“Many rivers to cross, but I can’t find my way over.”
That touching refrain by Jimmy Cliff echoes in my ears when it comes to Ba hosting football’s Inter-District Championship (IDC).
A long time ago, I produced an hour-long television show on Ba hosting the IDC and my first shot panned across the river from the famous Ba bridge and the Jimmy Cliff song bed gave it a perfect opening.
But for Ba’s football town, the phrase gains a revolutionary, exciting new meaning.
The beautiful Ba River, spanned by its iconic bridge, flows right across the very site where the FMF IDC 2025 will erupt next week — the recently refurbished Govind Park. For the Men in Black, however, it is not a sea of despair but waters of history that define their path back home and their march to recover what they maintain is rightfully theirs.
For decades, Ba has remained uncontestably the Home of Football in Fiji. The history books are etched in black and white: Ba are the undisputed kings of the Inter-District Championship, boasting the most wins of any district. This tournament, the one event Fiji’s football community anticipates with bated breath all year, is the yardstick by which true greatness is measured. And the coveted trophy?
It is the Holy Grail of Fijian football.
The IDC is finally returning to its spiritual home for the first time since 2015 and we anticipate the atmosphere around the rebuilt Govind Park to crackle with anticipation. The rebuilt stadium is a great backdrop, an emblem of the town’s enduring passion, and the players will be stepping out onto a pitch steeped in a decade of repressed emotion.
But the road to qualification for the final is one of thorns, as the pool draw has dealt a ruthless gauntlet.
Pool A, with reigning titans Labasa, ever-threatening Lautoka, capital city Suva, and dark horses Nadi, will tear chunks out of each other. Every match will be a final before the final, a trial of nerves and strategy.
Simultaneously, Pool B is the territory of the Home Team but their counterparts are no less hungry. Ba are accompanied by Premier League winner Rewa, aspiring Navua, and battling underdogs Nadroga. The match between the men in black (Ba) and delta tigers (Rewa) is the blockbuster match of the pool rounds.
Forget the rest of the sporting fixture list. The IDC is the one most looked-forward-to tournament, a carnival of skill, emotion and tribal passion.
With the return to the hallowed Ba arena, this IDC is destined to be something special.
The chase for the Holy Grail begins. All the best to the teams.
Enjoy a fun-filled football-tastic weekend in beautiful Ba and happy Independence Day celebrations.
SATISH NARAIN is a regular contributor to this newspaper and the views expressed in this article are his and not necessarily of The Fiji Times
