'Unsung Hero' who is quietly making a difference

Thirteen years ago, what started as a young student-athlete's quest for a simple game of football with his friends at local community parks across Noida has today metamorphosed to making waves of change for the youth of the same community. A coach both on and off the field, Noida Sector 31B resident Anirudh Jayee just doesn't believe in coaching but a holistic development of young talent.

From being kicked out of parks to stuffing kids in his car, Jayee and the children have managed to cross all odds in order to make sure they carry out their regular practice sessions. Jayee is backed by his school friend Tushar Acharya who makes sure the children are motivated and never feel bogged down. Acharya shuttles between his family business and football but gives top priority to the sport and the children.

"When we were young and played football no one guided us. Nowadays coaching has changed. It is just not limited to the field but the overall development of a child," said Jayee. He added that this kind of development of the young led to the making of "Emerge 360". The multi-faceted, all-round-development programme helps student athletes to focus on health, nutrition, benefits of rest, and 360-degree personality development alongside regular scholastics.

And when one speaks to the children, they say that they have not been swayed by the hype and glamour surrounding international teams like Chelsea and Manchester United, and their loyalties firmly remain with their motherland. Their stars are Baichung Bhutia and Sunil Chettri.

Abhishek K Bala, a class 8 student who has been coming here for coaching and plays as a striker for the team, says he prefers the sessions here, more than the one at his school. "While in school they mostly focus on fitness, here Jayee sir teaches us new skills and techniques. Not just this he also keeps a track of our academic performance," said Bala.

The combination of Jayee and Acharya which is a mix of passion, persuasion and presence gives out an entirely different meaning to the word 'Team.' "The support and faith from both parents and students has been the driving force and reinstates Emerge 360's mantra. Team which stands for -Together Everyone Achieves More'. We aim to become a stronger and dedicated team with the dream of changing Indian football, one kid at a time", says Jayee.

The enthusiastic eleven

The community team is called "Bravehearts football club" and they played their first tournament recently. Even though they won their first match and lost the remaining few they did not lose hope. They aim to win the tournament the next time. From a dedicated team to bonding and partying together, they are more like a family. The team members include the shy captain Prabhat, fierce Abhishek, dancer boy Advik, over-enthusiatic Saransh, goaliee Devesh, self-motivated Krish and Aayush, ready to play Kabir and Akshat and an experienced Indrajeet.