By Sruti Chakraborty,

 AIFF MEDIA TEAM

NEW DELHI: Bengaluru FC have been one of the leading clubs in India since its inception in 2013 and now, as they are gearing up to appear in the maiden edition of the Hero Futsal Club Championship in New Delhi, their head coach Govardhan Gowda banks on their "collective strength" to get over the lines.

"All my players have their strengths and weaknesses, and when you put them together on the pitch, their collective strength makes them strong as a team, compensating for each other’s weaknesses," Gowda said.
"At Bengaluru FC, we are always looking to allow our players to play more games, get more experience under their belt and to do it in a national level competition is just a bonus. It was a no-brainer for us to take part in this tournament," he added.

Bengaluru FC won the Hero I-League in 2013 in their first season. Now, they are pumped up to win the coveted Hero Futsal Club Championship at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The coach feels the experience is worth it as important as lifting the trophy.

"It’ll be great to compete against some of the best teams in the competition, and I wish all the teams the very best as they fight for the title. At the end of the day, we should remember that this experience counts as much as the trophy."

The Bengaluru-based club are clubbed with Kuppuraj FC, Speed Force FC and Sporting Clube de Goa in Group B. Gowda picked the Flaming Oranges as the toughest competitor in the group.

"Sporting Clube de Goa is a big team, one with a lot of history when it comes to football in the country. That said, this is futsal and I think all teams pose a unique threat. If we turn up on the day of the match, stick to our game plan and execute it, we should be in a good position to progress from the group."
He further highlights the importance of Futsal in terms of becoming "quick thinkers" and becoming more "creative."

"Futsal allows players to play freely, become quick thinkers and broaden their creative side. It provides them with opportunities to discover themselves and develop better. I have also read about how it helps us have better cardiovascular health and muscle tone, lower body fat, build flexibility and endurance."

"Futsal is very unique, and it helps players think faster and improve their decision-making skills. They get to touch the ball a lot more than in regular games, and the pace is also much faster. I think this will help build the players’ confidence and get them thinking out of the box and being creative. If they can execute plans to perfection in a tight, compact space like a futsal field, they will do much better when playing in a full-length pitch," he opined.

He thanked the apex body for organising the aforementioned championship and feels more Futsal tournaments will help the format of the game be more popular across the country.

"I am very happy that the AIFF has decided to start this tournament, and I am glad that Bengaluru FC is participating in the debut season. The only way for the game to grow in the country is to increase the number of games, and having more formats will help popularise the sport even faster."