Dempo Sports Club organised their second community outreach programme, an exercise intended for the pupils of Sanjay School, Porvorim at the Duler Stadium, Mapusa on Tuesday, the 27th October. About one hundred boys and girls in the age group 8-15 participated in the programme and got the unique opportunity to play football for the first time on artificial turf. Dempo SC general secretary, Wilfred D’Souza said, “ This is our first step towards providing as many sporting opportunities to our children as we can. I’m happy and proud that our youth development team took the Dempo thinking on social responsibility to special children. Our programme will give every child an equal opportunity to be part of the beautiful game. This is surely not going to be the last of our outreach initiatives as I see a lot of potential in these children in mainstream football”.
Dempo Sports Club took the initiative of taking the beautiful game to special children, as the Team’s Technical Director Katz Naidoo believes that football is for all. “Every child must be given opportunity to participate. After all, football is not only for gifted or talented learners,” said Naidoo. The programme offered opportunities to play small sided football matches and activity grids, all this in a competitive, safe and enjoyable environment under the watchful eyes of club coaches, Anthony De Souza, Felix De Souza, Remus Gomes, Agustine Antao Joyner Antao, Nicholas Falcao and Jesus D’Souza. Earlier the children were shown the basics of the game, again with safety being the priority. Sanjay School Physical Education head, Samantha said “It was a joy to watch the children smile as they played. I’m looking forward to many more of such activities for our children. Dempo SC was the only side to extend such an invitation to participate in this exercise. I thank them for the initiative” . Club Admin Manager Nicholas Falcao and Youth Team Manager Jesus De Souza competently coordinated the one- day exercise. ”They made it successful!”, said the technical director.
