Friday, December 4, 2009
In the News: Jharkhand's tribal girls to bend it like Beckham in Switzerland
The local edition of Hindustan Times, India's second most read newspaper, covered game 2 in Jamshedpur.
Report from the field; game 1
I may ruin the suspense by telling you we're already down in Jamshedpur, home to TATA Steel. We're comfortably settled now at the athletes dormitories at J.R.D. Tata Stadium, and with us are our three coaches from Yuwa and twenty-five of our Yuwa girls. But getting to here was no walk in the park.
Click here for the game pics
Let me start two weeks back, before the maoist bandh that nearly kept us in Ranchi. The word 'bandh' in Hindi means 'shut down' or 'closing'. Jharkhand is known for insurgency and chaos outside the two major cities of Ranchi and Jamshedpur, but the current election together with the central government's plans to clamp down on the maoists has been stoking the coals.
While I was in Delhi with Helena, our program director, and three kids we selected to represent Jharkhand at the National Children's Assembly, the girls and coaches back in Hutup were preparing for Game 1 of My Game is Beautiful. The girls from our three teams, now up to fifty-five, continued their cold, pre-dawn regimen of getting to the field in the dark, practicing for three hours before heading off to school. Their new Yuwa track jackets lugged back from Delhi have been dampening the bite of the cold, but for the forty who don't yet have shoes, the toe-numbing ground is still testing their commitment.
Looking back on our first tournament in March, it's amazing what eight months and maybe a thousand hours with the girls and coaches can accomplish. Making this tournament was a piece of cake. Our coach, Anand, energetic multi-tasker as always, was busy working with the girls on their song-and-dance numbers for the welcoming ceremony. The sound system came from Neelum's (Hutup assistant captain) brother, and all the fixings for a dinner for sixty were purchased and prepared. This was financed from the girls' savings till I returned from Delhi with the funds (around $100, or a month and a half's wages for most of their families).
Game Day
Sixteen soccer girls in saris welcomed our guests, dancing in adivasi style, moving along in two columns alongside guests and singing. I thanked our teams, told them I was proud of them, and what I've seen change since I arrived eighteen months back, in Hindi I'd been practicing on the train with Helena. Then eight Hutup girls, led by Shivani (age 9) and Neeta (age 10) – nicknamed Chungu and Mungu after two comic dwarves on TV – wowed the crowd with a Nagpuri dance, before the full sixteen sang a hip Hindi welcome song. Our chief guest and good friend, Rahul Singh, a dashing lad heading Confederation of Indian Industry's Jharkhand office, gave the keynote speech, and talked directly to girls of Yuwa, who he has come to know well. He told them about the goal of 'My Game is Beautiful', and said lots of things we would have liked to have if we could speak better Hindi. Finally, Willem and Helena welcomed everyone and got the players pumped-up with some words of encouragement before the first two teams took to the field.
First match, action-packed from the coin toss, brought together neighboring village rivals Adivasi Yuwa Club Hutup and Yuwa Young Girls' Club Rukka. Hutup is our first team, training since March, and it showed. Usha (class 8), the middle sister to Reena (captain) and Puspa (star defender) – but more regular than both in practice – sprinted up the near side putting three missiles only inches wide of the bamboo goalpost on the right side. Sita (class 9), whose fifteen-year-old sister was married off this spring, dribbled around multiple Rukka defenders, launching a couple of left-footers just wide of the left side pipe. Sita's a serious and hard-working girl at practice, and puts a lot of pressure on herself to carry her team and score goals.. She's the second of five sisters (no brothers), and her parents eke out a living selling rice beer. Unless something big happens for her, she knows her parents will send her out the door next. So for her, Yuwa programs and football are a serious affair.
Hutup goalie, Binita (class 10), didn't get much action either half with the Shivani, Puspa (a star since day one who has swapped her yellow dress and red bandanna for Adidas gear sent to us from Germany) and the powerful Poonam (age 17, working to get back into school) on defense.
Luck held for Rukka with the game going to a draw, decided by a shoot-out. Neelum (Hutup assistant captain) went in for Binita as goalkeeper, making some impressive slides and dives, but in the end it wasn't enough after she put a graceful shot past Rukka goalie Sudha's head – unfortunately it was before the whistle. Her next shot went right to Sudha's hands. Yuwa's Rukka girls won by a single shot and went wild.
There were cheers, a few tears and some jeers from the town drunks, but hands were shaken and our girls were good sports in victory and defeat.
Final match - After their tough loss and a few minutes moping behind the spectators' tent, Adivasi Yuwa Club girls (which we usually call “A team”) got back to the sidelines to cheer on their younger neighbors, the similarly named Yuwa Club Hutup (which we usually call “B team”). Started by Hiralal, one of our coaches, B-team is mostly made up of his seven- to fourteen-year-old cousins. They're an ever expanding bunch (presently nineteen), and not yet in possession of shoes or jerseys, so there's still lots of local flavor to the kits, a sort of potpourri of salwar kameez, kurta pajamas and dupattas sailing by.
It was a foregone conclusion that B-team was going to get creamed by the older, bigger and more experienced girls from Rukka, but in contrast to their rather ladylike appearance, the girls of B-team were ready for battle. Right off the first touch right-forward Poonam (age 13) caught a pass from the center, carried it up, cut back, gave it a whack and almost put the leather between the bamboo, but missed by frog's hair, as my grandfather used to say. Minutes later she nearly scored again.
Remarkably, this game too went to a draw. To give you an idea of the spirit of the B-team girls, when the mercury started dipping and the cold kept the other teams in bed an extra half-hour, these girls packed up empty cement, fertilizer and seed sacks with sticks, dry leaves and cow pies, got to the field at the usual dark hour and made little fires next to the field to warm their fingers and toes. During the match I was particularly proud of one particular girl, Lalita, who was with us way back on our very first day of football, but who kept getting nudged off the first team by a few of the girls. Maybe she wasn't family, maybe she wasn't the best player, but whatever it was, she's joined back up and started making her mark on B-team, and got a few big kicks off playing defense.
But the stars were still aligned on this particular Sunday for the girls from down by old Rukka dam, and in the end the shoot-out went their way for a second time, making them champions of the first tournament of 'My Game is Beautiful'.
There was a quick post-tournament exhibition match by the village boys in which I put my much improved (but nothing to write home about) skills to test against guys who actually know what they're doing. In the first few seconds I made a lucky steal from Anand and was pretty proud of myself for taking a flying ball on the forehead, but after using up all my good luck on those moves, I'm afraid I didn't contribute much. On the other hand, all four goals scored on both sides were put in by Yuwa coaches and members Anand, Hiralal and Dharam, who paints logos on all of our footballs. That's significant because some of the older players in this match have given the girls trouble in the past, taking over their field, playing over top of them, kicking balls right past them at full force, and that sort of thing. So the girls cheered loud for their coaches and friends, who put on the only real show to speak of.
Near sunset, the Sunday finally ended in Hutup village outside Seema and Suman's house (eleven-year-old organizer of our first team), with dinner for sixty. Reena, Usha and Puspa's mother managed the whole affair from huge pots and an outdoor chula.
As Willem and I made our last preparations for departure it could have been a sad day. But instead of riding off alone for Game 2 in Jamshedpur, we would have twenty-five of our girls and three coaches in tow.
Willem will be reporting on that adventure very soon..
Click here for the game pics
Let me start two weeks back, before the maoist bandh that nearly kept us in Ranchi. The word 'bandh' in Hindi means 'shut down' or 'closing'. Jharkhand is known for insurgency and chaos outside the two major cities of Ranchi and Jamshedpur, but the current election together with the central government's plans to clamp down on the maoists has been stoking the coals.
While I was in Delhi with Helena, our program director, and three kids we selected to represent Jharkhand at the National Children's Assembly, the girls and coaches back in Hutup were preparing for Game 1 of My Game is Beautiful. The girls from our three teams, now up to fifty-five, continued their cold, pre-dawn regimen of getting to the field in the dark, practicing for three hours before heading off to school. Their new Yuwa track jackets lugged back from Delhi have been dampening the bite of the cold, but for the forty who don't yet have shoes, the toe-numbing ground is still testing their commitment.
Looking back on our first tournament in March, it's amazing what eight months and maybe a thousand hours with the girls and coaches can accomplish. Making this tournament was a piece of cake. Our coach, Anand, energetic multi-tasker as always, was busy working with the girls on their song-and-dance numbers for the welcoming ceremony. The sound system came from Neelum's (Hutup assistant captain) brother, and all the fixings for a dinner for sixty were purchased and prepared. This was financed from the girls' savings till I returned from Delhi with the funds (around $100, or a month and a half's wages for most of their families).
Game Day
Sixteen soccer girls in saris welcomed our guests, dancing in adivasi style, moving along in two columns alongside guests and singing. I thanked our teams, told them I was proud of them, and what I've seen change since I arrived eighteen months back, in Hindi I'd been practicing on the train with Helena. Then eight Hutup girls, led by Shivani (age 9) and Neeta (age 10) – nicknamed Chungu and Mungu after two comic dwarves on TV – wowed the crowd with a Nagpuri dance, before the full sixteen sang a hip Hindi welcome song. Our chief guest and good friend, Rahul Singh, a dashing lad heading Confederation of Indian Industry's Jharkhand office, gave the keynote speech, and talked directly to girls of Yuwa, who he has come to know well. He told them about the goal of 'My Game is Beautiful', and said lots of things we would have liked to have if we could speak better Hindi. Finally, Willem and Helena welcomed everyone and got the players pumped-up with some words of encouragement before the first two teams took to the field.
First match, action-packed from the coin toss, brought together neighboring village rivals Adivasi Yuwa Club Hutup and Yuwa Young Girls' Club Rukka. Hutup is our first team, training since March, and it showed. Usha (class 8), the middle sister to Reena (captain) and Puspa (star defender) – but more regular than both in practice – sprinted up the near side putting three missiles only inches wide of the bamboo goalpost on the right side. Sita (class 9), whose fifteen-year-old sister was married off this spring, dribbled around multiple Rukka defenders, launching a couple of left-footers just wide of the left side pipe. Sita's a serious and hard-working girl at practice, and puts a lot of pressure on herself to carry her team and score goals.. She's the second of five sisters (no brothers), and her parents eke out a living selling rice beer. Unless something big happens for her, she knows her parents will send her out the door next. So for her, Yuwa programs and football are a serious affair.
Hutup goalie, Binita (class 10), didn't get much action either half with the Shivani, Puspa (a star since day one who has swapped her yellow dress and red bandanna for Adidas gear sent to us from Germany) and the powerful Poonam (age 17, working to get back into school) on defense.
Luck held for Rukka with the game going to a draw, decided by a shoot-out. Neelum (Hutup assistant captain) went in for Binita as goalkeeper, making some impressive slides and dives, but in the end it wasn't enough after she put a graceful shot past Rukka goalie Sudha's head – unfortunately it was before the whistle. Her next shot went right to Sudha's hands. Yuwa's Rukka girls won by a single shot and went wild.
There were cheers, a few tears and some jeers from the town drunks, but hands were shaken and our girls were good sports in victory and defeat.
Final match - After their tough loss and a few minutes moping behind the spectators' tent, Adivasi Yuwa Club girls (which we usually call “A team”) got back to the sidelines to cheer on their younger neighbors, the similarly named Yuwa Club Hutup (which we usually call “B team”). Started by Hiralal, one of our coaches, B-team is mostly made up of his seven- to fourteen-year-old cousins. They're an ever expanding bunch (presently nineteen), and not yet in possession of shoes or jerseys, so there's still lots of local flavor to the kits, a sort of potpourri of salwar kameez, kurta pajamas and dupattas sailing by.
It was a foregone conclusion that B-team was going to get creamed by the older, bigger and more experienced girls from Rukka, but in contrast to their rather ladylike appearance, the girls of B-team were ready for battle. Right off the first touch right-forward Poonam (age 13) caught a pass from the center, carried it up, cut back, gave it a whack and almost put the leather between the bamboo, but missed by frog's hair, as my grandfather used to say. Minutes later she nearly scored again.
Remarkably, this game too went to a draw. To give you an idea of the spirit of the B-team girls, when the mercury started dipping and the cold kept the other teams in bed an extra half-hour, these girls packed up empty cement, fertilizer and seed sacks with sticks, dry leaves and cow pies, got to the field at the usual dark hour and made little fires next to the field to warm their fingers and toes. During the match I was particularly proud of one particular girl, Lalita, who was with us way back on our very first day of football, but who kept getting nudged off the first team by a few of the girls. Maybe she wasn't family, maybe she wasn't the best player, but whatever it was, she's joined back up and started making her mark on B-team, and got a few big kicks off playing defense.
But the stars were still aligned on this particular Sunday for the girls from down by old Rukka dam, and in the end the shoot-out went their way for a second time, making them champions of the first tournament of 'My Game is Beautiful'.
There was a quick post-tournament exhibition match by the village boys in which I put my much improved (but nothing to write home about) skills to test against guys who actually know what they're doing. In the first few seconds I made a lucky steal from Anand and was pretty proud of myself for taking a flying ball on the forehead, but after using up all my good luck on those moves, I'm afraid I didn't contribute much. On the other hand, all four goals scored on both sides were put in by Yuwa coaches and members Anand, Hiralal and Dharam, who paints logos on all of our footballs. That's significant because some of the older players in this match have given the girls trouble in the past, taking over their field, playing over top of them, kicking balls right past them at full force, and that sort of thing. So the girls cheered loud for their coaches and friends, who put on the only real show to speak of.
Near sunset, the Sunday finally ended in Hutup village outside Seema and Suman's house (eleven-year-old organizer of our first team), with dinner for sixty. Reena, Usha and Puspa's mother managed the whole affair from huge pots and an outdoor chula.
As Willem and I made our last preparations for departure it could have been a sad day. But instead of riding off alone for Game 2 in Jamshedpur, we would have twenty-five of our girls and three coaches in tow.
Willem will be reporting on that adventure very soon..
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Coverage of game 2 by major daily newspaper in The Netherlands
De Pres, a nationwide daily newspaper in The Netherlands, published an in-depth article on the second game of 'My game is Beautiful' in Jamshedpur.
[Preview]
De Nederlander Willem Grimminck probeert in India meisjes via voetbal zelfbewuster te maken.
Het is moeilijk voor te stellen dat de zelfbewuste meiden in trainingspak op het voetbalveld een jaar geleden nog op blote voeten en met een gevulde zak als bal speelden. Met kracht speelt Sita (14) de bal naar Puspa (13), terwijl hun teamgenoten luid elkaars naam roepen om aandacht. ‘Het is prachtig hoe het zelfvertrouwen van deze meiden is gegroeid’, zegt Willem Grimminck. ‘Voetbal kan hen bewust maken dat ze talenten hebben. Daarbij biedt de groep ze een platform om over hun dagelijkse problemen te praten.’
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Willem talks about "My Game is Beautiful' (Dutch)
Watch Willem talking about "My Game is Beautiful' on the football field. Click here
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Budget up-date
Our budget has increased slowly over the last week. From 50% we are now at almost at 60% of our target budget. Thanks to all the donors for your generosity.
The project is on but we still need support! Will you help? Join us and donate at http://www.yuwa-india.org/ ‘My Game is Beautiful’ or ask for banking details.
Many Thanks,
Franz & Willem
The project is on but we still need support! Will you help? Join us and donate at http://www.yuwa-india.org/ ‘My Game is Beautiful’ or ask for banking details.
Many Thanks,
Franz & Willem
Kick-off tournament at Sunday the 22nd of November
On Sunday the 22nd of November we Kick-off with a tournament in our hometown Ranchi. The YUWA girls will demonstrate their skills against local teams, knowing every hole in the peddy-football field. They are ready for football! Check the latest pics from the early morning football practice.
Partnership with All India Football Federation - AIFF
AIFF conveyed its commitment to support ‘My Game is Beautiful’ by means of local football facilities and accommodation in India.
AIFF is the Indian national football federation and member of the Asian Football confederation (ACF). ACF is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six confederation that making up FIFA. (http://www.the-aiff.com/)
We wish to express our gratitude to AIFF for its support.
Franz & Willem
AIFF is the Indian national football federation and member of the Asian Football confederation (ACF). ACF is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six confederation that making up FIFA. (http://www.the-aiff.com/)Working with AIFF creates professional linkages for the football initiatives on our trip and a foundation for expanding football in the Indian development sector.
We wish to express our gratitude to AIFF for its support.
Franz & Willem
Weekly on Volkskrantreizen.nl
‘My Game is Beautiful’ – the journey for woman football in social development will be reported on weekly basis by correspondent Jaap Scholten on volkskrantreizen.nl. Check article 1 online.Working with Jaap at Towers Perrin in Amsterdam from 2006 to 2008 I have been familiar with his passion for traveling and writing. As travel writer and guide, Jaap wrote six travel guides on Portugal and Sicily and Spain where he lives. www.odyssee-reisgidsen.nl
Jaap will tell the story of the land we travel and the children we meet. It will provide readers with an opportunity to learn about childhoods in different parts of South-Asia and how football contributes to social development. It’s great to have Jaap on board.
Willem
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Game on for Woman Security Guards
The game was undecided after full-time. Unfortunately, we lost the final penalty shoot-out by 2 goals! The security guard trainees in our livelihood programme organised a football game for my farewell party at Burmu villages in Jharkhand.
Entering traditional male-dominated labour markets for security guards takes more then technical skills. It requires determinacy, self-esteem and social competence. After the first batch of woman security guards started the training focussed on self-defence, discipline and movement registration we introduced football to awaken soft competencies.
Their game beautiful game!
Thanks to all the girls and BKS for organising the party.
Willem Grimminck
(Click here to see the whole album)
Entering traditional male-dominated labour markets for security guards takes more then technical skills. It requires determinacy, self-esteem and social competence. After the first batch of woman security guards started the training focussed on self-defence, discipline and movement registration we introduced football to awaken soft competencies.
Their game beautiful game!
Thanks to all the girls and BKS for organising the party.
Willem Grimminck
(Click here to see the whole album)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
RADIO 1/LLink interview Willem Grimminck (Dutch)
Willem Grimminck live on Radio 1 /LLink about "My Game is Beautiful', click here (the interview starts at 2:07 on the tape) 
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Game 2 at TATA in Jamshedpur
Confirmation TATA Football Academy (TFA)
Today, November 10, 2009; TATA confirms to organize a game for ‘My Game is Bea
utiful’ at TFA. TFA is a sports initiative from one of the world’ largest steel factory. TFA has the reputation to produce international talent. Winner of the Haarlem (NL) cup in 2004. YUWA club ‘team A’ girls join us on our trip for a training camp at TFA. After leaving Ranchi we expect to be at the TFA in Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) on the 24th of November for our second game.
Franz & Willem
Today, November 10, 2009; TATA confirms to organize a game for ‘My Game is Bea
utiful’ at TFA. TFA is a sports initiative from one of the world’ largest steel factory. TFA has the reputation to produce international talent. Winner of the Haarlem (NL) cup in 2004. YUWA club ‘team A’ girls join us on our trip for a training camp at TFA. After leaving Ranchi we expect to be at the TFA in Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) on the 24th of November for our second game.Franz & Willem
Budget up-date
Our budget is now sponsored for 50%. Thank you for your support!The total budget is divided over 20 games and a few tournaments. So, currently we have 10 games and 1 tournament covered. Similar donors (e.g family or friends) are combined in groups as they can jointly sponsor a game. Please have a look at the overview. (click on graph for full-size). Like every game has a second half. Help us to reach our final budget by joining or starting a game, click at, http://www.yuwa-india.org/
Thanks, Franz & Willem
In the news
Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (RNW) published a fantastic article about 'My Game is Beautiful'. Click here. 
Welcome
Welcome to our blog ‘My Game is Beautiful’
‘My Game is Beautiful’ is a challenging project promoting football for youth development in
South-Asia. In two months time, we will travel by motorcycle from India to FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Along the way we will organize twenty football games in South Asia – India, Nepal and Pakistan – in collaboration with local NGOs. By recording the voices of unknown but talented young women in South Asia, we aim to tell the story of how football is rewriting expectations, building life skills and empowering young women to make a change in their world. We will parlay their visual, street-level petition for recognition to both FIFA and a global audience through both news media and internet. In doing so, we will present the case for FIFA's greater involvement in this important region, as well as build and strengthen our current YUWA coalition with new partners inside and outside South Asia.
Join us!
Franz & Willem
http://www.yuwa-india-org/
‘My Game is Beautiful’ is a challenging project promoting football for youth development in
South-Asia. In two months time, we will travel by motorcycle from India to FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Along the way we will organize twenty football games in South Asia – India, Nepal and Pakistan – in collaboration with local NGOs. By recording the voices of unknown but talented young women in South Asia, we aim to tell the story of how football is rewriting expectations, building life skills and empowering young women to make a change in their world. We will parlay their visual, street-level petition for recognition to both FIFA and a global audience through both news media and internet. In doing so, we will present the case for FIFA's greater involvement in this important region, as well as build and strengthen our current YUWA coalition with new partners inside and outside South Asia.Join us!
Franz & Willem
http://www.yuwa-india-org/
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