Rurka Kalan — Punjab’s Mecca for budding footballers

The Youth Football Club (YFC), situated nearly 30 km from Jalandhar in Rurka Kalan, has produced not only male football players but also women players, who have participated in FIFA events as well and have represented India internationally. The club was founded in 2001 by Gurmangal Dass, a resident of the same village. Rurka Kalan Youth Football Club (YFC) can be rightly called a Mecca for budding footballers. A progressive social organisation, it has not just given wings to boys but also kindled a vision among young girls to carve a niche for themselves in sports.

It not just trains youths to compete with the powerhouses of football, but also inspires them to adopt a more active, productive and healthy lifestyle.

Imagine 16-year-old girls juggling with footballs and idolising football players such as Lionel Messi and American soccer player Alexandra Morgan in a nondescript village like Rurka Kalan! That’s the magic spelled by the club among the youngsters. Shattering the glass ceiling in its own way, the club has produced many girls who managed to bag seats in various colleges on the basis of their performance in sports.

Gurmangal Dass, a resident of the same village, who started the club 20 years ago, is the man behind the transformation. He says YFC’s goal is to empower the under-privileged children and youth to have a sustainable lifestyle rather than getting drawn towards drugs.

The club has not just brushed away gender discrimination but also provided a productive channel to vulnerable youth of the region. Giving an impetus to the idea of providing opportunities to the young girls, it has also safeguarded the youths from falling prey to drug menace.

A trendsetter

While the list of achievements and awards is big, the YFC has set an example by launching Education Football League (EFL) back-to-back every year from 2011. EFL provides curriculum-based coaching for five days a week to 4,000 children from Under-7, Under-9, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-19 players. The YFC Baby Football Leagues for girls and boys is another mega event organised for players. The YFC players have also participated in FIFA and attended several international tournaments
The YFC has produced 20 international-level footballers and hundreds of national-level players. In order to give an impetus to the players practising here, stadium lights were also installed in 2016