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Sports
Sport is a key pillar of life at Future Hope and is a daily activity for the children. We have found sport to be a very effective medium for instilling positive values as well as offering a constructive outlet for children's energies. We encourage excellence at sport but are just as encouraging to those who are less interested to develop competitively.
Every afternoon the Future Hope bus sets of for the 100+ acre Kolkata Maidan, a green but dusty park area in the centre of Kolkata. Depending on the season the children enjoy cricket, football, rugby, hockey and many other sports our creative team can come up with. Three times a week we have one of the coaches of the Indian women's football team coach the girls. For those youngsters with talent we try to ensure this is encouraged and nurtured. We have five boys attending the cricket academy of Indian cricketing star Arun Lal. We have two boys and two girls regularly attending tennis coaching at Kolkata's premier South Club. It is up early at the weekends for some youngsters as they take part in a rowing camp in South Kolkata.
Future Hope's best known sporting achievements have taken place on the rugby field where we play officially as the "Future Hope Harlequins".
Future Hope Harlequins
Rugby has been an important part of many Future Hope children's lives and even those that don't play look forward to the season and being able to cheer on Kolkata's very own 'Quins'. 2004 saw the Future Hope team officially welcomed into the Harlequins family with an email from Basil Lambert of Harlequins, in which he said:
"I can confirm that Mark Evans, Chief Executive of HFC Ltd and Bob Hiller, President of Harlequins Amateur FC have no objection to Future Hope becoming an affiliated club. And suggest the following name - "Future Hope Harlequins - Calcutta ""
The Harlequins have supported Future Hope informally over many years and this official sanctioning of the use of the world famous rugby name gave the players and supporters a real boost.
Closely linked to the Quins and very supportive of the Future Hope children has been the Richard Langhorne Trust.
Future Hope Quins Roll of Honour
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
The Andy Waddington Gym
In 2004 The Andy Waddington Gym was built in the grounds of Future Hope Rowland Road. Andy Waddington was a sporting man and his wife and children decided to ask those at his funeral to give money to Future Hope. It was agreed to build the gym in his memory and it has thrived ever since. The gym has programmed sessions each night of the week and we now have professional guidance on hand in the form of Ranadeep Maitra a professional fitness coach who visits three times a week. |
