Taking social responsibility to the playground

Muthoot M George Group has begun a project to popularise volleyball in schools

Hitting the playground can be the best way to reach out to school children. This is exactly what the Muthoot M George Group in Kerala has embarked on as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts.

The group, with interests in finance, hospitality, education and automobile, has chose some financially-backward schools in Kochi to provide training facilities in volleyball to students interested in the game.

Rs 70,000 has been earmarked for the training of students and the volleyball promotion programme of the group has an annual budget of Rs 40 lakh. Sunny Joseph, former coach of the Indian volleyball team, has taken the responsibility to oversee the selection and training processes for the venture, christened Muthoot Volleyball Academy.

The group decided to promote volleyball, once a favourite game in Kerala, since it had seen an erosion in interest during the last few decades.

Says J Sunil, Sports Officer, Muthoot M George Group, "We have spoken to five schools in Ernakulam district and organised as many as eight exhibition matches in different schools. The matches were between players of the regular volleyball team members of the group. The school children, who formed the audience, were invited to frankly spell out their sporting priorities and what they thought they lacked. The ones who showed promise were hand picked by Muthoot's team of coaches and senior players to provide training in the game."

The group is now in the process of distributing balls and nets to the schools. "We now plan to visit the schools after the monsoon and start the selection and training process," Sunil adds.

St Mary's High School at Vypeen, an island off Kochi, is one of the schools selected for volleyball training. An exhibition match has already been held and there is excitement among the students.

Says Mary, the physical education teacher: "The coach and senior players had come to our school to inspire the talented students and those who showed keen interest in the game."

"They will soon be providing us nets and balls. But already the students are playing their own matches on the beach close to where their houses are situated," she adds with pride.

Echoing Mary's words, Jessy Thomas, the physical education teacher at St Rita's High School at Ponnurunni, Vyttila in Kochi, another selected school, said the response had been encouraging. "We expect to have a volleyball team by the year-end," Thomas says.

The Muthoot M George Group plans to implement the programme in schools in Ernakulam district in the first phase and later explore options to extend it to other parts in a phased manner.