By Tenzin D., coach, Jhamtse Futbol Club

The Jhamtse Futbol Club is one of four schools selected for the Huracan Foundation grant for 2022-23. Through this, we can acquire the funds necessary to work on the functional aspects of our Jhamtse Futbol Club (JFC) program. Through this year of collaboration, we hope to make this a self-sustaining program and focus on acquiring the technical skills required. So far, it has been a fantastic journey learning with them. Their support goes beyond just financial assistance— the proactive sharing of knowledge and experience from their Community is fascinating and fills me with enthusiasm.

When we started the JFC, I wanted to create a program that could sustain itself four years ago. Sports have always played a significant role in my life, and I wanted to pass that love on to the kids at Jhamtse Gatsal as well. I started with JFC with the vision of creating a sustainable Futbol group at JG. I wanted the children to be passionate about their Futbol club, and that passion, I believed, would trickle down to all the kids and help facilitate this program to run on its own.

Recently, through one of the Teach For India fellows in the Community, I learned about an opportunity for funding from an organization called The Huracan Foundation. This opportunity could not have come at a better time. Some events make you feel like things happen if it is meant to, and all we need to do is believe in what we do. Winning the grant from The Huracan Foundation was definitely one of those things.

It all started with attending a virtual conference on sports with Teach For India fellows on the importance of Sports in the Academic Curriculum. Following the conference, one of the hosts contacted me regarding an opportunity from The Huracan Foundation, a Futbol, and education charity that works on helping with improving children’s educational outcomes around the world through the power of Futbol. Every year, the foundation selects four project leaders from around the world to use Futbol as a catalyst to bring changes in kids’ lives and social change in and around the region. Ours was the only project from India selected. The other three are from Uganda. JFC’s objective is to use these funds and the technical skills training for coaches the foundation will provide to increase girls’ participation in sports and help kids improve their performance— in academics and sports.

Coach Michael Gonzalez has been and continues to be an integral part— a founding pillar of this program. Mere words aren’t sufficient to express my gratitude for his contribution to JFC. All of JFC’s achievements are thanks to his inspiration and encouragement. The kids here always miss him and eagerly wait for his next trip to the Community.

I am also grateful to all the Jhamtse community members for their support and enthusiasm for sports. I hope and pray that the Community supports us throughout. We still have a long way to go regarding sports infrastructure and our mindset and attitude towards sports. For instance, using the term extra-curricular for sports does not do it justice. I am waiting for the day sports to become part of the primary curricula.

I have also seen a significant increase in the number of girls participating in sports at Jhamtse Gatsal, be it Futbol, basketball, volleyball, or any other sports. I see a huge potential in our girls.

The three other school leaders selected by The Huracan Foundation are based in Uganda. The project leaders are focusing on increasing school enrolment through sports. Many girls are forced to marry instead of attending school. These project leaders’ stories are an inspiration for me and fuel me to work harder to bring something out of this project.

I hope that sports become an essential tool for them to see the multitude of possibilities in life— just like it has been something more than just a game for boys, it has become a reason for them to become better versions of themselves.

Thoughts on futbol from the students…