National football federation declares P.K. Banerjee’s birthday as ‘AIFF Grassroots Day’
The HinduThe All India Football Federation has declared June 23, the birthday of Indian football icon Pradip Kumar Banerjee, as the ‘AIFF Grassroots Day’, the sport’s apex body said on May 12. Explaining the reason behind choosing P.K.’s birthday, AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran said, “We often forget Pradip da was a teacher par excellence too. da’s contribution at the grassroots level, his leadership at the Tata Football Academy, his ability to inspire and fine-tune the budding talents.” An exemplary footballer, Banerjee played a pivotal role in India’s historic gold medal finish in the 1962 Asian Games. There are a rare few like him, a great player, a great mentor and a great coach who was filled with passion and always wanted to see Indian football rise.” Born in Jalpaiguri, Banerjee is widely regarded as one of India’s greatest footballers and was the country’s the country’s highest scorer with four goals en route to the triumph in 1962 Asian Games.