Bengaluru FC lend a helping hand in fighting the spread of Covid-19

Football, they say, is a sport of the people and the club belongs to its community. It's the community that makes a club what it is. And in that vein, Bengaluru FC have come forward to lend a helping hand in these unprecedented times.

The club had started their campaign to help small business owners in the city right after an initial lockdown last year and now — with the city in dire straits — they are once again doing their bit to help out the people who make the club.

With their season still on, the club has decided to hold off on the footballing content in the wake of the crushing second wave.

"For us, we always recognise that the community as a whole, not just match-going fans, make the club what it is," a club spokesperson told DH.

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The club has formed a team comprising its staff, players, and a core group of fans who will send out verified information pertaining to Covid-19.

With the healthcare system creaking under the weight of the never-ending caseload, social media has become the major tool in helping people locate beds, ICUs, oxygen cylinders. and even meals for those in need.

The club plans to verify and amplify the right information with their social media handles. The core fan group will sift through the information and verify before alerting the club staff who will once more check the validity of the information before beaming it out to over 2.85 lakh followers on Twitter.

"Covid response is so people based, unfortunately it's people who have 500 followers who offer to cook meals or 200 followers who want help. So if we can put these out, we can help people," the official said.

In addition to emergency information, the club is also looking to help on a holistic basis. Tuesday's post consists of collated information on mental health helplines where one can reach out for affordable counseling. There is also information regarding home-cooked meals that will be delivered.

The players too are eager to help.

"We will hear the players do more going forward. We have few big hitters in terms of presence, and we want to use that, they are willing too," the spokesperson said.

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There are also plans in the pipeline to help with the vaccine drive.

This is a continuation of their #BackOnOurFeet campaign which featured around 25 local businesses hit by the pandemic and lockdown on their social media over the course of the season.

"We pushed around 25 small businesses over the season. Some did well, like Chetta's store in Markham road. The video we put out genuinely helped because a lot of people went after watching the video," a club insider said.

Another business that was featured was Baked in Blr - a gluten-free cloud bakery. "A lot of people found out, and specifically in the fitness space. The video is directing traffic even now, because when you Google Baked in Blr, it pops up," Anmol Mangharam, owner, said.