Realising their football dream

Football is creating an excitement amongst the youth in India. Keeping in mind the interest and promotion of the game at the grassroot level, Stairs initiated a football league known as the Stairs School Football League (SSFL) in 2014. After the success of the first league, the organisation kick-started SSFL-2 by organising 12 Football Trial Camps in Delhi  early this month.

These camps are divided zone wise into East, South, North-West and North Delhi. Selection will be done at the trial camps and a final selection camp, will be held in each zone. The final zones include Madhu Vihar, Yamuna Sports Complex, Jal Vihar, GBSSS Keshav Puram, Apex Public School from June 1-10.

SSFL-2 is one of the biggest school level football tournaments. This year more than 5,000 under privileged children are a part of the league which also includes a substantial number of girls.

“These camps will help us observe the players carefully and certify their talent. The camps have been divided into zones so that the maximum area is covered in the region. The idea is that every keen child gets an equal opportunity to play in the league,” says Siddhartha Upadhyay, founder and secretary general, Stairs.

This year the league is being organised in partnership with Hindustan Football Academy, which provides technical assistance to the event and assists Stairs in conducting the tournament in a professional and organised manner. HFA has a football legacy spanning six decades.

The club has, over the years, been applauded for its groundbreaking approach to mentoring sporting talents.

Stairs nurtures the talented sportspersons from underprivileged groups so that they can use this ability as a means to earn a living and pursue it as a career.