From Slums To Fields: Using Football To Make A Change...

When traveling across India one can see the diversity in lifestyles and classes. You can see the vast difference between the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate. Where football is concerned you can see the rich kids play on well made pitches and the poor running around on muddy, stone covered acres of dust, kicking a worn out, brown ball.

Every day football is leading to a path more glamorous. Youngsters aren’t striving to play good football, but instead are seen chasing the luxurious life money brings. In areas populated by under privileged people, one can see the drive to play football only being fuelled by the passion the sport brings, and nothing more. Walk down the streets of Kolkata any day and it’s not uncommon to see children playing football as if they were Lionel Messi playing at Camp Nou.

No matter the conditions, Football will be played!

Football being the most popular sport in the world can have its advantages. Over the years, it has been shown that the sport has to power to change the world. Some might find that hard to believe but projects like Homeless World Cup Foundation and Slum Soccer help better the lives of those who are inflicted with suffering and have a dead end future. The Homeless World Cup, has received support from numerous people and clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, giving the luxury deprived youth an opportunity to prove their worth and bring about an optimism in their lives.

Now, what exactly would the life of a child living in the slums be? Lack of proper shelter, electricity, air conditioning and hygiene, probably?

People who live in such poverty-stricken lives survive on almost nothing and one of those is a young boy - Homkant Surandase. He was banished from his home because his family couldn’t afford to take care of him and on his journey he met several boys playing at a tournament, which was part of the Homeless World Cup program. He begged to join in the play and soon discovered his knack for goalkeeping. He began to develop a passion for football, and with all the determination and drive he could muster, Surandese started improving and getting stronger.

Today he is a representative of his country at the Homeless World Cup, with training as a football coach. He also works with street children and slum dwellers, whilst coaching and organising local tournaments.

Tottenham Hotspur, in 2009 joined hands with Krida Vikas Sanstha Nagpur in taking the ‘Indian Slum Team’  to the Homeless World Cup football tournament, an event whose main purpose is to restore hope into the lives of those who have an hand-to-mouth existence. These tournaments are a splendid and refreshing change from the riches and extravagance that is currently corrupting modern football. The basic rules of the tournament include no shoes, no foul play, no ganging up on referee’s and a request to goalkeepers to avoid scoring, no matter how powerful the temptation to do so might be.

Age, Race, Culture...Doesn't Matter!

These children, from playing on muddy streets have moved on to playing for top leagues on big, beautiful fields. From no shoes, no shirt and sometimes no football to play with, kids still aspire to be big names in football and for all the right reasons. You won’t see a child going out in a Beckham shirt in the slums, thinking “If I play great today, I’ll be rich tomorrow”. You see them playing as if they were already at Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford. They give their all for a game of mucky football drenched by the rain, in any available space in their local area!

In India, it is hard to believe slum football would lead someone to success, but ask Manchester United player Nani and you’ll hear a different story. At a young age, he would talk of his dreams for playing at Old Trafford, and disregard the mocking laughter of his friends. Nani was born in the slums of Amadora and was the youngest of nine children. He endured hardship and emerged, years later playing alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney, in one of the best leagues in the world after agreeing to a 25 Million Euro move to Manchester United. Being abandoned by both his parents, Nani developed fervour for the sport and apparently was so obsessed with the game that he even slept next to a football in his bed.  

Football kept him away from drugs and crime and led him to a financially secure life, something that everyone strives for. Another player with a similar story is Carlos Tevez, who was physically and verbally abused as a child, and has the scars to prove it! He came from an area abundant with drugs and violence but later on proved that each person is in control of their own destiny, no matter how bad their life might be.

So frequently, we see children kicking around battered footballs, using bricks as goals and wearing faded out shirts of popular football clubs. Some youngsters can even been seen with a tiny scribble of a name of a sports star written with a permanent marker on the back of the shirt, sometimes spelt incorrectly. There is a joy in seeing these children play for the fun and love of the sport. Football transcends race, religion and culture, teaching children the game also teaches them to banish prejudice and work with each other. It is a medium that can be used not just to teach lessons, or provide a platform for entertainment but to improve life and condition of those who deserve better. Youngsters get to represent their country in return and help bring the glory that every international level seeks.

Money doesn’t make a great player, talent does. Giving children the opportunity to develop their talent would be a great asset for India, whilst also helping the country develop a team that could one day play in the World Cup and maybe even emerge winners.  

Sailen Manna, India’s former captain is a lesson on why money shouldn’t be considered the driving factor to success in football. Manna lead 11 boys to win the Gold Medal in 1951 Asian Games, earning only Rs.19—less than 1 USD. Need more be said?

Football is the change we hope for the world. Let it not only be about glory, but be about restoring hope in those who need it most and let the “Beautiful Game”  be the cause for a “Beautiful Future...”

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