PART II - FROM THE GRASSROOTS
Humans are bounded by a theory famously known as "Evolution". It emphasises on the metamorphosis of all the living species on this planet. It talks about the species adapting to its habitat. Now, as a matter of fact, habitat determines the evolution and behavioral patterns of all the mortals as time goes by. Consider the situation of creating an environment more suitable to sustain and develop a particular growth; it requires a certain amount of change in the existing system. This change is more influential and beneficial, if it is aimed at the grassroots level.
In this second edition of my series, I want to talk about the importance of coaching the youth to bring about a change and inculcate a sense of discipline, imparting the knowledge and guidance from the experts at the grassroots level. Bangalore Youth Football League (BYFL) was started on similar lines.
BYFL was conceptualised in 2007 by Adhip Bhandary, who himself is a football player in his own right. His involvement in football administration goes back to late 1990's when he was a football sub-committee member of the famous Bombay Gymkhana. Over the next few years, he worked in organising many football tournaments across the country and more importantly realised the need of structured youth programs.
In 2009, Adhip was part of the Sports Master's programme in Lausanne, Switzerland through which he was able to absorb a lot of knowledge and expertise which BYFL has benefited immensely since the start of this year.
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“Be the change you want to see in the world”, a famous saying by Mahatma Gandhi. It is no coincidence to see a parallel between the above said line and the creation of BYFL. It is interesting to know the idea and the legacy of such an idea. A man of few words, he took his time out to give some insight on his initiative.
Creation of Bangalore Youth Football League (BYFL) –
[AB] - The idea for Bangalore youth football league came as I witnessed there was no proper league structure for the kids to play every weekend. Also the quality of coaching was below par in many parts of the city. Also since I had played professionally in Mumbai, I had decided to give back to the kids what i had received from Football, which was discipline and sense of pride and belonging. It inculcated good habits and a healthier way of life.
How is it being run in the present and the legacy of your initiative?
[AB] - Well as of now it is being run by a team of 8 coaches in 3 different locations; we have over 200 children, both from underprivileged and privileged backgrounds. The legacy of this initiative is to develop skilled, confident and creative players and above all to make the game fun for everybody.
Future Plans:
[AB] - We at BYFL are looking to branch out not only within Bangalore but also to smaller towns like Mangalore and Coimbatore. Also organize a seminar for coaching the coaches’ programme.
Currently based out of Bangalore, Adhip can be seen organising inter-school tournaments, coaching camps or sit in his office developing plans to take initiative a step further. BYFL started with a membership of 15 students and now it has grown into a pool of 180 students in a short span of time.
For those of you who want to know more on this initiative, Adhip Bhandary can be contacted through e-mail and phone.
Email: adhip.bhandary@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 – 9686098644
Building a Culture, Bridging a Gap is a forum to share some of the initiatives taken by indiviuals for the development of Indian sports.