On the right track

CHENNAI: On a nondescript Friday, a corner of YMCA College of Physical Education stood witness to what could one day be the defining moment of competitive football for schoolchildren — Chennai Kaalpandhu League. A successful corporate (LatentView Analytics) and a zealous NGO (Siksha) had come together to offer football as a means for restorative intervention for children of immense talent but little means. 

For Siksha, sports serves as a handy tool for change. At LatentView, sports is an integral part of the organisation. When the latter was looking to direct its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) fund towards the benefit of underprivileged children, Siksha stepped in to design this unique programme. 
Thus began a month-long exercise of selecting and sorting some of the most deserving schools in Chennai. With the help of the School Education Department and the Greater Chennai Corporation, the two doyens picked 50 schools (government, Corporation and aided) for the programme. Some funds and plenty of league matches later, three teams made it to the finals on Friday. Children — ranging from 10 to 15 years of age — sporting team-coloured jerseys were huddled under trees and temporary shelters, discussing strategy, while the adults around them had their eyes set on loftier dreams. 
Ramesh Kumar, coach of the team from the Hindu Union Community (HCU) Higher Secondary School, Choolaimedu, hopes that the event would help them access more funds and equipment. His team of 11-strong has plenty of talent packed in it. Many of them have been playing at the district and state level for years now. Even the youngest among them — all of 10 years and four feet — is no novice. However, with no support from the government or the Corporation, they are having to fend for themselves. From travel expenses to buying the cheapest shoes available, it is with the help of some trusted alumni and like-minded individuals that the team has been subsisting over the years. The LatentView-Siksha event, while helping the children encounter tougher competition, will open doors for them (either for the team or the players), hopes Ramesh.

Perambur Don Bosco Higher Secondary School’s coach  Jeyasingh, too has similar hopes. This could be the event to put the boys on the sporting map, he says. His team too is populated with zonal and district level players. 
The event has already done its job, helping the boys get new experience and up their game. Perhaps, this could be a place where people from the outside notice newer talent and set the boys on the right track. What with Indian Super League’s youth championship taking shape, this could be of tremendous help, he says.

On early Friday evening, it was Don Bosco’s team that took home the trophy. However, the highest scorer came from HUC school; the Best Upcoming Player was picked from the second runner-up — Kalyanapuram Corporation Higher Secondary School (the only corporation school to make it to the finals). 

Friday may turn out to be a significant day in the history of Chennai Kaalpandhu League. For the children though, it was just another day of sport. They did what they do best, posed for a few pictures and walked away (some of them, heavily bruised). Siksha hopes they will get to provide such opportunities for the children year after year. Perhaps next year round, there might be a girls league too.