AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: In a bid to broaden its horizon in grassroots development, All India Football Federation lent a helping hand to children from underprivileged background by distributing 80 footballs at a grassroots initiative by a private NGO, Teach for India.  

On the sidelines of ‘Teach for India’, in association with the Paris Saint-Germain Foundation — the social arm of the French football club and Ligue 1 champions PSG – initiative, Rajesh Malhotra, director of the Paris Saint-Germain Academy India heaped praise on India’s football apex body acknowledging the footballs would do wonders to these kids who generally struggle to look beyond their drudgeries.

“These 80 Adidas balls will do a world of good to these underprivileged kids who don’t really get such good balls to play with.

“We are planning to give these balls to all 52 participants school so that all these 900 kids have a good ball to play with, keeping in tune with the basic fabric of grassroots football.”

Scott O’Donell, Technical Director of Academies and Director of Coach Education maintained: “We are happy to help such a noble cause. Grassroots football is for everyone and we all know that the best of talents come from humble backgrounds.”

“It is also encouraging to learn that more girls actually came up for the event than boys. I see a change there,” the Aussie added.

The ‘Khel Khel Mein’ League got under way on November 2, with the final scheduled to be played on December 14. More than 900 kids from over 40 government and municipal schools in Delhi and the NCR had taken part in the competition.

The aim of 'Khel Khel Mein' is to impart them with team skills and leadership abilities, and teach them about the concept of fair play. In the latter, for example, teams are awarded points on the way they conduct themselves both on and off the field of play.