BHAWANIPUR FUTSAL 2023

“Together we stand, lose or win – We are a team.” are words that resonate completely with sports like football. With a universal fanbase, the game is played throughout the globe in all forms, small and large. ‘Futsal’ is a FIFA-recognised small-sided indoor football game that requires only 5 players on each side unlike the kind of football that requires 11 people. To keep the students lively and active, The Bhawanipur Education Society College organized the Bhawanipur FUTSAL 2023 which was a shining opportunity for plenty of students who take an interest in this sport.

The campus Turf was a fitting place to host an event such as this as players could perform at their best capacity while the spectators would cheer to keep up their spirits. With a total of 56 teams taking part, the event took place on the 11th, 12th, and 13th of July 2023. On Day 1, i.e., 11th of July, there were 28 matches set for round 1 which was the qualifying round. The matches began at 8:30 A.M and went on till 5:30 P.M with a half-hour break in between. At the end of Day 1, 28 teams were left. Day 2 started at 9:00 A.M and consisted of rounds 2 and 3 with 14 and 7 matches to be played respectively. 14 teams were left in the game as day 2 concluded. Last but not least, Day 3 was when the winner would come forth and claim its rightful position. Day 3 saw round 4 or quarter-final, semi-final, and finals take place from 10:00 A.M onwards. When Day 3 ended, the team ‘Ankara Messi’ was victorious with team ‘Weekend Warriors’ coming at the 1st runners-up and team ‘6 Super Strikers’ bagging the 2nd runners-up position, respectively.

It was clear that students are passionate about the sport as they played under the scorching sun and never stopped even when it started raining heavily. All the players portrayed sportsmanship at their best when both teams shook hands at the end of their matches. Many teams would spend extra time outside the Turf before and after their match to analyze strategies and to cheer for others. In the closing ceremony on the 13th of July, all three teams which won were awarded medals and certificates by our Dean Sir, Prof. Dilip Shah, who remarked that the event was a successful initiative and that the college will come up with further events related to sports to provide its students with a platform to showcase their skills.

Altogether there were 58 teams. Thus about 360 students took part in the tournament as players & volunteers. There were two professional referees who ensured that there was fair play. Finally, the game itself was a winner as the writing on the wall was sun or rain, fun or pain, loss, or gain; we all did our best for our game!

Reporter – Aniket Dasgupta