UKSC crowned as champions of Kolkata League Premier Division

Kolkata: The United Kolkata Sports Club (UKSC) has secured a promotion to the Premier Division by winning the Kolkata League Championship. On Thursday, at Barrackpore Stadium, UKSC defeated Shribhumi Football Club 2-1, with goals from Sreemanta Kisku and Deepak Chettri.

In their very first year, the club has achieved a championship title — an unparalleled feat in Kolkata football history. United Kolkata SC was officially launched on April 15, 2024, and began training under Coach Deepak Mondal in May. Within a few months, they have achieved massive success.

The club’s founder and secretary, Debdut Roychowdhury, had dreamt of becoming champions from day one and that dream was realised on this historic day. Debdut Roychowdhury said: “Although it might seem surprising, this was always our goal. We aimed to bring a change to Maidan football and secure a promotion to the Premier Division by becoming champions. I told the players in the dressing room that our mission isn’t over yet — we have to win. While most teams don’t practice 5-6 days a week at this level, we did a nd it paid off.”

Vice President, Mou Roy Chowdhury was the prime source of encouragement for this team. She was a sports lover who brought forward the zeal of sportsmanship to the everyone through her sports magazine. The victory was dedicated to the late goalkeeping coach, Prashanta De. Throughout the match, a chair with a jersey and gloves was placed in the ground to honour him and even a medal was awarded in his name. The match itself was mostly one-sided, with much of the game being a 10-vs-10 contest. The match saw an unusual flurry of red cards — six in total, five for Shribhumi and one for UKSC.

Shribhumi’s Farooq, Subrata Biswas and Pradeep Mohanraj, along with two coaching staff, were sent off. Despite missed opportunities, UKSC displayed dominant football throughout, with Rahul VP missing two clear chances, including an open goal in the final quarter. Shribhumi’s president and West Bengal Fire Minister, Sujit Bose, was also present to encourage the players. Rahul VP emerged as the highest goal scorer of the tournament, netting 14 goals in 17 matches. United Kolkata SC finished with a total of 36 goals, a remarkable goal

difference of +25.