How football became a safe space for children of North Chennai
A group of dedicated coaches in North Chennai is providing free football training to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The initiative aims to use sports as a tool for social empowerment and to keep youth engaged in positive activities.
Why it matters
Grassroots sports programs serve as vital community hubs that provide mentorship and safe environments for underprivileged youth.
A TNEB employee, T. Manoharan, is known to students in Tondiarpet and nearby neighbourhoods as “coach” - the man who got them hooked onto football. In May every year, the Madras Port Trust ground is usually packed with different sports and more than 50 students from class 1 to college show up for the free football coaching. This May too, at the North Chennai Football club, Mr. Manoharan, alongside other coaches, Sulaiman B., Sekar K., and a few more, were training the students on a humid morning. “We all got our jobs through the sports quota, and we wanted to give back to the sport and do something for the children of our neighbourhood who are from disadvantaged backgrounds. That is why we started coaching for free all year round. Summer coaching is usually when many primary school students join,” says Mr. Manoharan, who has been running the football club with the other coaches for the past four years.
The article is a human-interest piece highlighting a community service effort without political bias.
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