Not just a Sport: Football in North Madras

Not just a Sport: Football in North Madras
Text & Photographs by Sukumaar Thangaraj

“At 17, I already had a responsibility in my family because I took care of them, but in football I was young; I wasn’t experienced or was I the captain – I was just in the team.”
– Pele

The words of the Brazilian football icon, Pele, were written in a broken compound wall. These words tell how the legendary footballer overcame his poverty and pain. Like him, many kids are growing up, in the streets of North Chennai, with higher dreams and ambition.

Mini Brazil
Football – the most popular and revolutionary sport in the world, is a beautiful game of passion, devotion, joy, hope and transformation.

In a country like India, where Cricket is dominating the sports arena, football and other sports can be rarely seen played on the streets. But few places are exceptions; football is one of the major and dominating sports activities in the slums of Chennai.

Especially in the northern part of the city- Vyasarpadi, Kasimedu, Royapuram, Washermenpet and Perambur. People are crazy about football. It’s not just a game to play, but believe, it is their life-changing tool.

From children to adults here, their favourite game is football. One can find kids playing in each and every corner of the streets throughout the day. Their houses are filled with medals and trophies, occupying their living space. So many players from here have played at the state, national and international tournaments. For them, football is everything!

FIFA world cup and International cup to them is a festival, they used to sit together in front of the giant screen and enjoy the game. Especially during the FIFA World Cup, the entire area is lit up like a carnival where each group hangs banners for their favourite players and the team they support. We could find many ‘human encyclopaedias of football’ who are up-to-date about the game statistics. They never use notes or gadgets to save the information but use their minds. We can also find a lot of Neymar, Messi, Hazard, Willian, Luiz in every corner of North Madras. That’s why North Madras has another name – ‘Mini Brazil.’

Latin American countries like Brazil and Argentina were poor states for many years which had let them indulge in several underworld activities. But, football has given them an identity in the global platform. At present, they are frontier nations with respect to the game. The game not only gives the people an identity, but it helps them get diverted into sports for elevating their livelihood to dignified standards.

Yes, football has a magical power to unite people and transform their lives; it’s quite a unique sport. A player must be fit physically and mentally, needs more stamina, determination, hard work, dedication, team spirit and more importantly the will and persistence to fight until the last second of the game. It brings power to them and gives them the confidence to survive. People in slums always strive towards battling for survival and are determinate towards their goal. That’s why football’s magic works in the slum communities across the globe.

People here in North Madras believe that football has the potential to change the society. A torn ball can and must make people joyful, responsible, participatory, democratic, transparent and dynamic – keeping these values of playground parallel to life. The power of the game is that it makes the society better with the help of hundreds of local coaches and grass roots organizations around the area, using football to change young lives.

These coaches and local trainees offer young kids from economically backward backgrounds the opportunity not only to play football but also to overcome the social challenges that pull them behind, by teaching them about social issues such as social integration, gender equality and unemployment during their football practice time. Coaches and volunteers working in the field of football foster over thousands of young people each year, to build better futures for themselves and their communities. This is the perfect example of how football changes their social life.

Here each and every one has a different story about football and how it has helped them. One among them, is the story of Thangaraj Master. In 1997, he himself and two of his friends (Umapathi and Suresh) started the football training centre called the ‘Slum Children’s Sports Talent, Education & Development Society’ (SCTEDS), a slum football association and training academy for slum children around Vyasarpadi and its surrounding area. Moreover, Tamil Nadu’s first artificial grass-built ground was created here by Chennai Corporation Commissioner, Mr. Vikram Kapoor. But the irony is that the government itself is not participating in its functions. More than 17 slums’ children are taking part in Thangaraj master’s academy. Interestingly, parents are more interested than children. Because they believe that the game will make their lives better.

A famous academy cum coaching centre in Chennai is located at Mullai Nagar of Vyasarpadi. More than 200 kids are getting trained in a small ground including 80 girls who are also a part of this academy.

In 2010, a seven-member football team from India took part in the ‘U18 Youth World Cup’, held at Sweden. They were none other than the children from SCTEDS academy. They lost at the league stage of the tournament, winning one of the league matches against the former league champion and the host, Sweden; the only match India won in that tournament. Even the coaching staffs of India took Thangaraj master along with them to assist the children.

SCTEDS also produced national players like Dilipan, Karthick, Ranjith and many more. Some of the players played for many I-league matches too. At the young age of 15, a boy named Uma Shankar, was signed by Bangalore FC in I-league. He is also a part of the ‘Chennaiyin FC Grass Root Training’.

“From childhood, we used to play football in the streets but that gave no exposure to us. We used it to pass our time but it was only later that we realised football is a life-changing activity. It’s a reflection of what we missed in our childhood and that’s why we started this academy to create more good players”, said Thangaraj, a trainer of SCTEDS. He also added that they were able to observe more professionalism in these young kids.

Vayasarpadi is one of the main areas for soccer development in the city. They come up with many ideas to develop the game, bring more people into the game and also spread the game to nearby places. Also, they organize small tournaments among the North Chennai teams. That’s how the game grew all over the city.

Kannikapuram is another important area for the development of slum soccer in the city. It includes 500 new kids every year into the game. Their players are booked for several games and are playing in many football clubs in the city as well as the state clubs.

The city’s biggest corporation ground also encourages more football lovers to play the game, thus making a greater number of kids getting involved in football every year.

Krishnan (45), Srinivasan (44) and a few others started the ‘Kannikapuram Football Club’ (KFC) for children and the ‘Kannikapuram Veteran Football Club’ (KVFC) for people above 40 years of age. The involvement of these gentlemen in sports is outstanding. They spend more time in the ground rather than at their homes.

“‘Sports include all forms of physical activity that contribute to physical fitness, mental well-being and social interaction among kids.’ Our late friend Anand (Coach of Kannikapuram Football kids) always used to say this to us. Bearing his memory, we are still working with these kids and making them stronger” said Srinivasan.

For the past 8 years, they are organising the summer special football camp for children of the neighbouring areas. The 21 days camp is organized from their own money. It is to be noted that, even the common

public who are regulars to the ground contribute for the camp fund, because according to them sports will shed more light in their lives to get out of the gutters. In this club, more than 60 girls are learning the game. Football is the only game in North Madras, which we could pull in a greater number of girls to participate.

“Football changed my son’s behaviour and he quit smoking”, said Meenakshi, mother of Pradeep who is a part of this club for the past 4 years. She also thanks the coach, Anand, and his efforts for the dramatic changes in the area. They are learning through the matches they watch on TV and the internet.

“Messi and Ronaldo are the two iconic stars popular among us. So they won’t miss Real Madrid and Barca match on TV, but now kids will miss Ronaldo in Real Madrid”, says Krishnan with a smile. He got an appointment in ICF and is also training these kids regularly without fail.

“Government’s involvement regarding the infrastructure of the ground is still in process. Every new government comes with some ideas but withdraws it by the end of five years. So again we should give a petition to the new government and it’s been a vicious circle”, said Srinivasan.

He also added, “If the government doesn’t care us, how will NGOs support us? Many NGOs are looking for fame and money through the game. They are polluted. They are using our kids to yield more money, so we are not involved in their activities. Few NGOs will provide kits and boots to the children who are not able to buy them. We will just get those things from them.”

How Football reached North Chennai
Football is not just about the game, it’s about education, empowerment and finding a sense of self-worth that goes beyond the field. Once upon a time, people of the other areas were scared to come to North Chennai, fearing atrocity, rowdies and other misbehaving activities that happened here more often. The kids were misled by elders’ activities. The main reason for the spoilage of this society here, was poverty.

Fighters and drunkards were increasing more in the area, that’s when people needed some change. Meanwhile, a saint named Seegamani travelled across the world. He observed the people’s activities and made them play football on the streets. In the beginning, it was used as a time pass and a diversion to the mind. But later, they realized it was a game that transformed many lives and societies.

They are constantly being affected by poverty and they fight hard to come out of their pain and struggle. The nature of football game synced with their real-life emotions. So, they chose to play football. They may be weak on the game at a physical level, but mentally they are very strong. They play with rage till the last minute.

Earlier they used to play on the streets and eventually formed a ground by the riverside. That gave them a lot of self-confidence and brought more people into the game. They loved the game, they played really hard. Their unhealthy habits and behaviours slowly reduced. People from North Chennai played really well and they joined the football association of Tamil Nadu. And they played at many district levels as well as at state-level matches. Those matches provided them with more job opportunities and money, which helped them to get settled in their lives. That’s why the game football is in their blood.

Ganapathy, assistant coach of SCTEDS said, “Everywhere in the world, we see the same thing. Football has a changeover power. When you kick the ball, automatically the transformation begins. It happened to me and will happen to many others.”

“Football has given me a future,” said Chandru proudly, a final year B.Com student at D.G.Vishnava College, who got the ability to dribble a ball well. He also added, “I didn’t perform very well in class XII, but football earned me a division-level certificate and a college seat. Since I am a recognised player, now I’m a role model in my circle, which has also helped me build my self-esteem and be unique.”

Out Come of Women in Soccer
Football is generally a tough game for girls, especially for them to gain recognition and only a few women fight the odds to be considered as serious players. Coming from a slum background, girls are fighting really hard in the game of football. Every year the number is increasing, due to the girls who made everyone in the society proud. Apart from playing the game, women players are converting themselves as football referees. Selvi (26), has become an official FIFA referee, but many are not able to continue.

Current Scenario of Slum Soccer
The emergence of the Indian Super League also made more kids to get involved in football. The current champion of Indian Super League, Chennaiyin FC’s midfielder, Dhanpal Ganesh, from North Madras, is a youth icon. With the help of football, many people from slums get settled in their lives. If they played up to the senior division level, their job orders will come from the team they are playing for as well as many other private companies. Unfortunately, many people quit from the game after they get settled in their jobs and lives. So, there are negative talks about slum soccer like “people who play till their appointments only”. They are seeing football as a job decider tool instead of a profession. Their poverty is a crucial factor, but the question poses itself to us, “Who will develop the game?”.

The main drawback for our kids in getting through the selection process is that they are not trained very regularly and properly, which also includes their diet. Due to poverty, these kids don’t get enough nutritious food. The clubs are trying to give them proper food but they are not able to make them completely fit. In order for them to enter into an international level, it is a necessity that they should be fit in all the categories.

On the positive side, the game lovers and players are increasing in numbers due to the emergence of the Indian Super League. The support for local Chennaiyin FC has become huge. So, other people are also starting to believe that there is a life in football. It’s coming up really good in Chennai. The parents and schools know the value of the game and they have started sending their kids to kick the ball, too.

Some of the world class players are from slum streets. “A gardener’s son Ronaldo and steel worker’s son Messi became the legendary icons of football, why not a load man’s son?”, asks an enthusiastic Srinivasan, assistant coach of the Kannikapuram area.

Future of Soccer
“People have always had a bad impression regarding North Chennai, like ‘we are rowdies’, ‘not fit for anything’, ‘indecent people’ etc. We are playing hard to change this name and we want people to look upon us”, said Darshini, a U15 player. She also added that football was in their blood and they will play and support the game till their last breath.

“There is only a little difference between the children in the slums of other states and Chennai. No matter what caused their problems, the effect remains the same – all of them live in poverty”, coach Thangaraj added.

The transformation in the lives of legendary football players happened solely because of this game. Will it also change the lives of our little heroes in North Chennai, too? If it has happened to many legends, it will also happen to many who follow them.

If these kids get healthy foods and professional coaching along with proper infrastructures including a playground and equipment, they may be the next Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar or Hazard. Many legends are growing up with bundles of sorrows in the slums. But still, these second-class Indian citizens are eagerly waiting to see our nation in the FIFA World Cup which will definitely happen with the help of our slum winners.

And, this is only a small part of the football we know; also, about the clubs and training academies of Chennai. It’s time to establish the power of football effectively to improve our society. Football is really all about – passion, teamwork, and transformation of a common goal. So, I would proudly say, “Yes, football is a beautiful game.”

Sukumaar Thangaraj, studies North Chennai’s sports field – particularly football – in relation to the Cultural Communication at Madras University.