“Those were different times. Football fever was sweeping the State in the 70s and Premier Tyres, India’s third biggest tyre concern, based in Kochi with a football team, had declared 34 % bonus,” says CC Jacob, former footballer and member of the erstwhile Premier Tyres team. He was recalling the iconic company’s feisty engagement with sports. It was not surprising that when Kerala lifted the Santosh Trophy, in 1973, 10 of its players- KP Williams, TA Jaffar, PP Prasannan, M. Mitran, P .Paulose, KP Sethumadhavan, Victor Manjila, CC Jacob, Xavier Pius and Muhammed Basheer were from Premier Tyres. The company also had to its credit a volleyball team with internationals like Jimmy George and Jose George on its rolls. A cricket team with talents like Ranji players P. Nissar and K. Mohan was another arm of its sports venture.
Incorporated in 1959 the company was promoted by Bombay-based Desai family who were into share broking and rice trade. They were encouraged by the then Industries Minister T. Thomas to invest in Kerala. Its foundation stone was laid by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Initially the firm collaborated with American firm Uniroyal, one of the largest tyre companies of the world but had only Indians in their management team. In 1962 the company went into production beginning with tyres for trucks and diversifying into manufacturing for tractors and scooters . “The 70s were a period of great productivity and profitability, also a time when the popularity of football was at its peak. It was then that the company decided to invest seriously into sports,” says VN Venugopal, former Factory Manager and history buff.
To do so it appointed a sports officer, Major PS Paul, also in-charge of Security, to oversee the development of the games— formation of teams, appointment of coaches, selection,boarding lodging of players,and the participation in tournaments across the country. One of the first things was the building of a football field. An engineer by the name of Mani was assigned the task. “ Barracks were built around the field to lodge the players and a dining mess too was built. Part of the field was lost during the widening of the Highway and later more of it went into building the Metro rail station. Now more than half of that field has gone,” says Venugopal.
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Defender PP Prasannan joined the team at its inception and remained a part of it till its end playing the last match in Nagpur in 1984. Before he joined Premier Tyres he played hockey, as goalkeeper with Cannanore Brothers Club.
“In 1973 we won three tournaments- Chakola Cup, GV Raja and the Golden Jubilee Trophy. Olympian TA Abdul Rehman was our first coach,”says Prasannan.
Recalling those heady days Jacob says that once the team began playing tournaments, beginning with DCM Cup in September they would be travelling for the rest of the year. “There was no Vishu, no Onam for us. It was just one match after another.”
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The first player to be recruited was Chathunni, from the Services, but he soon left the team to join Goa. Ramakrishnan and Vijayan joined from Alind Kundara, KP William and TA Jaffar left FACT team to join Premier Tyres. “The salary the company offered was very good and there was new enthusiasm, ”says Jacob.
Concurring with Jacob, K. Mohan joined the company as it offered better prospects, “40% bonus”. “At that time the tyre industry was different. Premier tyre was a premium tyre company in India, after Firestone and Dunlop. Its football team had carved a name for itself,”says Mohan, a left hand opening batsman who opened for Kerala for four years.
Victor Manjila a former star player says, “The Premier Tyres team was what ISL is now to India. It was that popular.”
A reason for the team’s success he says was the understanding that existed between the players. He cites as example the friendship that existed between the team’s two goalkeepers, himself and KP Sethumadhavan. “There was no ego clash. We decided between ourselves who was better for a particular field and match. It was this spirit that the team played with, which took us so far.”
Mohan points out that the company grounds have seen some high profile Ranji trophy matches, when Hyderabad and Andhra played here. There were stalwarts like ML Jaisimha, D. Govindraj and Pochiah Krishnamurthy on this field.”
Venugopal adds, “We conducted trial matches, visited other districts and identified upcoming talents. The selection was done professionally.”
Hence P. Paulose from Aluva, KP Sethumadhavan from Calicut, Victor Manjila from Thrissur, Kunjamutti and P. Nissar from Thalassery, Dinakar from Palakkad, CC Jacob, Xavier Pius and MD Michael from Ernakulam made the team, among many others..
“When we joined we were timid boys. Our coach TA Abdul Rehman, who played for India in Melbourne Olympics in 1956 was a very loving man but also a strict disciplinarian. He insisted on long practice hours. We had a very well balanced team.”
After their sterling performance as part of Kerala team in Santosh Trophy, the team did exceedingly well in 1975 winning four tournaments.
“I remember the crowds during the matches, the semis and the finals used to draw about 35 to 40, 000 people. They used to come from different parts of the State to watch the matches. It really was one of the best times for football in the State. Everybody had their favourite team and player,”says Jacob.
As far as volleyball went Jacob says that the game was popular in the interiors and players were recruited from there. The company team earned a name for itself as it had some formidable players.
Prasannan reasons about a corporate house’s steady investment in sports. Mohan says that the promoters were keen about sports and recollects the MD Bhanu Desai’s son to be a badminton enthusiast. Prasannan says that the players were ambassadors of the company and spread its name far and wide.
One of the setbacks the football team had was in 1979 when four of its début players, the mainstay, left for other teams. Slowly the company too began a down slide and a prolonged vicious strike brought its functioning to a stand still. All this took its toll and finally by 1984 all sporting activities of the teams of Premier Tyres came to an end. With government interjection the company was taken over by new management. All that remains of those heady days of production, profit and sports is the Premier Junction at Kalamassery, where the premises are, and a faithful reunion of the players every year.