Trinamool Congress national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee on Friday launched the Diamond Harbour Football Club which is set to make its Calcutta Football League (CFL) debut in the first division in the upcoming season.
Banerjee confirmed that the aim of launching the club was to provide exposure to promising youngsters while also compete with the likes of Indian footballing giants like ATK Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting in a couple of years.
“CFL will get underway in one month and our target is to become first division champions. We will win your hearts. Within a couple of years we hope to qualify for the Premier A or B. We are confident of reaching greater heights within four-five years. If needed, we will also make a foray into ISL,” he said as quoted by the Bridge.
Today, with your blessings and love, we launched DIAMOND HARBOUR FOOTBALL CLUB. ⚽
For football, we’ll give our heart and soul because for us, it’s more than a sport. It’s an emotion.
We’re confident, we’re focused and we’re READY TO ROAR!#DHFCLaunch pic.twitter.com/9tU5r7Fy0i
— DHFC (@dhfootballclub) April 15, 2022
Banerjee who has been conducting the MP Cup since 2017 admitted that he intended to launch a football club back in 2019, but the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic stalled his plans.
“Today we have completed the formalities and I am thankful to the IFA (West Bengal state association) for giving us a green signal. There are so many talented youngsters here but due to lack of infrastructure they hardly have any platform to showcase their talents. I hope this will raise their standards and help in developing the sport in the country,” the Trinamool Congress national general secretary added.
