By G Saravanan
Published in The New Sunday Express, Chennai on May 22, 2011:
Source:http://expressbuzz.com/magazine/a-unique-goal/275995.html
pics by P Anand Kumar
“Our plan was to divert the attention of slum children from bad things. To attract their attention, we used football, which was proved a right choice later,” says Umapathy.
Over the years, the society, which meets its expenditure through donations alone, has changed lives of over 6,000 children from in and around the Vyasarpadi slums and still continues to guide them through the sport.
“Ever since the society was formed, grooming the children in football and other sports has not only changed their mindsets, but also helped us build a team to represent SCSTEDS in different tournaments,” says N Thangaraj, who coaches the children along with Umapathy.
Their efforts to bring a change among the slum children, despite meeting with some resistance initially from the parents, started showing the intended result few years ago when the members of the society got a chance to represent India in international football tournaments.
For nutrition of the children and to maintain their focus on the game, the society spends about Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh annually.
“Mostly our friends in different sectors are the main sponsors for the society and we fully rely on online materials to teach the children football skills,” says Umapathy. The society also screens documentaries for the children at regular intervals to motivate them on footballers such as Maradona, Pele, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo who rose to fame from slums.
In 2006, four of SCSTEDS boys were selected for the under-12 category in the Chennai team. M Dileepan, one of the prominent members of the society, represented India in a football tournament in Bangladesh and very recently he attended a national-level football camp in Goa. No easy goal scored.
Published in The New Sunday Express, Chennai on May 22, 2011:
Source:http://expressbuzz.com/magazine/a-unique-goal/275995.html
pics by P Anand Kumar
About 11 years ago, when a group of youths from a shantytown called Vyasarpadi in North Chennai formed a society to nurture good habits among slum children through sports, little did they realise that the society would become successful beyond their imagination, in a few years’ time.
Local resident N Umapathy, himself a club footballer, was anguished at the growing number of youngsters in his slum turning to bad habits. And came the idea by which he formed Slum Children Sports Talent Education Development Society (SCSTEDS) in 2000.
Over the years, the society, which meets its expenditure through donations alone, has changed lives of over 6,000 children from in and around the Vyasarpadi slums and still continues to guide them through the sport.
“Ever since the society was formed, grooming the children in football and other sports has not only changed their mindsets, but also helped us build a team to represent SCSTEDS in different tournaments,” says N Thangaraj, who coaches the children along with Umapathy.
Their efforts to bring a change among the slum children, despite meeting with some resistance initially from the parents, started showing the intended result few years ago when the members of the society got a chance to represent India in international football tournaments.
“Last July, our team had an opportunity to represent Indian in Sweden and participate in the World Youth Cup, where our boys impressed even the Europeans with their dribbling skills,” exults Thangaraj.
The team, which won the all-India pre-Gothia tournament in Nagpur last year, qualified for the Gothia Cup in Sweden.“Besides instilling the spirit of game and competition in them, we make the children reach the ground on time to train and it makes them disciplined in schools too,” says Thangaraj.For nutrition of the children and to maintain their focus on the game, the society spends about Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh annually.
“Mostly our friends in different sectors are the main sponsors for the society and we fully rely on online materials to teach the children football skills,” says Umapathy. The society also screens documentaries for the children at regular intervals to motivate them on footballers such as Maradona, Pele, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo who rose to fame from slums.
In 2006, four of SCSTEDS boys were selected for the under-12 category in the Chennai team. M Dileepan, one of the prominent members of the society, represented India in a football tournament in Bangladesh and very recently he attended a national-level football camp in Goa. No easy goal scored.
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