This article originally appeared in The Times of India on the 20th fo April, 2013
It was that time of the year, when a bunch of kids from Teach For India classrooms, all over Mumbai wore their shiny boots, sturdy shin guards, brand new jerseys and stepped on to that lush green football field to establish their name. For each kid and coach (Teach For India Fellows and volunteers) this is more than just a game – it is about heroes and triumphs, loyalty and devotion, commitments and obsession.
The Just For Kicks Championship 2013 (Mumbai Finals) was held at KICK – Mumbai city’s first state-of-the-art FIFA two-star rated 4th generation synthetic Astroturf ground (along with special rubber infill’s, special sand for shock absorption), in Hiranandani Powai on April 7.
A co-curricular sports program for under-resourced schools, Just For Kicks uses the game of football to change the culture of schooling for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Our goals are simple: to go from a place where learning is perceived as boring and takes place exclusively in classrooms to one where learning is fun, and to change a system where teachers give and students receive to one where teachers and students build strong relationships and pursue shared goals. Through football, hundreds of students in the cities of Mumbai and Pune are currently learning to work hard, stay focused and persevere – while their teachers are rediscovering themselves as leaders of their classrooms’ football teams and uncovering facets of their children’s personalities they never imagined existed,” said a spokesperson.
Just For Kicks, run by Teach For India Fellows and Alumni, is a co-curricular program aimed at developing life-skills in children. Through its well-developed curriculum that assists all coaches to train students, competitive football league, and annual tournament, the program focuses on character, fitness, nutrition and skill. The program also identifies promising talent and provides avenues to develop it. Our tag line sums up our motto – Everyone Plays.
Nikunj Beria, 2nd year Teach For India Fellow, teaching 4th grade in an MCGM school in Malad, coached 2 teams – Boys Junior and boys Senior. At the end of both his teams’ losses, he reported that mentoring his Senior Boys (not from his class) through football resulted in them realizing the consequences of their actions on others.
Zaya Kazmi, captain and goalkeeper of the Foxpassers (Girls team from Shree Geeta
Vidyalaya, Govandi) exclaimed, “I did not think we would win the championship. The other teams were really good and we were scared. But now, we have won and we can tell our boys’ team that the girls did something they could not.”
This is the 2nd year of Just For Kicks in Pune and 1st year in Mumbai. 60 teams were on board this year – Senior Boys (5th, 6th and 7th grade), Junior Boys (3rd and 4th grade) and Girls (4th, 5th and 6th grade). Each of these teams played multiple games in the league, running simultaneously across Mumbai and Pune, in their bid to win the golden ticket to reach the 2013 Championship Finals.
April 7 witnessed a total of 20 games played on the two grounds at KICK from 11am to 8pm. It was a day of collaboration between Just For Kicks and KICK to nurture young children through an avenue (football) of their choice. The high spirit and energy of teams, coaches and spectators ensured that these students (most of who started training only 6 months ago) played their first tournament in grand style on the sprawling facilities at KICK. The day was brought to a close with the Senior Boys’ Final – one of the most pulsating football games under floodlights. It was a day of highs, lows, team spirit, exhaustion, celebration and tears – both sorrow and joy. At the end Everyone Played and everyone learned.
Shraddha Kinger and Harsh Swaminarayan (Teach For India Fellows, teaching 7th grade at Supari Tank) have set up and supported their team over the past two years. Their sustained effort paid off when the Bandra Fighters won the Mumbai Championship, without losing a game.
The Mumbai champions (Senior Boys, Junior Boys and Girls) are headed to play the Pune champions on 14th April. Just For Kicks in association with KICK will aim to organize coaching facilities for the budding football stars at the end of the tournament.
Original Article
