Football ground revived in Makli

KARACHI: A football ground was launched for residents of Makli and nearby areas of Thatta under a joint international non-governmental partnership on Thursday.
It is part of a programme to promote soccer in regional countries, in relation to FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar in 2022.
The Supreme Committee (SC) for Delivery and Legacy, Qatar’s authority for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, through Generation Amazing (GA) which is the football-focused corporate social development programme of the SC completed the project.
The Right to Play, which is SC’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategic partner that delivers the programme in the field, assisted the GA in completing the project in rural Sindh.
The project was started in April 2015 and completed at a cost of Rs2.1 million. Using the power of football, the programme empowers youngsters to create positive change in their communities.
The countries in which the programme is delivered are Qatar’s neighbours as well as the countries that represent the populations that live and work in Qatar.
For 2015, the countries chosen were Nepal, Pakistan, Jordan and Qatar, Nadeem Qureshi, a Project Officer of RTP, told ‘The News’.
An exhibition match was also played on the pitch between the Government Girls Higher Secondary School Makli and GGHSS Ward-I Shirazi Muhalla. The girls from Makli won the match 3-1 in penalty shootout as it was 0-0 till the end of regulation time.
Secretary Social Works Sharik Anwer distributed prizes among the teams. He said it was great for the girls to have a secure ground to play football.
The FTP besides providing a well-maintained ground has delivered a changing room, washing room and a boundary wall so that girls are not disturbed by anyone, he said.
Ali Khayam, project coordinator of the RTP, told ‘The News’ that this pitch would provide a safe platform for the youngsters of the area to play football.
The communities living in Thatta, Makli, Jangshahi, Gharo and Dhabeji had joined RTP, he stated.
The RTP uses the transformative power of sport to empower children living in some of the most under-privileged communities around the world, he said.
In 12 districts of Pakistan, the organisation offers regular sport programing to youngsters, he said.
The GA is also working in Lyari and Mardan and focuses on the participations of girls in the game.
The ground had been there but had not been used for a long time because of the uneven surface. Taking advantage of the situation some people had established a weekly cattle market there.