CHENNAI: The football team maintained by the Vyasarpadi-based Slum Children Sports Talent Education Development Society (SCSTEDS) has earned a deserving promotion. It will now participate in the Chennai Football Association’s First Division league, thanks to an unbeaten record in its Second Division matches. “Team players as well as the slum dwellers in Kalyanapuram, Vyasarpadi, are happy at having been promoted to the First Division,”N Thangaraj, who coaches these children at a Chennai Corporation’s ground, said while speaking to City Express. “Our aim to nurture good habits among the slum children through sports, especially football, for the past few years has paid off and the promotion will only ensure more commitment from us for the cause,” said N Umapathy, founder of SCSTEDS and another dedicated coach of these children.SCSTEDS is an organisation working for the upliftment of slum children at Vyasarpadi and its football team (STEDS) was given CFA affiliation three years ago. STEDS was granted entry in the Fourth Division in 2008 and it moved up to the third with a stellar performance in the 2008-09 season. Since then, the slum children’s football team has never looked back and moved up the ladder every year with excellent performances.Being promoted to the First Division is a rare honour for the slum children who train in pitiable conditions with little available facilities in North Chennai. STEDS reached the First Division from their zone with a series of impressive shows. In the eight matches they played in the Second Division, they did not concede a single goal and won all the matches with impressive margins.“It was their zeal that has improved their game and eventually got them the much-needed recognition and promotion,” said Umapathy. It may be noted that the STEDS got an opportunity to visit Sweden (representing India) in July 2010 to participate in the World Youth Cup and the slum boys impressed the Europeans with their skills with the ball.
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