“Football makes me feel free. When I play, I forget everything else and just focus on the game. It’s like flying without wings,” smiles Neha, 19, an emerging star in the Indian football.
In February 2024, the village of Mangali burst into celebration as their daughter, Neha, returned home as a national-level winner representing Haryana. Her story is one of resilience, growing up in a humble family of marginal farmers, surrounded by the lush green fields and infinite blue skies of her hometown. The playing field at Government Girls Senior Secondary School (GSSS) Mangali, became her training ground, and under the guidance of Coach Narendra – one of the 20 coaches placed by Project Sports Lab, a collaborative partnership between the Hyundai Motor India Foundation and Roots Foundation – Neha’s passion for football bloomed. “Coach Narendra believed in me when no one else did. His support means everything to me,” Neha says, acknowledging his important role in shaping her journey.
Neha’s journey began with a victory at the Under-14 National Tournament in 2019. Since then, her name has become synonymous with excellence – the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2022, the Indian Women’s League in 2023, and led Haryana to victory in the Under-19 SAFF Championship. Project Sports Lab became the wind beneath her wings and honed her raw talent into a force by providing expert coaching, by some of the coaches who have competed in national and international tournaments.
Despite her being an under-17 player, her achievements earned her scholarships from the Haryana Government for excelling in State, National, and Senior National Championships, a monthly stipend of Rs. 10,000 from the SAI scheme and her exceptional performance even led to an invitation to the Senior Indian Women’s team camp. Her story speaks of the support and collective effort behind her success, particularly the flagship project of Hyundai Motor India Foundation and Roots Foundation, Project Sports Lab, which helps athletes like Neha refine their skills in the sport they play, making them professional athletes.
Many students like Neha, who played sports but lacked professional training, have benefited from the grassroots sports initiative when it came to their villages in Punjab and Haryana in November 2022 as a pilot project in Punjab, focusing on Bathinda, Firozpur, and Haryana districts like Hisar and Fatehabad. Initially, the aim was to encourage students to play again after COVID-19, focusing on their physical and mental fitness. Over time, it evolved to take a strategic approach to improve overall fitness, scout talents in sports like handball, basketball, football, hockey, boxing, athletics, and yoga, and train them to represent their districts, states, and the country.
The project has impacted 6,500 children throughout Punjab and Haryana. Under the mentorship of expert sports coaches, 147 sports talents have been identified and nurtured. These scouted talents have gone on to bring pride to their communities by representing their districts, states, and even the nation. Most of these children come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, making Sports Lab a bridge between discovering grassroots sports talents and showcasing them at various competitive levels.
Following a thorough need assessment and baseline survey, 20 schools in Punjab and Haryana were selected for participation in the program. Subsequently, 20 sports coaches with national-level playing experience in their respective sports, were recruited for the two states, to provide top-notch training and guidance to the identified talents under the project Sports Lab. The team worked with District Education Officers (DEOs) in the identified districts to identify government schools that would benefit the most from the program and owned the necessary infrastructure to align with the project’s objectives.
Over the course of its one-and-a-half years of operation, Sports lab has instilled a unique sports culture in all its intervened schools and districts. It has received strong support from schools, local authorities, village Panchayats, Government officials, and parents, resulting in widespread community engagement and participation. Some local Panchayats have contributed by even offering playgrounds and sports equipment to support the persistent efforts of the Sports lab coaches in the field.
Thus far, the project has impacted 6,500 children throughout Punjab and Haryana. Under the mentorship of expert sports coaches, 147 sports talents have been identified and nurtured. These scouted talents have gone on to bring pride to their communities by representing their districts, states, and even the nation. Most of these children come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, making Sports Lab a bridge between discovering grassroots sports talents and showcasing them at various competitive levels.
With the combined efforts of the Hyundai Motor India Foundation and Roots Foundation, Project Sports Lab has revitalized sports in rural areas. This collaboration continues to enrich the rural sports landscape and extend its positive socio-economic impact across wider geographical regions.
