Youth league football gives sex workers’ kids a shot at glory

KOLKATA: Ismail Sardar is 14 but has met his mother a handful of times in the last few years. The son of a sex worker in Kolkata’s Sonagachi area, Yakub has spent

KOLKATA: Ismail Sardar is 14 but has met his mother a handful of times in the last few years. The son of a sex worker in Kolkata’s Sonagachi area, Yakub has spent all his time honing his skills as a footballer.

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He says he knows his mother is going through hell to give him a life. “We hope one day our lives will change if I can achieve my goal. Football, I hope, will one day give me recognition,” Sardar says.

The teenager and his friends — all children of Sonagachi sex workers — are aiming to make history by becoming the first-of-its-kind team to compete in a national under-15 youth league.

The young players make do with second-hand boots and meagre meals but are buoyed by the enthusiasm of their mothers, who often come see them play at local tournaments.

They are trained and looked after by the Durbar Sports Academy (DSA), which has applied to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for the league spot next season.