Kuthambakkam Government School (yellow) play against Chennai Higher Secondary School - Cooks Road in the finals of CKL. The former won the CKL championship.

When the new academic year began and there came a proposal by a corporate to start a girls football team at Jaigopal Garodia Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Saidapet, the institution had one challenge to overcome -- getting parents' approval. The general perception around here is that football is too rough a sport for girls.

Physical education teacher S. Sripriya did not subscribe to the viewpoint.

"Our girls have excelled in athletics and kabadi and have won various tournaments at the district level, so initiating a new sport was not a challenge as many of them have the stamina to pull it off," says Sripriya.

The team from Jaigopal Garodia Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Saidapet

Of the 30 students from Classes VI and VII who showed interest in being part of the school team, 15 were shortlisted. The next task was to persuade the parents of these students to allow them to play the sport and send them for coaching regularly.

"We had one-on-one discussions with parents, calling them to school and convincing them that the sport will benefit their ward in many ways. This exercise went on for a week as most parents are daily-wage labourers and would not want to skip work for this interaction at school. The cost factor was also weighing down heavily on them," Sripriya elaborates.

Since then under the guidance of coach Deepika, the team have been learning new skills in football. In the last three months, classes were conducted twice a week in preparation for Chennai Kaalpandhu League (CKL), an inter-school football tournament initiated by LatentView Analytics, a global digital analytics consulting and solutions firm with office in Taramani, as part of its corporate social responsibility.

CKL has seen five editions so far, starting from 2019. Identifying budding players in the Under-14 category from less privileged communities including the formation of girls teams has been its key focus area.

Following the Chennai Kaalpandhu League, some players are identified to be given extensive training and nutrition. They follow a football curriculum put together by India Khelo Football, a platform that connects grassroot talent with professional opportunities.

This year, 330 girls took part in the fifth edition of Chennai Kaalpandhu League, prioritising inclusivity and using sports as a great way to break stereotypes.

Poornima Shankar, CSR head, LatentView Analytics, says: "The number of girls participating in CKL has steadily increased. In co-ed schools, we insist on both girls' and boys' teams, and while some schools first sent only boys, the thrill of participation encouraged girls also to come forward the following year. This is proof that sport can lead to subtle shifts in mindsets and teach lessons for life. Even in another initiative of ours that had a kolam competition, we saw boys step into what is seen as a girls domain."

43 teams compete in fifth edition

The grand finale of the Chennai Kaalpandhu League - Season 5, LatentView's flagship CSR initiative nurturing football talent among Chennai's government school students, concluded recently at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

The week-long tournament featured 43 teams and over 500 young players. Kuthambakkam Government School emerged as the double champions, winning both the boys' and girls' finals.

In the girls' finals, Kuthambakkam Government School defeated Chennai Higher Secondary School, Cooks Road, Perambur. In the boys' finals, Kuthambakkam Government School defeated Chennai Higher Secondary School in Saidapet.

How government girls school in Saidapet got a football team