Bangalore Dream United FC won the BDFA ‘A’ Division Football League Match at the Bangalore Football Stadium in Bengaluru.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: It is one thing to win but quite another to dominate. In the recently concluded BDFA 'A' Division, the Bangalore Dream United Football Club (BDUFC) did just that.
Out of 14 matches, they won 12, gathered 37 points and slotted in 47 goals - these numbers tell you a story. This, however, is not a story of dominance, but one of redemption.
On a November evening in 2023, under the Bengaluru skies, between the four-six grandstands at the Bangalore Football Stadium stood a devastated and relegated BDUFC. The side had won just two games in 18 Super Division fixtures. The decline was sharp and steep and reasons aplenty.
"Our focus on the last season was not as intense and we had to let go of a lot of players. We were really very short on funds. So the strength in the squad was not the one that could sustain the requirements of the league," said BDUFC head coach Sharath Kamath in an interaction with DH.
However, since then and 15 months on, they have flipped the narrative. The next part -- the redemption bit -- has turned out to be just as intriguing.
In what started as a 2-0 win over Roots FC to press the reset button, the side, minute-by-minute, half-by-half and game-by-game built a well-oiled winning machine.
The sense of serious belief struck when they thrashed Young Challengers FC 6-0 and backed it up with a 5-0 win over Vijayanagar FC.
They then tapped into a limitless reservoir of attacking threat as the scoring spree continued, notching up at least three goals in eight of their next nine games, bagging seven wins. The key architect to this was Jai Hari Barman, the league's top scorer with 20 goals.
Now, re-imagine the same Bangalore Football Stadium and the afternoon on May 15 felt a lot livelier with the echoes of "yesses" and "come-ons".
The same Dream United, who were shunted out the Super Division doors, broke them open.
“Throughout the last year and a half, there was a lot of chemistry that was built. We also recruited players from different parts of the country. In the pre-season, we played at least eight to nine Super Division teams which gave us a lot of experience. A lot of hard work was put in and the guys played almost 72 matches this season,” he said.
The best part about this quick turnaround story is that Bangalore Dream United have always looked to their youth. A system and footballing structure that believes in building the superstars of the future.
“Every year we have a new recipe for the development of youth, and our philosophy is to keep continuing to be in youth development. Our main agenda is Indian football and we encourage kids from all over the country,” Sharath concluded.