PSL and Mumbai City FC Partnership Boosts Grassroots Football

The Phoenix Sports & Leisure Group (PSL) India has been working to develop grassroots football in India over the last few years. They have set up organisations like Soccer Connections and Just For Kicks (JFK), where they coach children in football, talent development, and life skills. While JFK is focused predominantly on transforming education in low-income schools by introducing football to them, Soccer Connections aims to provide focused, fun, and family-oriented football training to children under the age of 12. They conduct their training sessions in affiliated schools, or on professional playing grounds.

 

Just For Kicks was started in 2011 by pseudo-engineer Vikas Plakkot with a simple mantra – everyone plays. In India, only 3 out of 4 children actually finish high school, and 44% of primary schools don’t even have a playground! Vikas was appalled by these statistics and his idea behind starting JFK was to use football as a medium to develop life skills for students in low-income schools in India. Vikas and two of his colleagues decided to conduct football coaching after school hours, and that is how JFK was born. Soon, co-learning sessions were introduced where the children took the lead, and the coaches took a step back. Eventually, a big change was seen in the way the children started behaving – their social skills improved.

“They started learning how to respect their opponents by raising a hand and saying sorry if they fouled – it’s a small gesture but goes a long way.” – Vikas Plakkot, Co-Founder & Director, Just For Kicks; CEO, PSL Group

With its base in Pune, JFK now has over 100 schools in 4 states in the country. They have partnered with big names like HSBC, Tech Mahindra, Teach for India, Huracan FC London, Liverpool International Football Academy DSK Shivajians, and Pune F C, and have Tanvie Hans, Indian professional footballer at Fulham FC Ladies, UK, as the goodwill ambassador of their football tournament, the School Football Championship (SFC). Soccer Connections, based out of Mumbai, also has their own league, the Junior Football Championship, where matches are held for about 11 or 12 weekends every year. While Soccer Connections works hard to help develop children’s football skills, JFK uses football to help children from economically challenged backgrounds learn life skills. Both organizations work hard to promote the sport in the country.

Early October saw the kick-off of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). Since then, the country has been overtaken by football fever, and the sport has gathered quite a large fan following here. However, a lot is left to be done if we really want to develop the sport. Mumbai City FC, backed by superstar Ranbir Kapoor, has taken up an initiative in this regard, and has partnered with PSL India to give grassroots football in India a real boost.

“It’s imperative for us as a club to ensure we conduct year-long football programs to not only maintain relevance, but more importantly, ensure that the sport is actively taken up by kids. This tie-up with PSL India allows us to do just that. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to a highly competitive and successful school program.” – Indranil Das Blah, CEO, Mumbai City FC

This partnership means that Mumbai City FC will support PSL, and help them provide children with high-quality coaching programs through the year. The coaching programs will be implemented not just in Mumbai, but also in Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. With the partnership, Mumbai City FC provides direct technical support in enhancing the coaching modules already in place. The partnership also creates pathways for talented youngsters to join the club’s youth setup.

“We believe the only way to change the landscape of football in India is from the ground-up. A child should begin playing as early as the first grade and schools provide the perfect platform for such an intervention. With Mumbai City FC’s support, we have the opportunity to reach out to more schools across all levels of society and deliver a high-quality coaching program.” – Vikas Plakkot, Co-Founder & Director, Just For Kicks; CEO, PSL Group

While the ISL doesn’t last longer than a few months, this partnership has the potential to positively impact grassroots football in India. It will ensure that talent development continues through the year, and give further impetus to Just For Kicks’ and Soccer Connections’ fledgling championship programs. We at GFI are glad to see the ISL team take grassroots football seriously, and give it such a great boost!