Uplift A Community Through Football

One of the highlights of our Community Program is the annual Youth League that hosts teams from each location and includes competition for various age categories.

Background:

Over the last 6 years of operation, we have achieved relative success in engaging children and communities through football programs and life skills sessions. Not only has the participation given them a much needed outlet to release their energy but equally important is the reduction in their tendencies to join local gangs and indulge in society’s vices. However, in delivering our programs, we have observed that competition, the ideals of winning as a team, building stars and role models within communities is what truly provides entertainment, excitement and spreads the hope for significantly broader engagement of youth and community. Competition also allows us to provide a safe platform for various communities to interact. Amidst Karachi's ethnic divides, we feel this is good way to promote tolerance and respect. Competition on the pitch is also what gives the impetus to participants to establish goals for themselves, as a team, and as a community. A league sets the ideal stage to engage participants in a competitive environment whilst promoting lessons such as team work, discipline and tolerance across the multiple ethnic groups that our centers operate in. 2017 saw this initiative through its third cycle.

What We Hope To Achieve:

Our Youth League strives to become an annual pillar of competition whereupon all our participants can compete, interact, and engage with one another while still fighting for glory on the pitch. We believe that development efforts must be catered to long-term success and continuity, and that a platform such as this should exist every year as a part of our operations. Through the Youth League, we are trying to achieve the following:

1) Increasing participation and raising the standard of competition

2) Provide youth with a safe and healthy outlet whereupon they can engage with different communities and ethnicity, build tolerance, and foster a sense of unity amidst our divided culture

3) Create systems whereby we can carry out such a league every year

4) Foster public-private partnerships so that more entities invest in sport for development

Success Stories:

Fatima: 15 years old and from Lyari, Fatima captained her team during the Youth League. She has been part of the Lyari Community Center since 2015, and has developed a passion for football that makes her stand out. Her talent was showcased during the league and with 6 goals to her name, she won the Top Goal Scorer trophy. Her skills were remarkable and she was offered a trial for the Women’s Team. The coaches were impressed with her attitude and her drive, and she has now been inducted to the Karachi United Women’s Team. Fatima inspires other girls in her school, and from the center she was a part of, to pursue their interest in sport.  

Najeeb-Ullah:  Najeeb-Ullah was part of the very first Youth League in 2014, and played in the U16 category from Lyari. His interest in the game and his experience in the league pushed him to remain closely involved with football and he became a coach for the same center he was from. This year, he coached the U12 squad from his Lyari center and his story inspires many young boys in his community. Having played the league himself, he truly strives to motivate his boys to see the benefits of competition, observe coaching methods, and develop the standard of the league itself.  

Partnership with Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Ltd.: This year’s league marked a successful effort to bring in corporate partners to help promote grassroots football for communities and set standards for how beneficial public-private partnerships can be for long-term sustainability. Standard Chartered Bank promotes football at the most elite levels of the sport, and for them to vertically integrate their approach towards development and local communities in Pakistan is a big step for Sport-for-Development in our country. We are grateful for their support, and we hope that more organizations adopt this perspective; it will enable us to not only maintain our efforts with the league in years to come, but also expand upon and scale them. 

As always, thank you to all of you who support and contribute towards our mission! 

Links:

• Karachi United Youth League Highlights 2016 - 2017

We've had a busy few months! Our project has not only continued to engage 1000 children in football, but we've had some interesting new developments as well. These include:

Football Development: Establishment of the KU Academy (as a result of talent scouting) & an invitation to participate in the Aspire Tri-Series Tournament in Qatar

Capacity Building: 10 girls from both Lyari and Orangi Town inducted into the KU Women’s Team, and boys from the centers were scouted to tour Qatar

Exposure: The Youth League provides a platform for children across various areas of Karachi to interact with each other through football. We've seen the positive effects of this kind of interface such as building tolerance and bridging gaps between communities.

Success Stories:

Sheraz: Shiraz lives in Lyari and is a registered participant of our Lyari General Center. He began in July 2017, at the age of 11. At the time, he was not enrolled in school due to the financial constraints his family was in. His father drives a donkey cart for a living and is not able to contribute to Shiraz’s education. Shiraz, however, is an exceptionally talented player; he was chosen to represent his center in the Youth League and was immediately spotted by our Academy coaches. His attitude and discipline were so commendable that he was further inducted into the U12 squad that was chosen to represent Karachi United in the Aspire Tri-Series Tournament hosted in Qatar.  While Shiraz is excited and overjoyed, his family is grateful for the opportunity for him to see the world outside Pakistan. Upon his return, Shiraz will seek admission into a school in his neighborhood, and continue on in the Karachi United Academy.

Bilal: Muhammad is 13 years old and from Old Golimar. He represented his center in the Youth League. 
“I started playing football in 2009 and joined Karachi United in 2017. I am studying in class VII and also going to Maddrasa to learn Islamic studies. My favorite club is Barcelona and I like Messi. Unfortunately, I have not been able to score a goal in this league yet but I hope to change that soon. The experience of this league has been wonderful as we travel as a team to new locations and discover new areas of Karachi. The host teams are very welcoming and after our matches, we share stories about our areas with the other team players. The games have given us new motivation to train more and work harder and I believe this is positive for all my team mates. Given the popularity of this league, we have seen more children wanting to come and play football, which is great to see in my area.”

Shifa: Shifa is 14 years old and is from Lyari. She was always a model student, and has channeled her discipline into football recently. Her work ethic, talent, and her drive earned her a place on the Karachi United Women’s Team and she now trains regularly with them. Shifa has two elder sisters who constantly question her choices to pursue football. They ask her what she hopes to achieve, even if she manages to play a higher level. Her mother, though very supportive of daughter’s choices, also faces the same question. Shifa answers confidently for the both of them, “I want to make this a career. On the pitch, or off the pitch, like my coaches. I want football in my future. It’s up to me to make that happen.”

We are so thrilled to have had your support these past few months. Your help has enabled us to deliver on our mission and our project. Thank you! 

Links:

• Karachi United lads in Qatar!