It's more than just a sport'

In a country that worships cricket and hardly acknowledges any other sport, rugby seems out of the question. Much to our surprise, namma Chennai is home to Rugby Slums Club (RSC), an initiative started by a French couple settled in the city. They train children belonging to the slums, in this sport, and also provide them free meals on every Saturday after practice! We find out what prompted the duo to start RSC, if they’ve noticed the sport having a positive impact on the children, and also about their time in the city so far.

Valérie and Ludovic Gouéré moved to Chennai in August 2014, from Brittany, which lies on the west coast of France. “My husband works for Renault-Nissan and is pretty busy during the week, so we haven’t got a chance to travel much. However, when we were spending time with our other expat friends in the city, we came across a few people who used to play rugby back in their native countries. They wanted to continue playing the sport here as well,” says Valérie. That’s how the idea to set up Rugby Slums Club came about.

Initially, the children weren’t familiar with rugby at all, “But now they’re capable of winning a world cup!” she beams with joy and pride. So, here’s what their training routine is like — “Every Saturday, we take the kids to the American School, who were kind enough to let us use their football grounds. They train for around two hours and then head home,” she says.

Valérie adds, “My house help and I prepare fresh food for all 45 kids, and give them lunch after their training sessions as well!” Biryani, sambar rice, steaming hot idlis and more make up their noon meals.

Rugby is so much more than just a sport, but actually teaches the kids important life lessons like friendship and team spirit, feels Valérie — “Initially, when my husband and I moved to Chennai, we went through a rough patch. But, spending time with these kids has made us become one big family! They’ve given us a lot of love and affection, more than what we’ve given them. I’ve even learnt a few Tamil words thanks to them!” When asked if they’ve received any feedback from the children’s parents, she says, “Yes, of course! The kids have become a lot more cheerful because rugby has taught them something new and given them a constructive hobby. They’ve started using words like please and thank you, and have made some good friends out on the field.”

Once a year, Valérie and her husband organise ‘Family Day’, where all their students are allowed to bring two people from their family, for a fun day out. “We play games like carrom, jump into the swimming pool, share a meal together and get to meet new people. This increases their exposure, but in a fun and healthy way,” she exclaims. Apart from this, the kids are split into teams and rugby tournaments are also conducted. The next Family Day is on April 30, and the entire RSC family is looking forward to it!