Till recently, Alan Solaman K.J. was just another youngster kicking football around in one of the many neighbourhoods in the idyllic coastal village of Chellanam, near here. But not any longer.
The 20-year-old who idolises Lionel Messi has suddenly emerged a hero among his peers after being selected as one of the eight players to represent the country in the 17th edition of the Homeless World Cup, a four-a-side tournament, set to get under way at the iconic Bute Park in the Welsh capital of Cardiff on July 27.
Having never contemplated the possibility of going abroad, least of all to play football, the youngster never bothered to take a passport, which he has done now, and is waiting anxiously for the the mandatory police verification.
Alan who had played for the district Under-17 and Under-19 teams in the past has ramped up training ever since the selection with his daily casual work taking a back seat.
Stiff competition
“The selection was tough as it needed tactical awareness for playing in small pitch for four. Besides, the competition was stiff,” he said.
Representing the State at the National Inclusion Cup (NIC), organised annually by the Nagpur-based NGO Slum Soccer, at Mumbai in February changed his fate. It was the Fourth Wave Foundation, a Bengaluru-based NGO, that ensured the State’s representation in the competition as part of its Venda (Say ‘NO’ to Drugs) project aimed at keeping vulnerable youth from high-risk areas in Kochi away from drugs through football.
Alan was among the six probables – four boys and two girls – from Chellanam in the initial list of 60 probables for selection.
“We selected eight players plus another four as standby based on skill, fitness, physical endurance and tactical awareness. Three training camps will be held in India and one in Scotland before the competition gets under way,” said Homkant Surandase, head coach, Slum Soccer.
200 sign up
Alan’s success story is already having a cascading effect among the youth in his neighbourhoods in Kochi.
“Nearly 200 youngsters have signed up for our summer football camp as Alan’s story gives them hope that the game can make their future. We have trained about 6,000 schools students by now as part of our project and plan to expand our annual Venda football cup this November by roping in more school teams,” said C.C. Joseph, Director, Fourth Wave Foundation.