Saurav Chatterjee has literally grown up in CC&FC. From playing for the club to being the sports coordinator and now leading it as its president, it’s been a journey worth cherishing. In a candid chat with t2, Saurav looks back at the same.

Congratulations! We all know CC&FC is like your second home. When did you become a member?

My father was a member first (from the ’80s). He used to be a regular at all the Merchants Cups (football and hockey) as the head of marketing at Bata, which used to sponsor it in the old days. I would tag along with him as a kid. I used to play and there would be a few others like Leander Paes, Sunny Uthup and Gautam Bhimani. They are all my friends from that time. We used to play during the half-time of these tournaments.

I was 17 or 18 when I started playing for the club, starting with cricket and then went on to represent the club in all the sports. I have led the club in cricket, football and tennis. In hockey, I have represented the club in the first division. I have played rugby for the club. Those were the days. We would all hang out after the match and soon it would be the early hours of the morning.

I became a member as soon as I turned 21, in 1991. I was the best sportsman in my school but I haven’t trained in any. In those days there was no money in sports. I play golf now. I learnt to play it during Covid and that’s my new passion.

I believe that there should be an opportunity given to the younger lot to play. In CC&FC there is always a respect for older guys and they tend to let you play. I don’t want that to happen at the cost of a younger kid who is dying to play, like I was when I was their age. I hope we have more and more kids who would go on to make us proud with CC&FC being their stomping ground.

What were the initial moments like when you became the president?

Very mixed feelings, actually. Unfortunately, in the last decade or so, there have been elections (at CC&FC) and I am from the old school when it comes to the club. I really respect clubs that don’t have elections. I still don’t feel happy that one had to win an election in a place where one has grown up but it is always satisfying to know that a large majority of members have faith in me and my team.

What are the immediate and long-term changes that you envision at CC&FC?

I am excited because I travel a fair bit for work, but I am dedicating as much time towards the club and doing things that need to be done in my opinion. We are a sports club and the first priority is to look into the sports infrastructure of the club. Our lights and grounds need to be top-class. We are looking at introducing pickleball, which is the fastest growing sport in the world. We’ve already got the tennis courts named after Leander (Paes) and we are upgrading the facilities there as well. Basically live up to our reputation and history of being one of India’s leading sports clubs and grow from there.

We want to introduce women’s teams in all sports (rugby already has a women’s team) and are trying to bring in a bit more gender balance to the club. Membership is shut, but we are opening a small window by which we can further strengthen our club’s resources for the future and build up a talent base.

My goal is to also keep the election process away from the club and I want all the members to be happy. My main aim is to bring happy times to CC&FC.

What are new things happening on the sports front?

We are starting a home and away friendly series of various sports and have finalised with The Saturday Club. We go across to The Saturday Club in December and they come to our club in January. We are planning to do it with three-four more clubs, just building a bond. Club culture is such an important part of our city and we just need to enjoy each other’s facilities and friendship and we are aiming to do that through sports.

What are the challenges of your job?

The biggest challenge is space. I’d love to get more facilities, but we just don’t have the space. The ground is our biggest asset and there is no way we can encroach on that. Also, when you have 1,700-plus members, keeping them all happy is a big challenge. But, I like challenges. If you can keep the majority happy, your job is done.