KHELO INDIA BECOMES REALITY, RECOGNITION FOR STAIRS AND GRASSROOTS ASPECTS WE ARE ADDRESSING.

1. KHELO INDIA BECOMES REALITY, RECOGNITION FOR STAIRS AND GRASSROOTS ASPECTS WE ARE ADDRESSING. The atmosphere within the STAIRS office as well as across our centres is quite exciting. While the teams have been primarily focusing on the grassroots camps of SSFL and several new initiatives, none other than honourable Prime Minister endorsed our idea of play through Twitter. Nevertheless, another motivating development was government’s decision to merge Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme and National Sports Talent Search Scheme under one umbrella called Khelo India, which coincidentally has been the flagship initiative of STAIRS since its inception. Interestingly, the fundamental objectives of the government’s scheme as well as the STAIRS’ Khelo programme, which is currently being implemented across eight states in India, is the development of sports and sporting culture in the country, particularly at the grassroots. With encouragement comes responsibility While we were celebrating and taking pride in the direct and indirect endorsement from the highest public offices in the country, there came the responsibility as well, and that too came from the top. Team STAIRS became the first non-profit to be included in the ‘steering committee’ of four major football-focused programmes including the under-17 FIFA World Cup. Hence, we streamlined our actions, took stock of our strengths and weaknesses, and also underlined areas that we in our capacity can address for the development of grassroots sports in the country. PM Tweets

2. The first task The first task we looked at and are now working on is the development of sports at both ends of the spectrum, at the grassroots and the high-performance level. Our focus now is to ensure that there is sufficient participation at grassroots-level programmes run by the government and also creates newer initiatives that complement the government’s or affiliated bodies’ programmes. SSFL’s grassroots camps are one such initiative that is creating a pool of thousands of talented footballers, many of whom will bring glories to the country in near future. Key sport development strategies Coach the coaches programme: We were surprised to that majority of grassroots coaches have no expectation or desire to be anything other than a coach at the grassroots level. They are happiness simply keeping a team together, but at the cost of not letting the talented individuals climb the ladder. Hence, through our ‘coach the coaches’ programme, we initiate motivating conversations and share information that focuses on safety as well as ethical coaching practices targeted at the overall development of the sport. The programme has just started, and it may takes few years to see the results. However, we are sure that the sufficient expertise that is required to be a recognised coach at the grass root level, will be there in the coaches associated with STAIRS grassroots programmes. Development of sports facilities: One thing that discourages me the most are the sporting facilities at the grassroots. Most of you must have read stories, seen pictures and might have even played at a ground that functions as the playing field for almost every game, but is practically made for no specific game. Ideally, the playing field needs not only to be safe but also to inspire the player to better standards of performance. For instance, from my SSFL experience I can say that for football, it is an exhilarating feeling to walk out onto a beautiful grass pitch. The ball travels smoothly across the surface without unexpected bumps and deviations and increases the confidence of the player. Hence, Team STAIRS has now taken up the responsibility of transforming some of the common grounds into better sports facilities. We have the consent of the authorities, support of the business

3. entities and soon we’ll lay down the AstroTurf at one of grounds in Krishna Nagar in New Delhi, along with other necessary facilities for grassroots players. Organising events: The organisation of sporting events is not only a primary task for all sports bodies but also a significant aspect of sports development effort and STAIRS has been doing the same since its inception. Apart from the enjoyment that sports tournaments or leagues bring to participants and spectators, the organisation of special events also provide a platform for children to showcase their talent. At the same time, they help children in realising their potential and areas of improvement to reach higher levels of the game. Sports knowledge and expertise sharing:In our decades of experience, we have realised that there is an issue of knowledge management within the sports fraternity. While each one of them intents to share his/her knowledge and expertise from the domain, there aren’t many platforms for them to sit and find common resolutions. Hence, to address the knowledge sharing aspect, we started reaching out to leading coaches, administrators, curators and referees, as well as relevant ministries and all stakeholders including Members of Parliament, to share their expertise, knowledge and support our efforts of creating opportunities for children at the grassroots. Last but not the least, to facilitate such knowledge sharing, STAIRS has also taken an initiative of starting a dialogue through a Sports Conclave, which concluded on a high note. I’ll share the developments from the same in my next post. In the meantime, let us continue to encourage sports at home and elsewhere. So long, then… http://www.upadhyay.co/blog/khelo-india-becomes-reality-recognition-for-stairs-and-grassroots- aspects-we-are-addressing/