Euro2020 and Copa America2021 brought football fans across the globe in unison in July 2021. The world desperately needed this hysteria of positive vibes after the isolated phase of the covid-19. Football has the synergy to pull masses together in one spirit. Post Covid-19 irrevocably has changed the way we consume sports. The two years of the pandemic have taught us not to take anything for granted. Not people, not life, and definitely not sports. Life is in the moment, it is now; and football roars, “Live Now.”
“The thing about football – the important thing about football – is that it is not just about football.”
Terry Pratchett
Football is a universal sport that trains for endurance and builds a team. This precisely forms the core value of, Narmada Valley Football Academy (NVFA) Established in 2017, NVFA is a registered football academy under the Madhya Pradesh Football Association to provide sports excellence through planned stages of player development in the Mahakaushal region of Madhya Pradesh for the children of tribal communities situated in the province. Let’s understand NVFA’s dreams and goals from the founder of Mrida, Priya Nadkarni, who have been closely working with the tribal community of Mandla since 2015 on the fronts of education and sustainable livelihood.
Q. Why did you choose Football for sports excellence? Why not any other team-based game?
Priya explains, “There is a strong history of the game in these regions. Football has been played for generations here without structure and guidance. When the traders of the East India Company set up base in Calcutta, their culture and recreational activities came along with them. Football was a very British way of unwinding.” Priya continues,” Also, it is a relatively simple game to play. Two teams, eleven players each, and a ball, that’s it. No elite equipment is required. Even the ground is optional: terraces or empty roads will suffice, as will a beach. In our case, the Riverside Natural School campus.”
They explained further, “The Gond and Baiga tribes of the Mahakaushal region are accustomed to a high-energy, active lifestyle. Football fitted in like a missing piece of a puzzle. It was easy to explain, simple to grasp, and super fun to play. The tribe’s energy levels, strong physique gave them great leverage in accepting the game easily.”
Q. What is the necessity of an independent sports academy in rural areas?
The tribal hinterlands of India have been devoid of basic amenities for decades now. But what has been a blessing in disguise is that they have been able to preserve their connection to nature and live with minimum tools, thus letting their bodies and minds become the only tool that is available to them. The children from these regions have athletic bodies with a natural upper body balance and a sharp application-oriented intellect. This cultural capital is the talent that we look to encourage to build sporting excellence in the region. The current format of teaching in rural schools is rigid and standardized. This standardized education system completely ignores the local context. Mrida’s intervention programs in education and sports excellence are contextually driven to help build vocational skills, mental and physical health via sports, in the period that the children here can afford to give.
The Mahakaushal region is a penurious belt that is struggling to meet ends. The majority of the youth succumbs to vices because of a lack of structured education and an outlet to channelize their energy. If there is a sports-oriented school or academy there is a chance to engage and bring a change in their current impoverished status. Their day is well-planned, with studies, sports, yoga, and their nutrition intake is well monitored. When we initially started our work in 2015 in the Mandla region, the children were anemic and malnourished. We started a shelter home at RNS (Riverside Natural School, a residential school governed by Mrida) with the help of parents. In the hostel aka shelter home, children now get 3 major meals and 2 minor meals every day. Today, 95% of our shelter home children are free from anemia in a region where 80% of children are still plagued by it. When a formalized institute is present in a destitute region, it acts as a lighthouse that provides guidance and navigation.
Q. What difference did NVFA make in the region?
Priya spells out the bitter truth that in these overcasted villages, childhood is lost under the burden of survival. “There is nothing happening for children to protect their innocence. NVFA helped them see childhood beyond regular academics and give them something which they can be good in. Learning English can take years of coaching but playing football basics was embraced and practiced by these children in months.
Girls for the first time came out to play and now, are showing grit greater than boys. I am sure they will crack the national scene before boys. A region where girls are only seen with pots of water on their heads, a football on their head was a generational change. The young girls who play football with us have a confident body language as compared to other girls in the region.”
A proud Priya says, “We organized the first-ever inter-district football selection tournament in Mandla in collaboration with the district football association. This has given a great flip to sports in the district. This tournament had 24 district teams across MP participation & culminated in a national camp that we organized. The camp saw a selection of 3 participants of our football program to the national camp; two of them selected to represent Madhya Pradesh.”
Q. What is your vision for NVFA?
The market size of the sports industry in India has grown from Rs. 73 billion in 2017 to over Rs. 91 billion in 2019. Mainly due to the emergence of new domestic sporting leagues and that is not all that is supporting the sports scene in India. With programs like Khelo India and recent medals in athletics, the Indian government seems to be keen on building reasonable structures for various sports. As this market grows and with it the movement to build strong sports structures in India, the opportunity to get a specialized workforce for this Industry also becomes crucial. Recent inspirations like Deepika Kumari winning the Gold at the Archery World Cup is an encouraging event for the rural children in India. Mrida aims to provide sports excellence to grassroots talent through our Narmada Valley Sports Program (NVSP) in rural India. Under this program umbrella, there will be other sports in the future. Right now, we have football and wushu. In fact, 9 girls competed in the state-level Wushu Tournament held in Ujjain in 2019, and 1 of them – Jayanti Wate played in the under-56 kg weight category in the nationals at Jalandhar, the first girl from this region.
Q. The pandemic must have been a speed breaker. How do you plan to evolve from this setback?
Yes, the pandemic did put a halt to our presaged and functional system. While the internet-accessing world proceeded with online education, rural India went more into a dark mode. (Read about, Online Education for Tribal zone, A Reality Check )
For rural India, there are many infrastructural and financial issues when it comes to attending online lectures but we cannot beat the same bush again and again.
We are now in reboot mode. Launching our “Digital Shiksha Seva Project” where we plan to provide internet access to 15 villages comprising 200 children. Keeping the covid protocols in mind and gathering our existing resources we are starting classes again at specific centers. The idea is to start connecting the dots gradually and the network will be activated. Right now we start with academics and in three to four months we get our sports coaching online as well. Long and difficult journey but we are determined.
Q. What value addition did football culture have on the students?
Priya reminisces about the first Raja Hriday Shah Golden Baby League organized by Mrida to boost the morale of these rural children working hard at the training facility.
“In the first baby league edition, our under 10 teams comprised only girls and one boy whereas all other teams had only boys. In a qualifier match, the girl’s team was down by 0-2. They were pruned by the other team’s stamina and speed. At half time, I bawled at them and was intentionally spiteful. The girls got intense and there was no reaction. I thought that I pulled a stretch and decided to let them be after all they were just kids. I went for tea, came back, and what I saw still gives me goosebumps. All the girls showed their top game. There was a sudden surge of passion, coordinated teamwork, great footwork, the Dribbles‘ speed technique was showcased at its best and the team’s body language affirmed that the victory was theirs. They won against an all-boys team 4-2.
After the game, there was an emotional outburst. They cried, hurdled, and acknowledged the power of determination. Football brings out the passion to achieve and believe in oneself, that yes we are capable. That’s what the game did for these impoverished kids. It gave them hope.
They went on to become champions of the first edition of the baby league defeating all stronger boys’ teams. I am sure some of them will play for India if they get the right facilities. What our Coach Kailash has been able to do with these children in the last two years seems magic to me. I regret this covid more than our children because we were ready to showcase this magic to the world. But we wait.”
NVFA strives to harness talented players to drive sports excellence in the region. Post COVID-19 NVFA’s scouting target is to enroll 25 – 40 children every year from ages 6 to 8 years of raw sports talent who will be provided fully residential and schooling facilities. Mrida Education and Welfare Society, which administers this football academy, plans to resume football coaching and training once the Government COVID-19 regulations are updated.
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