Former India international football players C.K. Vineeth and Rino Anto are set to embark on a four-month-long journey across the tribal pockets of the country in an attempt to unearth hidden football gems and explore the scope for setting up football academies.
The campaign ‘Soccer Safari – Exploring India’s Football Heartlands’, jointly organised by Thirteenth Foundation and Plan D Trips, is likely to be flagged off by actor Mammootty later in January 2024. It will also associate with the International Sports Summit Kerala, a four-day event to be held at Sports Hub in Thiruvananthapuram from January 23 to 26. The two former Indian players will then hit the road on February 1.
Inspiration
The success of the two football academies set up in the tribals pockets of Attapady in Palakkad and Thirunelly in Wayanad districts benefitting around 130 tribal youngsters by Thirteenth Foundation sparked the idea to carry the flame of football to more tribal pockets across the country.
The foundation is a charitable trust spearheaded by sports enthusiasts, including active and retired athletes, and seasoned sports management professionals, and is aimed at bridging the gap in sports infrastructure in Kerala.
“Soccer Safari will be more like a location hunt for identifying potential areas for setting up football academies. Once the locations are identified, we will return there to weigh other requirements such as availability of land for the academies,” says Mr. Vineeth, brain behind Thirteenth Foundation.
Mr. Vineeth and Mr. Anto will meet up with legends of the game, sports personalities and sports management figures along the way. Insights and experiences from these encounters are expected to ‘assist’ Soccer Safari. The entire campaign will be video-documented and uploaded on the YouTube of Plan D Trips.
Going by the feedback from local authorities, school teachers, and the tribal community in general, the academies at Attapady and Thirunelli, launched just a year ago, have already made a significant and positive social impact. The academies have become catalysts for change, fostering development and well-being among the youth in these regions.
“Unlike the rest of Wayanad, youngsters in Thirunelly hardly had the opportunity to develop their football talents. In fact, they have seen little of the game. There have been many talents that had gone waste owing to that lack of support. The academy has changed that, which is reflected in their renewed vigour not only in practicing football but also in studies,” says Jayaraman, a certified coach in charge of the Thirunelly academy.
Free coaching
Apart from the two tribal academies where coaching is free, Thirteenth Foundation has set up another five academies across Kerala, and is planning more. “We want to develop the tribal academies into residential ones. It will need bigger funding, which could be possibly raised through some corporate social responsibility funds,” says Mr. Vineeth.
