. Those games were very rough though. At other times, we would shift over to American Football. But that was 'once in a while'.

Playing Gear

Since we had limited time, as a rule we stuck to our school uniform. As a consequence, my leather shoes never lasted more than 4 to 5 months.

We never played with any protective gear. Apart from a few sprains, I was never injured very seriously. Nobody ever was.

I never played with my spectacles. Shinto did. Arun didn't. It was a personal choice. We had a two minute allowance to tuck our shirts in before going into the class. K.V.s are very particular about the uniform.

What I learnt during those contests was more than just the nuances of football. Time management, Teamwork and Resource Management was our daily bread and butter - though we seldom realised it back then.

Football changed us.
It made us better individuals.

And better team players.