Arrows, Arrows burning bright

They had finished off in style - with a 5-4 demolition of McDowell Mohun Bagan. For most, it was just a win. Many even tried to justify it as an upset victory. But Bulpin knew it wasn't.

Much like the flow of attacks the Arrows stitched on the field, it's hard to tackle Bulpin when he speaks about his Arrows. "Yes, they are the Arrows - sharp and focused. We have put in a lot of hard work and made people realise about their potential," he says.

The I-League was meant for the Big Boys - Men to be precise. So when the All India Football Federation (AIFF) proposed an AIFF XI comprising of U-21 boys should play in the I-League, all had raised eyebrows. You couldn't blame them. 'The League isn't for the kids,' stayed the sentiment. Relegation was a foregone conclusion, especially without any foreign recruit in the ranks.

Indeed it was. But if you look back at the I-League, amidst Salgaocar winning it; amidst Ranti Martin's goal rush; amidst Kingfisher East Bengal's golden run for a brief period; there was a set of boys who outshone everyone - the Indian Arrows, possibly the find of the I-League.

Sunando Dhar, CEO, I-League feels so. "I think the biggest gain has been the Indian Arrows. When the concept was floated by Mr. Praful Patel, there was a lot of reservation even among AIFF members. But we went ahead with the plan. The performance proves it was a successful experiment."

No one knows the Arrows better than Technical Director Colm Toal. After all, it was Toal who taught the boys the finer points of the game in the age-group camps. "The Indian Arrows form the nucleus of the India's Olympic team and some have already played for the Senior Team. It's such a positive sign," Toal told www.the-aiff.com.

Someone who hardly goes gaga when asked about a footballer is Subhas Bhowmick. "Some of the boys would be the stars in future. They are fit, agile and seem to have the right attitude. I hope they don't lose their composure," he said.

But it's still hard to console Bulpin. The hard task master that he is, Bulpin still laments losing eight-nine members midway into the season. "Three boys fell ill (chicken-pox); three-four got injured and a couple were out for exams. Had they stayed together, we would have finished much higher in the table," he maintained.

Toal stays satisfied the boys are getting a chance to play in the mainstream. "It was frustrating to watch the talented U-19 boys fading away because there was no structure in the I-League to take care of them," he adds.

The team was re-christened as Indian Arrows at the midway half-way stage.

Tathagata Mukherjee, the National Team Director explains: "We stressed on 'Indian' as this team will represent the National Team in the future. And then the 'Arrows' came in, as we have a specific target in mind - qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup."

Realistic dream? Seems so. With the YDP in place and the Indian Arrows being the best thing of the I-League, one can dare to dream big.