To celebrate the life and inspiration of “Sir” Sydney Alexander, the Companeroes family is organising a football tournament in his memory. The first edition of this tournament brings together clubs that have battled with Companeroes across multiple leagues and grounds over the years.
As someone who lived his life on the sports fields of Mumbai and helped found, manage and run the club untill he passed away in 2022, Sydney was more than a teammate; he was also a friend, mentor, coach and inspiration to many. From playing in the team to helping run the club and carry it through the lean years, he was Mr. Companeroes till his last breath.
Companeroes, since its founding in 1970 has stayed true to his philosophy helping groom players for a larger stage, be it in football or Hockey. The club has produced notable football players including Clement Travasso, Andon D’Souza, Raynier Fernandes, and Bhumika Mane to name a few. Not to forget hockey, where we have an array of stars such as Marcellus Gomes, Darryl D’Souza, David Cardoza, and many others who have played for and helped coach the club.
Being a coach was just one facet of his personality – one of the unsung tasks he took upon himself was to help many players who faced disappointment to return to the game. Not being selected for university, city, or state team can be devastating and often kills the passion in players. A quiet word in their ear, a gentle nudge to “come practice with us” and slowly nursing the embers of passion for the sport back to life was a gift that he nurtured through the years. All of this was done in the shadows, while sitting on the sidelines, watching teams play, bumping into people, and having a quiet word.
As players, we held him in great respect. His information collecting network, to know when his boys went to play for other teams, or a picnic before a match was LEGENDARY… You knew you were in for a dose of “encouragement” when you saw the look on his face as you entered the ground!
This tournament aims to honour Sydney’s legacy and the teams we played against, including those that do not exist anymore, like Hudson’s and Warriors.
We invite all players, coaches and parents who knew Sydney to come remember, reminisce and enjoy catching up with the Companeroes family on the 1st December 2024 and celebrate “Sir” Sydney Alexander – one of Bandra’s Finest.
