Cochin
The Golden Jubilee of the Premier Tires Football Club, which changed the map of Kerala football, is approaching. This is an opportunity to reminisce about the glorious times of the past. Fifty years of Premier Tires is also the history of Kerala football. The gold stars of that time are meeting in Kochi today. In the game, they hit the ball for a while.
Kerala football was once the premier tires. Players from different clubs in Kerala from all over the country hit the ball with one mind. All India tournaments won. Made fans with playfulness. Many of those players played in the Indian team.
Fifty years after its inception, the life of Kerala football continues in the history of Premier Tires. Premier Tires was formed in 1971 by Olympian Abdul Rahman. Two or three senior players that day. All other junior players. ‘Rahmanika was the energy of the team. The first consideration was the welfare of the players. The first requirement when taking charge is accommodation for the players. That interference lasted until the meal. Players added together. That was the strength of Premier Tires, ”recalls TA Jaffer, a Premier Tires player and vice-captain of the 1973 Santosh Trophy team. Rahman coached the team until 1973. He reached the finals of eight tournaments but did not win the title. In 1974 alone, he won five titles. GV Raja, Chocola, Kollam Jubilee, Nehru Cup and Darjeeling Trophy were won by the Premier Tires Club. He has won the Chocola Trophy and the Darjeeling Trophy twice. KG Vijayan was the coach then.
Played in all major venues across the country. There were eight tournaments in Kerala at that time. Twelve members of the Kerala team that won the Santosh Trophy in 1973 were from Premier Tires. When Kerala won the BC Roy Tro-Phi title in Kolkata the following year, 10 of the 11 players who played that day were Premier Tires players.
Unity between the players was also important. Victor Manjila and KP Sethumadhavan were the goalkeepers. In defense, Thampi, PP Prasannan, Mithran, P Paulus, Hamza, CC Jacob and Prem Nath Philip were present. TA Jaffer, Gunasekharan, Moitheen, KP Williams, Ramakrishnan, Majeed and Michael are the backbenchers.
CD Francis, Blasi George, Xavier Pius, NM Najeeb, Dinkar, Jagadish, Dr. Basheer and others.
CD Francis, KP Williams and Blasi George are in the lead. These stars meet every year. The golden generation of that time was over 75 years old. I have not had a tent for the last three years because of Kovid.
Kalamassery-based Premier Tire Factory came up with the idea of a football team in 1970. This was a move in the interest of football in Kerala. Premier Tires came to an end in 1984 when the company ceased all sporting activities.
Today is a reunion of players and their families. The players are honored by the Bolgatti Footballers. They will hit the ball for a while at the Maharaja’s ground in Ernakulam.
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