Photos: Suneesh Suresh

Everybody plays; it sounds like a catchphrase that seems easy to croon or stand out in a tagline. But when you’re at the football ground, the gist of it is well played. Heading to the Regional Sports Center, I walked into a ground filled with kids apathetic to the harsh sun. Poking their heads through their fresh jerseys, they were tightening the laces of their boots and playfully kicking each other with innocuous boot spikes. They watched the footballers pull up their socks; the kids pulled it uptoo, hoping it soars above the knees like theirs.

 Team Unity

Among the sea of yellow jerseys, cheers and conversations of myriad accents, VirenD’Silva, the General Manager of the Kerala Blasters showed me to an empty seat. Unlike usual interviews, it was hard to be so focused. There were so many distractions and many photographic moments. At a certain distance, I spotted a kid dangling on the goal post and his friends enjoying his antics. I could only ask, “What makes football stand out as a sport?” That’s how the conversation started.

He smiled,it’s like he knew the answer, “I think it’s the simplicity of the game. Two goal posts and just a ball, you don’t need much to play the sport.”

Grassroots Program

More than the whole spirit of accepting a sport for just its games, the Kerala Blasters have an aim. Mr. Viren pointed out, “Many of the stars came here not for the money but charity.” During a press conference, Sachin Tendulkar mentioned the importance of hunting for local talent. That’s when the Kerala Blasters initiated the Grassroots Programto set up a few sports centers with dedicated coaches and train nearly 125, 000 kids over the next few years. They have plans to create more grounds and at the same time finding more local partners to foster the kids’ future. The crux of this plan is to touch the lives of children’s and increase the popularity of the game. They had training camps held at the grassroots level to build a league of extraordinary players. Viren mentioned, “Traditionally the age group is eight to twelve years, but we decided to expand the age group to 16 years.” It’s with great hope the kids get the right training, so they can participate in foreign competitions.

Play for a Cause

Penn Orji, the Captain, brimmed with a smile, I said a hello and in return I was welcomed with a ‘namaskram.’ As I talked to a few, they kept on telling their experience of eating on a banana leaf and how the dhoti was a fun wrap. David James was kidding about the dhoti being a perfect fit for his waist when I told him a belt is a life-saver. He was talking to a kid. He turned to me and asked, “What does Manav mean?.”

I laughed and replied, “It’s his name.”

He casually ruffled hair, “Oh, here you go!”, and signed his autograph. On the account of such diversity Viren joked, “It’s really crazy, a  French person sitting next to an Irish talking to a Scottish Person.” I totally agreed; I had the same feeling. Shakespeare said the world is a stage, today it felt like a ground and the perfect time to kick start talent in Football’s own country.

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