An Indian based NGO named Slum Soccer has been crowned as Champions in the inaugural FIFA Diversity award. The NGO which has its headquarters situated in Nagpur focuses on building sustainable development amongst marginalised populations within the country through football. 'Slum Soccer' winning the inaugural FIFA Diversity award will mean the world to India and Indian football, better known for its cricket than football, said its CEO Abhijeet Barse, on Monday.
The NGO representing India had to face other short-listed rivals - The International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (ILGBTFA) and British anti-discrimination pressure group 'Kick It Out' and prevailed over them.
"This is absolutely thrilling for India, being acknowledged for a football project when India doesn't ever make the football headlines!" an overjoyed Barse said at the Soccerex Global Football Convention.
"This will help us project ourselves onto the Government with this sort of publicity. The Government used to see it as education versus sport but now they see the sport is part of education," said Barse.
Also read: Interview of Prof. Vijay Barse, Founder, Slum Soccer
Barse also explained that how Slum Soccer was integral for the growth of children. He said the NGO takes children who are outcasts in the society and gives them a platform of playing football – to help them gain their confidence back and reestablishing them as a part of the society.
"They just give up because they have no direction and don't feel part of the community," he said.
"We go not only into the slums but also to schools and we take children who feel marginalised. At the moment we have around 12,000 on a daily basis in the project not just in the cities but also in the villages and rural areas."
Barse who has an academic background was delighted to see the talent in different children.
"Many have gone on to gain the confidence to apply for and obtain jobs," he said after he was delighted to see their successes.
"Some have even returned to our project as coaches. Others have returned to resume their education and are absorbed back into the community that once they didn't feel part of. That is because we have built up their confidence through playing together and being a unit, learning off each other as much as from us adults."
Backed by worldly renowned associations such as UNICEF and FIFA’s Football for Hope, Barse’s father was the brains behind initiating the project.
"He was a sportsman himself, a handball player," said Barse. "But he came from a very poor background and he knew that lots of children wouldn't be getting opportunities to shine because of their origins. Thus 14 years ago he started up 'Slum Soccer' to give them a possibility of hope. And it grew and grew."
However, success as often the case had its price as Barse Senior discovered and his son observed.
"He realised it was unmanageable and I saw the impact it was having on him," said Barse.
"I was doing my PhD in the US at the time but I decided that I would return and help. I have no regrets because of the joy it brings. Of course, there are challenges but different to the ones I found in academia. It is very satisfying," he added.
