Winning flair and square!

Winning is a habit they say and Don Bosco Matunga have made it a splendid one on the interschool football sceneIn the last two decades the schoolrsquos football team have won the Mumbai Schools Sports Association MSSA boys U16 Division I titles in 2023 2022 2019 2018 2017 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2008 2007 2006 2005 and 2004 It speak volumes of their dominance and soon they could add one moretitle when they face Bombay Scottish Mahim in the finalPandemic problemThey were runnersup in 2016 and 2009 and could have well reached the top in 2020 and 2021 had the tournament not been cancelled due to the COVID19 pandemicBosco are led by Yohaan DrsquoSouza this year while another Yohaan Panjuani was a victorious skipper in 2023 and 2022 ably supported by Ayush Kharat and Arya Kamble in respective yearsLast week the Bosco boys defeated their archrivals St Stanislaus Bandra in the semifinalsAlso ReadScottish flourish to enter MSSA U16 Div I summit clashMasterminding Don Boscorsquos football success from the sidelines is Leslie Machado 69 who has been the schoolrsquos football coach for the last 35 years ldquoOne of the main reasons for us doing well is the foundation we have laid over the years Our supremacy is a collective effortmdashplayers coaches and support staff The players train religiously even on their holidays We nurture these kids right from the under8 level Now other schools have also started to work early on the kids like usrdquo Machado told middayExperiencing sporting adversity is inevitable but how practitioners of sport deal with it varies Machado reckoned his boys display the right spirit to excel in such scenarios ldquoThese boys are fighters they never give up With the influx of academies in schools even other teams are becoming stronger Despite that we are able to do well I believe for a team to perform well we need to have not just one or two star performers but all 16 players should be goodrdquo remarked MachadoLeslie MachadoSavio DrsquoSouza the schoolrsquos sports teacher for 27 years pointed to commitment as being one of the reasons for Don Boscorsquos success He said ldquoOur domination in interschool football over the years is testament to dedication talent and strong team ethos The impressive and consistent success can be attributed to a combination of excellent coaching a disciplined training regime and a culture that values teamwork and perseverance Sir Leslie is known for his dedication to the school football team across more than three decades His commitment extends beyond coaching often spending extra hours mentoring players individually encouraging them to excel both on and off the fieldrdquoMeanwhile though Fr Crispino DrsquoSouza exprincipal and rector of Don Bosco High School and Don Bosco International School is now based in Pune since May 2023 the fruits of his sporting passion continue to provide sporting nourishmentFr Crispino was happy to reveal a bit of history ldquoDuring the early 1990s when Fr Adolph Furtado returned from the USA he started the sports division A division It had 5060 boys in a class who were a part of various sporting disciplines The sports boys had to pay a monthly fee approximately R2500 and in return got the best coaching The school invested in the right coaches and trainers and sports took off A timetable was drawn and it had a huge impact making them the No 1 school in the city This was followed from Class II till Class X Fr Adolphrsquos successors Fr Edward DrsquoSouza Fr Bosco DrsquoMelloFr Bernard Fernandes and I built on thatrdquoEsteemed alumniLike their present lot of sporting students the school is also proud to have India cricketers Farokh Engineer Ravi Shastri Jatin Paranjape and Shreyas Iyer as their exstudentsIndiarsquos 1980 Moscow Olympics gold medalwinning hockey team member MM Somaya who was Chief Operating Officer of the Bosco Sports Academy until recently explained what makes Don Bosco different ldquoA robust structure of talent identification coaching and exposure across multiple sports has made a huge difference With the vagaries of sport showing that the final goal difference is also about how the stars align on the day Don Boscorsquos wellequipped football stars will always be aiming for the skyrdquoView from an expertJatin Paranjape Former India cricketerDon Bosco Matunga is a school that lays a lot of emphasis on sports in addition to education The fantastic sports infrastructure was the biggest lever for me I started playing hockey but was quickly inducted into the cricket team The most important learning for me was that I could do both sports and studies with the right time management If I missed a few classes because of cricket tours our then Sports Head Mr Patel would take my situation on board but kept reiterating that I had to do well on the academic side too Mr Kumar Tamhane who turned out to be my first coach spent a lot of time working on my game He was kind yet firm about punctuality and team work That my two boys study here is a source of great joy for melsquoAmazing support from everyonersquoYohaan DrsquoSouza SkipperlsquoThe support we get from our coaches especially Leslie Machado sir is just amazing Also our teachers are very helpful to students in the schoolrsquos football cricket hockey basketball and other sports teams Leslie sir may be 69 but his fitness motivates us He does all the drills with the same intensity as usrsquolsquoLeslie sir has shaped us allrsquoAdair DrsquoSouza Top performerlsquoIt is the love for the sport along with the discipline and passion that has been invested in each child from a very young age that has played a huge role in the teamrsquos success Our coach Leslie sir has shaped all of us and led us to do well in football His contribution in our growth both on and off the field has been immensersquo