Youth Development Through Football
YFC Rurka Kalan was formed by the local Football team in 2001 which won prize money tournaments and decided to use that money for the upliftment of youth and children. The volunteers visit the community people on festivals & perform Bhangra & request funds for the cause. The young members also volunteered to provide football coaching, education and social help to the children.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Gurmangal
Last Name
Dass
Website
Organization
Youth Football Club Rurka Kalan
Country
India, PB
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
Youth Football Club Rurka Kalan
Organization Website
Organization Phone
+91 1826 271 489,+91 9872816020
Organization Address
YOUTH AND SPORTS COMPLEX, RURKA KALAN, GORAYA ROAD Dist Jalandhar -144031
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
India, PB
Your idea
Name Your Project
Youth Development Through Football
Country your work focuses on
India, PB
Describe Your Idea
YFC Rurka Kalan was formed by the local Football team in 2001 which won prize money tournaments and decided to use that money for the upliftment of youth and children. The volunteers visit the community people on festivals & perform Bhangra & request funds for the cause. The young members also volunteered to provide football coaching, education and social help to the children.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
With a view to stem the increasing use of drugs amongst the youth of the village and surrounding areas, Gurmangal Dass, a young resident decided to form a football club. Our football team took oath to promote their beloved sport football and to channelize the energy of youth into productive work. This team worked hard on the field to win prize money tournaments and volunteered in building infrastructure, raising funds and educating children and youth. The aim was to use football as the means to divert the youth from drugs, to a more active and healthy lifestyle.
The young team members and residents of the village assisted in the setting up of a football ground and two practice pitches by hauling 300 trolleys of soil from a place 20 km away in just three days, Volunteers sweated it out to level the field, laying an under ground irrigation system and laying of the turf. This centre apart of achieving excellence in football has the motive of all round development of underprivileged youth and children. Fund raising has been a very interesting part of the whole project; apart from raising money by winning tournaments the volunteers turn Lohri (Festival) celebration into fund raisers. The volunteers visit the homes of newly born babies, perform Bhangra and request funds for the cause. Volunteers also put up cycle stands for fund raising. Now YFC has its chapters in UK, Canada, America and Europe and gets financial help on a yearly basis. YFC Rurkakalan believes in youth's power and their sustainable development.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
The organization reaches approx. 2000 youngsters through diversified projects. We have professional competency in football coaching, management skills, media, and teaching accounts etc.
In the last five years 3 players have represented India and another 12 are have represented the under 16 team. 16 graduates have got jobs in professional football clubs in India.
Professional coach education is provided to young footballers through training programs from football coaches. Twenty seven players have got part time jobs in coaching in local sports clubs.
The club has setup a Career Counseling & Guidance Centre plus a small Library. In Multi Activity Hall regular presentation, seminar and debates are held with a view to develop patriotism, career consciousness, uprightness, personality and discipline among kids.
With a view to involve all stake holders of society in this movement YFC family has adopted a single teacher Village Primary School and provided three teachers to the school. Other than these 100 students of the school are felicitated by uniforms, shoes and other freebies.
The Club is running a Sewing and Stitching Centre, Beautician Training Centre and Free Computer Education Centre in the village. Trainees are also given stipend through government funded projects. Training for sewing and tailoring was provided to girls from poor families and sewing machines was provided to start their own business at home. 42 girls’ successfully set up their home boutiques and are earning livelihood.
400 trainees have successfully undergone Computer Training and most of them have joined jobs.
250 junior level managers from developmental were provided management and communication skills trainings in by organizing Resource Speakers from State Universities.
The project enables the participants to realize their latent potential, develop capabilities, and motivate individuals to seek independent careers, foster entrepreneurial traits.
Problem
1. Lack of scientific and systematic training at grass root level.
2. Lack of craze of youth towards the game which results in poor participation.
3. Lack of any serious action plan to develop the game in the country.
4. Non coordination of sports bodies like federation, education department, state and central ministries.
Actions
The club has entered into a strategic alliance with JCT an Indian premiership team to provide and nurture future talent for them. So JCT had collaboration with WOLVER HAMPTON (UK) who have started sending coaches for capacity building of local coaches.
The game of Cricket in India is worshiped like God but due to the extra ordinary facilities including free education etc. created by the club and many success stories the children from whole of the country now wish to join the club.
The club also plans to organize football league events to generate interest and seek support from state and national government authorities.
Results
Produced India’s highest paid defender “ANWAR ALI” who belonged to a poor family of a Taxi Driver.
Many more players from the club have been selected to participate at state and national level.
PREM KUMAR, TARANJEET KUMAR, SUKHVINDER, SUKHDEEP, JATINDER played for India in Under 16 Team.
SIX CADETS PLACED IN PRESTIGIOUS TEAMS LIKE JCT, BSF,PANJAB POLICE.
EACH YEAR 12-15 CADETS REPRESENT PANJAB IN VARIOUS NATIONAL COMPETITIONS.
The club won the inaugural Deloitte Street Child World Cup Played at DURBAN South Africa 2010. In this tournament Street Children from eight countries came together in March 2010 to find their voices through the global language of a game they love.
The club has won many prestigious tournaments in the last few years.
Beisdes football the club has created livilihood for women through skill development, and reintegrated many youth with their families who had taken to drugs.
The Sports Minister of India has appreciated YFC’s projects. He also assured all possible help to YFC.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
YFC RURKA KALAN has been successfully working for the betterment of youth for the last ten years. It has successfully executed various projects; the organization was started with a fund of US Dollars 2000 collected from its young members, and with selfless service the organization. It now spends US Dollars 50,000 per year and has built infrastructure with a value nearly 200,000 US Dollars.
Due to recession the corporate sponsorships are an issue but the club wants to go in for further development projects with support from the government, linkages with International Funding agencies.
The club is also supported by annual funding from players who have graduated from the club.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
YFC Rurkakalan believes in youth's power and feels there can be no failure in this kind of a sustainable project which is supported by around 1500 individual donors. The only threat is the status of the game in India and lack of any serious action plan to develop the game in the country at the government level. But with many professional clubs now being setup in Indian Football, we see a bright future ahead for the game and thereby encouraging youth development.
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$50 - 100
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
In what country?
India, PB
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
YFC RURKAKALAN
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
1. Advisory board to monitor the working and suggest suitable avenues for sustainability and future growth.
2. Football Clubs for strategic coaching and future recruitment of players.
3. Businesses for job recuitments of youth of this area.
4. Local religious institutions for providing platform for motivating people to send there children to the Club.
5. Linkages between state-level institutions working on youth and with the national and international level institutions for providing capacity buiding training, free guidance sessions, medical camps, etc.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1.Funds to futher improve infrastucture by getting registered a charity in UK involving Non Resident Indians of the area and linkages with International Funding agencies and NGOs.
2. Support from Regional and State Governments to work positively for Youth Development through sports.
3. At present the club runs two centres in two villages, so we plan to setup more centres on the simlar model by involving the local community as donations from them are approx 60% of the total project running cost.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
When I (Gurmangal Dass) graduated from the college and spent some holidays in my native village, I saw the drastic change that can be made through sports in a child. The children who were at risk to various youth issues visited our village football pitch. We just gave them the playing kit and coaching, the kids were enthusiastic to learn to play. We also started their tuition classes to help them in studies. After a year they passed their exams and three of them got selected to play for the state team, this changed their life from a vagabond to career conscious hardworking young men. The whole experience was so fascinating. The kids followed their role models i.e. coaches and changed their direction of life. It was indeed a fantastic idea for the underprivileged kids who otherwise would have fallen into drugs and become criminals.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
I(Gurmangal Dass) was born on 14th April 1975 in the home of Shri Sewa Dass. We are basically a religious and agricultural family. I have three sisters and one brother. All of them are married. Two of them are Doctors and one is a teacher. My younger brother is a Footballer and represented Guru Nanak Dev University in the All-India Inter University Football Tournament. We have a large farm here which I, my brother and my father manage. My whole family is devoted to social work. I did my Electronic Engineering Degree in 1997. Then I worked for a private concern. I got admitted to the University of Nevada Reno, USA but my family circumstances, the love for my village defeated the urge to study and have a career abroad. I got married in 2006 with Harpreet Kaur.
Since then I am working for football and Youth. I have also done a diploma in Youth Development form IGNOU (India Gandhi Open University) and MBA(HR)from Punjabi University, Patiala(Punjab). My family is fully supportive to me in this cause by sparing me from family business and also contributing monetarily.
I believe that sports can be a medium for social development. I feel satisfied by serving the youth.
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