Club-73 is all set to organize the Satyabrata Memorial State Level Football Tournament at Bhubaneswar Football Academy Ground, Unit-1 from December 26 to 29. “Eight leading club and institutional teams will vie for the trophy in our day-night tournament,” announced the host club secretary Subrat Kumar Patnaik at the press meet today.
The champion team will receive a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and the runner-up outfit Rs 50,000. The two losing semi-finalists will be given Rs 25,000 each. The tournament will feature a total of seven matches.
When inter-club tournaments are getting wiped out from the football horizon of Odisha, Satyabrata Memorial has survived till date, overcoming challenges galore since its inception in 1997. Initially, it was a one-day tournament and became a multi-day event from 2007.
A premier football club of Bhubaneswar, Club-73 groomed a number of national-level footballers, providing them with free boarding and lodging, apart from coaching and training facilities. Kalinga Stadium was the home ground of the club that won scores of tournaments across the State.
Headed by its president and former Odisha Senior Men Cricketer team player-turned-mentor, Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, Club-73 made commendable contributions to Odisha football before it was thrown into disarray by Covid19 pandemic.
The club became homeless as the State Sports Department did not allow its players to train at Kalinga Stadium. The club hostel was closed down and its annual tournament came to a halt.
Meanwhile, Mohapatra joined active politics and became an MLA from Brahmagiri constituency in 2019. It was also a gain for football as Club-73 started regaining support to resume its activities. Last year, the club celebrated its golden jubilee by reviving the Satyabrata Memorial Tournament.
2024 FIXTURE:
26 Dec (QF): Odisha Police vs Gallant Club, Cuttack (3.00 PM)
26 Dec (QF): Kishore Club vs Sambalpur Football Academy (5.30 PM
27 Dec (QF): Unit-VI Athletic Association, Bhubaneswar vs Phulbani Football Academy (3.00 PM)
27 Dec (QF): Sunrise Club, Cuttack vs Independent Club, Cuttack (5.30 PM)
28 Dec: Semifinals
29 Dec: Final