Blacktown football club empowers players of North Chennai
The Hindu
The club gives them a better understanding of the game and its politics
For young boys and girls in North Chennai, football is more than just a game. “It is a tool for empowerment,” says Sukumar Thangaraj, a PhD research scholar at Department of Journalism & Communication, Madras University. This tool, feels the 29-year-old, ought to be used well. “There are so many football clubs in the area,” he says, speaking from his experience of extensive field research — football is his research subject.
“Some streets in Vyasarpadi have two to three clubs, affiliated to different political parties.” He wants to bring them all together, equip them with better understanding of the weight the game carries in their lives. “Players need to know of not just the job opportunities the game can offer; they need to ask tough questions, criticise structures that hamper their opportunities; understand the politics of the game,” Sukumar points out.
With all this in mind, he formed the Blacktown football club in August this year. The club will promote the game in North Chennai by providing a platform for players to not just play, but think as well. “As our first step, we adopted R Yamini, a Vyasarpadi football player who is in Class X,” explains Sukumar. With help from the Official Chelsea Football fans club (Tirupur), he managed to buy her a football kit last month, and hopes to pool in funds for her school fees.