Football is a win-win for kids—it brings people together, creates friendships, builds strong communities, and the kids love it. But it isn’t often that Thrive kids are able to play team sports, let alone benefit from professional coaching. So we were thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with The Growing Up Club and Justice Shabuddin Park to host free football clinics for the children at Gulshan Literacy Programme in Badda.
The Growing Up Club is a local community center for children in Bangladesh that allows them to explore activities that promote a healthy lifestyle, creativity, and leadership. The clinics were run by a team of Growing up Club coaches and passionate volunteers from Thrive who worked with the children on skill development, teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. The clinic provided a safe and fun environment for children to play team sports while developing their mental, physical, and football skills. A perfect pairing with Thrive!
The response from the children was overwhelming. They were excited to be a part of the event and came ready to learn. Many of the children had never played football on a team with an experienced coach before. The kids were fast learners and, by day two, were playing so adeptly! Needless to say, we were on the sidelines, showing the kids that we’re their biggest fans.