Why football matters for India

If estimates are to be believed then approximately half the world’s population or 3 billion people will be tuning in to watch the ongoing FIFA World Cup currently underway in Brazil. Even if you are not an avid football fan it is easy to be drawn into this world of glitz and glamour where football as a sport has been reimagined and turned into an art form played with a certain muscular grace. It is sleek, it is fast, it is loud, it is almost surreal and it is in complete contrast to the football game I see outside my window.

Down below, next to a construction site, I see a group of children kick something that looks like a ball towards a makeshift goalpost. What they play is far from the mesmerising wizardry of Messi or the flamboyance with which Ronaldo takes over the field, yet what they play is beautiful and the joy on their faces very easily carries itself towards their “audience”.

Providing the opportunity to play
I personally feel that the greatest crime in the world is to deny a child the opportunity to play. In India, where half the population is under 25, it would be fair to say that around 50% of young people have never experienced the joy of sports.

Many argue that sports are frivolous for a country where poverty is plentiful, resources are limited and open spaces a luxury. But this is precisely why football as a sport holds great potential in India. Note: I say football holds great potential for India and not the other way round – India holds great potential for football. This is because this article is not about India’s dismal FIFA ranking or the popularity of the sport in India. Instead it is about how football is a useful tool that India can use in her development.

The importance of football
Besides the usual benefits such as health, fitness and discipline that sport provides, what makes football particularly interesting for India is that it is an inexpensive investment, non-violent sport that focuses on fair play, inclusion and empathy. In a country divided by caste and creed with an appalling sex ratio, football played in mixed teams can be used to address issues such as gender discrimination, minority rights, untouchability and communal violence.

Imagine a village in Uttar Pradesh where a group of upper caste children play in the same team as the Dalit children passing the ball to each other, strategising with the team captain who is a girl. Overtime these children will realise that women can lead, skill and talent are not determined by the caste you are born into and cooperating with the other community helps reach the goal faster than playing in isolation.

With its 1.2 billion people, football will soon need India for further revenue generation as well as talent acquisition but, before that happens, India needs innovation around the use of football as a vehicle for development!

Rashi Kakkar is a business graduate from SRCC, New Delhi, India and a Young India Fellow who spent most of her teenage years either on a tennis court, swimming pool or football/cricket field. Currently she is trying to understand the social and economic aspects around sports. She tweets on @rashi_kakkar.

[This article has been edited by the Operating Team.]