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I pledge my 21 km run to raise awareness and resources for Just for Kicks and my football team to help support basic costs.

Story
Updates (3)

Football is much more than a sport for me. It's my passion. It has taught me a lot both on and off the field and I have experienced the changes it can bring in one's character. From teamwork, social skills, fighting spirit to health and fitness, the sport can really transform one's life.

Ever since I heard of "Just For Kicks", I have been fascinated by it!

Having been a football player myself, I strongly believe in the power of the sport in creating a huge impact in the education space. The game can become a third place to the children - beyond the struggles of home and pressures of School - to express themselves freely and come into their own. At the same time, I also believe that Just For Kicks can serve as a launch pad for some of the hidden talents in our country - a platform our country desperately needs.

What's this all about?

Just For Kicks identifies schools (both public and private) that cater to under resourced communities and match them with a coach. The coaches work closely with the teachers and the children to develop teams of 10 each in various divisions (junior, senior, super senior - boys and girls).

Coaches train the students using JFK's life skills based football curriculum while working closely with both parents and teachers to build a cohesive culture. Schools which do not have playgrounds are provided access to nearby grounds and students are provided with all the necessary gear to play, as well. The training period spans four months of fall during which the teams play friendlies with other teams from different parts of the cities.

In the beginning of Winter, JFK kick starts the league when teams from a cluster play home and away games against the other teams that culminates in a nation wide tournament. During the tournament, we bring in scouts from different parts of the World to watch the talent and potentially provide scholarships for further development.

We have partnered with the DSK Liverpool International Football Academy, Huracan Foundation, Teach For India, Tech Mahindra among others to provide the highest quality to every student in our program.

I am looking to raise money on Milaap to fund my team's basic amenities, JFK's operational expenses and create awareness about Just For Kicks. Your funding will be utilized for:

a) Football gears to all students
b) Fees of the professional coaches
c) Nutrition requirements of Children
d) Transportation for league and tournament
e) Logistics of league and tournament

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21st August 2017

Hello all,

Thanks for choosing to support Just For Kicks. It has been a long journey for us, going from 4 cities and 1500 kids when we started the campaign to 6 cities and 3000 kids today. We have 93 trained coaches in the system, 14 employees working hard to bring our vision alive, and an equal representation of girls and boys in the program.

Feel free to reach out to us if you'd like to receive updates more regularly or in case of any further queries.

Sincerely,
Vikas Plakkot
Co-Founder

26th May 2017

The funds, as requested, will be utilised to support a team in the Whitefield region of Bangalore

22nd March 2016

Hello all,

Thanks for the incredible support you all extended to us last season (2015-16). We set out on a target of 15 lakhs and met it with right before our championships got underway.

This past year, we utilized the funds to:

- Provide training equipments to schools for the program
- Provide factory-made studs & shin guards for 1520 children who are part of the JFK program in 4 cities
- Support our coaching needs (15% of the entire needs were covered by the funds raised through this platform!)

We conducted 32 sessions on average for each team in the program, totalling to more than 2000 sessions across the year in all our sites. We've taken giant leaps in building the basic life skills among these kids through the sport, thanks to all your support.

This last season, we conducted one of the biggest leagues in the country - School Football Championship (www.sfcleague.com) where teams from elite schools were pitted against the teams from JFK. Incidentally, in 4 out of the 10 divisions, our JFK children emerged national champions - something that has proved the power of the sport.

Here's a quick highlight video from the finale that you'll all enjoy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwmd61bAI_g

We're also happy to announce that 4 kids from our program will be making a trip to Crystal Palace FC, London in August 2016. This is just the beginning of something fantastic - we hope each of you continue to support us this year as well!