The Indian Super League (ISL) side, Mumbai City FC have introduced “Healthy Goals,” a new programme that aims to promote healthy lives for the youth of Mumbai via the game of football, in collaboration with the OSCAR Foundation.
In this arrangement, both parties will collaborate on the ‘Healthy Goals’ campaign to raise funds to support the development and refurbishment of community football pitches, in addition to youth-led football and leadership courses aimed at improving the health of local kids.
This one-of-a-kind initiative blends grant financing with community football training for young Mumbai leaders who will utilise football to promote the health of young Mumbaikars by giving them access to quality sports facilities. The created pitch will be utilised to provide regular football and life skills classes, as well as leadership training, to youngsters from marginalised communities.
The ‘Healthy Goals’ programme will raise funds and awareness by combining the OSCAR Foundation’s experience in fundraising with Mumbai City FC’s presence in Mumbai’s neighbourhoods.
From now until September 2023, all donations given for ‘Healthy Goals’ will be provided to the OSCAR Foundation and matched rupee for a rupee.
The ‘Healthy Goals’ initiative intends to leave an indelible mark by measuring its effects through participant surveys, coach reports, and input from Mumbai communities.
Kandarp Chandra, CEO, Mumbai City FC, said, “Community development is one of our key beliefs at Mumbai City FC and we’re delighted to be able to partner with a true community leader in OSCAR Foundation. Through the ‘Healthy Goals’ program, we aim to deliver a meaningful and lasting impact in our city through healthy communities, grassroots development and sustainable social growth.”
Ashok Rathod, Founder and CEO – OSCAR Foundation, said, “The collaboration between OSCAR Foundation and Mumbai City FC for ‘Healthy Goals’ fills us with great enthusiasm. Together, we aspire to leverage the influence of football to uplift the lives of young individuals in Mumbai, build healthier communities in grassroots, and instill invaluable leadership attributes that will endure for years to come.
At the launch event, SportsMint Media got an opportunity of speaking to Tanaz Mohammed, Grassroots & Community Development Officer, Mumbai City FC. During that essential interaction, Tanaz spoke about the importance of supporting young kids and emerging clubs and how no club is an opponent when it comes to grassroots development.
City Football Group (CFG) will match any contributions received between February and September 2023 to the Healthy Goals Programme up to a total of £500k (INR 5 crore) internationally among all CFG Clubs participating in this round of financing, or a limit of £125k (INR 1.25 crore) for any one club.
As a grassroots and community development officer, what is your day-to-day activity?
“So in my schedule, I can say is more about identifying areas where we can work and when we talk about walking in grassroots and community, we not only focus on playing, but we also focus on the overall development of the ecosystem. The ecosystem consists of parents. Parents play an important part. It also consists of coaches, referees, associations, and other stakeholders that are a part of the grassroots community. So my day-to-day schedule is somewhere where I can sit and recognize that right now we need to do a league. So to do a league, I just don’t have to go out, tell people there’s a league happening, and then, assign. It’s nothing like that, but it’s much more than that, getting the right people at the right place.
“Getting the associations involved, getting the right kind of stakeholders and people who will benefit the league in the long run. And then after that is done I recognize teams, which are worthy enough to come and play because there are teams who can afford it. But with us, we do not charge a penny when it comes to our grassroots or community development. So we must provide the right kind of opportunity to the right kind of people. So it’s about identifying talent and giving them the right kind of opportunity.“
