Several football camps have started in neighbourhoods along VIP Road in recent months and the best part of them is they are free of coaching cost. Parents are making a beeline for these camps, seeking an outlet for children who are stuck at home for months.

When Kestopur resident Tilottama Dutta heard of such a football coaching camp being organised for children in Bangur Avenue, Block A, she heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since her son Rayan’s school closed last March, owing to the lockdown, the child had barely gone out.

“I decided that enrolling him in a football camp would do him a world of good. The classes are held four times a week and therefore he would get some good exercise while running around with the ball,” Dutta pointed out.

Ever since the camp began in November, she travels from Kestopur to Bangur Avenue every week with her son. Asked about Covid-19 infection risk, she said: “Both physical and mental health are equally important for children. I know Covid is still a looming danger but we all need to take precautions while carrying on with our lives. We cannot stay cooped up at home 365 days a year.”

The camp, which is free of cost, is a joint initiative of Bangur Avenue Child Welfare Organisation and Bangur Youth Forum Club. Joint secretary of the club Subhajit Dey said: “This is entirely free for children who have enrolled. We have also started cricket and karate classes from December. The entire venture is supported by the club. We pay the coaches from the money that we raise from the subscription fees paid by our members.”

Another such camp is being organised by Kishore Mukherjee Football Academy since November in Baguiati. The camp is held on the ground just opposite the Lokenath Temple, en route to Chinar Park and Teghoria. Here too classes are held four days a week, mostly in the evenings. However these classes are not free of cost and each child is charged Rs 200 a month. As of now 80 students have enrolled for the camp.

“Bengal has always had a football culture. But these days I have seen that children are so addicted to television, mobile phones and video games that the this culture is dying down. But we don’t want that to happen. Bangali chhele football khelbe na, eta ki kore hoy (How can it ever be that a Bengali boy would not play football)? That is the reason we have started this initiative,” said Anup Mukherjee, one of the organisers cum a trainer.

For children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, no fee is charged and football equipment is provided free. Asked how he was sourcing funds, Mukherjee said: “The academy doesn’t have a GST (Goods and Services Tax) number yet. Nor are we a legally registered body. We work with donations from guardians and neighbours.”

Children listen to instructions before being divided into teams Sourced by the correspondent

Pointing fingers

Club officials have denied any political funding being channelled into club finances to buy games equipment, but locals suspect otherwise. “Football may need minimum investment but how can a game like cricket which requires expensive kit also be taught free?” said a local shop-owner, refusing to be quoted.

“A lot of money has come to the clubs during Durga puja, when the chief minister sanctioned Rs 50,000 to each club. This is a good way to use those funds,” said Soumyadeep Banik, a resident of the neighbourhood. Others feel this might also be an election sop by local politicians to win over the middle class population living along the VIP Road stretch.

Local MP Sujit Bose was tight-lipped about the issue. “There are several football clubs that are doing good work at the ground level. I am aware of them but I haven’t given them any funds. They must be gathering funds from other sources, which I am not aware of,” he said.

Students and their parents, however, have no time for politics. “There are other football camps nearby but they are expensive and allow only elite students. The ones in Baguiati and Bangur Avenue are doing good work and so I am not bothered about where funds come from,” said Sneha Dasgupta, a resident of Lake Town. “I’m happy the kids can play and that too under good coaches. Otherwise they would have wasted their evenings watching television or on the internet.”