Olympians trade hockey stick for football boots, turn up for Bengaluru’s Konkan FC

Former India international hockey player Anup Antony has a simple motto. “If you have mastered hockey, any other sport is easy,” Antony said.

Antony lives by these words. He is now the player-secretary of Konkan FC, a team in the BDFA ‘C’ division football league here. Antony took the step to start this football team over a decade ago.

Fifteen of the 18 players are either international or national level field hockey players, who joined the club purely for their love of football.

“In my younger days, I was a footballer. I used to play for my father’s team. I’ve met a lot of hockey players who asked to join our football team. Konkan FC started with three hockey players, now we are up to 15,” Antony told Sportstar on Friday.

“A hockey player can adapt to football. Hockey and football is similar in terms of formation, planning, and strategy,” Antony said.

“If you have mastered hockey, any other sport is easy,” Antony said.
| Photo Credit:
MURALI KUMAR K

Antony was keen to make a contribution to football, and realised this dream when he started a football academy, BGF Sporting Club, four years ago.

Hockey Olympian S.K. Uthappa is among the most popular names in Konkan FC. “I just love playing football here, but I cannot give it my all because I have to worry about my professional hockey career,” Antony, who represents Indian Oil in the hockey domestic circuit, said.

“As a hockey player, this comes easy. It’s the same concept – pass, make the run,” Uthappa said.

V.S. Vinaya is the other player in the team who has represented the Indian hockey team. Noel Robinson, Mohammed Naeemuddin, Govind Raj and Praveen Kumar are some of the players who have represented the Karnataka hockey team.

On Friday, Uthappa turned hero with a hat-trick, powering Konkan FC’s 5-0 win against Jsports FC. Konkan FC, the team to beat this year, is on track to achieving the big promotion.