Kenkre FC qualify!

In 2000, a team named Kenkre FC was founded at a place where football is not paid much attention to called Mumbai, by a gem named Sir Adib Kenkre, with the aim to amalgamate sports and studies and nurture the inane football talent of the stars of tomorrow.

Sir Kenkre started the club, also known as Kenkre Football Academy, along with another football lover, Mr. Joshua Lewis who has a strong educational background. Both had a common aim, that is to make proper use of resources by innovating new coaching formulae rather than the same mundane strategies, drills and tactics most often used by even the highest of qualified coaches. According to Mr. Lewis, Sir Kenkre is the best, not only as a football coach but also as a true friend, motivator and guide.

                                                                 SIR ADIB KENKRE

In a place like Mumbai, where money is the prime objective and material is the only determination, it is difficult to find dedicated passion and yearning for sports which is an attitude that has been changed by Sir Adib Kenkre by making football fun. Such an attitude in Mumbai has resulted in parents treating football as a past-time but according to Sir Kenkre, the best students are the best footballers with an IQ/EQ which never proved wrong. Sir Kenkre has also illustrated his ambition for success by bringing in legendary German coach Horst Wein to train the coaches and players at the Mumbai club.

In the season 2009, the then Kenkre FC coach Anthony Fernandes had some problems with timings because his Railways job used to clash with his training sessions which eventually led to the employment of a new head coach (known in Europe as Manager). The Kenkre board decided to employ a UEFA qualified coach Floyd  Pinto as their new head coach (in Europe known as Manager). Putting a coach who had no professional coaching background and was just at a tender age of 23,  the post of head coach was a risky but successful decision. In his second year as coach of the Araldite sponsored team, Floyd has managed to beat many big teams with his tiny teams.

                                                                   FLOYD PINTO

In the Maharashtra qualifiers for the I-League Div 2. Floyd Pinto masterminded beating the highly-rated Akbar Travels FC among others in the group stages. The team defeated Nirvan Shah's PIFA COLABA FC in an exciting game which was decided by a penalty shootout. Everyone managed to score but the match was decided when PIFA's Nigerian striker, George Udo missed.

The final was scheduled between Araldite Kenkre FC and second-tier giants BMFC (Bengal Mumbai Football Club) which the media predicted would be a one-sided encounter benefitting BMFC. BMFC comprising of several I-League players like Henry Gangte (ex- Air India and Mohun Bagan), Harshad Meher, Romenjit Singh and Loukik Jadhav and three foreigners in Ifeanyi, Ejike and Figo all Nigerian). Most importantly, their coach was the famous Mr. Bimal Ghosh, a well known personality in the football circuit and in my view, the best coach there ever has been in South Asia.  In his 18 years of coaching tenure with I-League team Air India, he has been the man responsible for creating stars like Steven Dias, Sanju Pradhan, Ravinder Singh, ND Opara, Singam Subhas Singh and Arnab Das Sharma to name a few.  He has also been friend and mentor to the former India goalkeeper Mohammed Yusuf Ansari who is now in-charge of Air India.

The fans entered the Cooperage Stadium and took their seats to go through 90 minutes of the match expecting BMFC to dominate Kenkre FC. All of a sudden, everyone was alarmed when Kenkre FC took the lead, thanks to a volley from Punjabi midfielder Charanjeet Singh, the architect of the goal being former Mumbai United winger Francisco Salin's cross from the left flank. The resolute Kenkre defence thwarted every chance directed towards them until the 83rd minute when coach Floyd Pinto brought on substitute Taha Kachwala. Taha Kachwala was absolutely clinical by latching on to a pass and calmly passing it on to striker Mathew Odje to tap into the goal. Taha was still hungry despite the 2-0 lead as he whipped another Francisco Salin pass into the back of the net to make the score 3-0. The final score ended in a 3-0 final victory for Araldite Kenkre FC.

Throughout the tournament, the entire blue kit Kenkre FC squad put in 100% and a lot of contribution was put in through goalkeeper Deepak Kamble, centre-backs Nigerian Richard Agwu and ex national player Rehman Cardoz, skipper Madhusudan Phadale, winger Francisco Salin and former Vasco SC striker Mathew Odje. As of December 2010, Araldite Kenkre FC are the champions of the Maharashtra qualifiers and have achieved a place in the 2011 I-League Division 2.