“Pune’s U.K.M. Kothrud Football Club is a great example of the unity and dedication of the players. While learning about this club, its uniqueness continues to be felt.” Quoted by a journalist.
Lets live through the moments of UKM's evolution to know more about the club, its management team and coaches
The Beginning
UKM Kothrud F.C. is a football club that was founded in 2011 by the merger of two local teams, Utkarsh Krida Manch and Panthers F.C. The club's roots go back to 2006, when Vasant Kulkarni, our president, started coaching a group of underprivliged children from Karve Nagar who loved playing football. He registered them with the Pune District Football Association and gave them a platform to compete and grow. Later, he joined forces with Ashok Dhore and Rushikesh Dorge from Panthers F.C., who shared his vision of nurturing young talent and promoting the sport. Together, they established UKM Kothrud F.C. as a club that offers quality training, facilities and opportunities to players of all ages and levels. Today, we have more than 200 members who practice at the Bharti University grounds in Kothrud, where Kulkarni Kaka, in his late 70s, is present to guide and motivate everyone be it rain or shine. We are proud of our club's history and achievements, and we strive to uphold its values and spirit. We believe that football is more than just a game; it is a way of life that teaches us discipline, teamwork, resilience and respect.
Rise of Utkarsh
If we want to understand the progress of the club today, we first need to get to know Genjumon Prasannan, lovingly addressed as Jinju sir by the club athletes. Jinju sir, as his name suggests is a cheerful personality and a source of positive energy. Struggling with a tough life in the slums of Mumbai, he completed his schooling. His love for football remained intact even as he pursued higher college studies in aeronautical engineering and then political science. Today, he is the club's vice-president and head coach, in addition to working as a senior researcher for the policy think tank Unique Foundation. Recently one of his books has been published. He is also a professor of Political Science at SP College.
Being a kindered spirit himself, Jinju sir started contributing to the vision of Kulkarni Kaka. Jinju sir formed UKM. Kothrud F.C. with a vision of providing quality training and opportunities to children from the surrounding areas of Bharti Vidyapeeth, Kothrud. The club began with four players on a dark field, but soon the club's dedication and enthusiasm attracted more students who wanted to learn and play football. Within a year, the club grew to thirty players and qualified for the B Division after finishing as runners-up in the C Division. Today, the club has nearly 250 players, four training centres, ten coaches and a treasure trove of 45 trophies. The club has also produced some outstanding players who have represented the district, state and national teams, as well as foreign leagues. Gaurav Pandey, got selected for the Thai League in Thailand. Shivraj Pawar was selected to play for the Indian Football League team 'Bharat F.C.', as well as for the Maharashtra state team at national level.
A value-based, life-creating system
Jinju sir had started planning on the idea that the nature of UKM should not be commercial, but a system should be built here to build the lives of children by imparting value-based training. He started completely free training for economically disadvantaged children with the original intention of building their life in sports through persistence and effort. It had a very noble purpose to keep the children away from other bad habits, get physical exercise, create a sense of teamwork through sports and inculcate four good habits.
Once Jinju sir started coaching, the club's roaring numbers increased again. Different batches were made. The level of play has increased. Quickly gaining popularity and adding feathers to their winning cap, such as D.S.K. Toyota UKM math ‘A’ (A division) team title, Group A title in Pune District Football Association match in 2018-2019.
While both Kulkarni Kaka and Jinju sir were marching towards the vision of the club, they were joined by a duo of like minded souls to support the journey, one being Nikhil Karnawat, former player and today club secretary and training academy head, as well as the deputy secretary of U.K.M., Ashish Katara, who is a all-rounder of the women's football team. These four strong shoulders have taken the club to a different height. Jinju sir says, “Kulkarni kaka is Bhishma Pitamah with selfless spirit, Ashish is the heart of our club, Nikhil is the soul of our club.”
Nikhil Karnavat, a stalwart player, coach, club secretary and a dedicated academy manager who stood steadfastly behind the club through its early troubled times. A true football lover who always thinks of the good of the academy and the players, always ignoring the injuries and personal problems that happen while playing. Jinju sir said, “A lot of things are not possible in the club without Nikhil. Nikhil handles many fronts such as club/academy admissions, communication with parents, intra-club matches, coordination for matches with other clubs and lot more”
Ashish Katara, after being inspired by an intense women's football match, came up with the idea that UKM should have its own girls team. Ashish sir approached many schools and their principals, parents and convinced girls to play football. As a captain for the UKM club, Ashish sir brought victories in the top tier Super Division and has also been appointed as the coach of this year's Maharashtra State Under-17 girls team. Girls team training was provided free of charge, as the real priority was to make the girls' team. Even today, the doors of the club remained open to those who could not afford the academy fees. UKM girls team was included in 2022's(Pune District Football Association ‘Super Saha’ (Top Six).
Ethics, Values and Manners
"What has been the club's biggest achievement to date?" When asked this, Kulkarni Kaka, Jinju sir, Ashish sir and Nikhil sir had almost the same answer. “Sports success on the field is essential; But seeing our players grow as human beings is our biggest gain." Elaborating on this, he narrated some of the sutras they have laid down for the children.
First Sutra - No foul language will ever be accidentally uttered on the field! Regardless of the nature of the match, the opposing team's players will always be treated with respect. So even today no player of the club ever uses insults. It has become the culture of the club.
Some of the senior boys in the team act as mentors to see whether these values are being implemented on the actual field. They keep an eye on the children's behaviour. Jinju sir is watching outside the field. Misbehaviours are also punished with extra physical exercise. There is a fool proof watch system.
Second Sutra - We are identified, not by our birth but by our karma. How we shape ourselves is more important than what family background we come from. There will be success and failure on the field. Don't get carried away by success and always take inspiration from failure. Even defeat must be accepted with sportsmanship.
Third Sutra - Your club is your extended family. If you have any problem - i.e. financial, academic, family - feel free to talk to any coach or team leader. We will always be with you. Children should feel free to share any problem, we will rush to your help even at midnight.
Fourth Sutra - There are many destructive forces in society, which will try to tempt us away from our goals. We will never give in to him, because we want to make our own future! Always stay an arm’s length away from bad things!
Jinju sir said, "Besides all this, our boys embrace all the principles of hard work, preparation, self-reliance, cleanliness, modesty and raising funds for constructive work, so we say that Gandhiji walks invisibly in our club.”
"What's more, many a times senior players are called to train in other clubs with higher remuneration, but usually no one leaves the club that makes their life.” Jinju sir says.
Responding to challenges
As a large section of the boys training with U.K.M. Kothrud Football Club are from low economic status, providing clothes, accessories and covering other expenses like registration fees has been a constant challenge. The club has registered with the Charity Commissioner, but the inflow of funds has been sporadic from various sources like few parents and the club management's own pockets. With limited funds the management team ensured that the teams progressed through Divisions U, E, A and to the Super Division.
Balancing the need to meet household financial needs while staying close to the passion of football, has been another constant challenge for a lot of the top players. The club's management provided a way for such players to start earning money from football by appointing them as coaches for training academies throughout Pune. The income from these academies help to cover basic salaries for the coaches and some other club expenses but there's need for more to improve training facilities, providing full time salaries to the coaches and much more.
When UKM's home ground at Bharatividyapeeth University was proving to be a difficult field and cuasing severe injuries, the club decided to build the whole field on their own. UKM Players of all ages joined efforts with Sagar Khaldkar sir's kabaddi and transformed the field to a brand new football field.
Our mission is infinite
Talking about the success of the team, UKM 'B' team got promoted from second division to first division and UKM 'A' team from first division to super division in a single year (2019 year). U.K.M. is the only club in Pune who has grown in such a way. The girls' team has played a qualifier of Khathang i.e. Indian Women's League. Simran and Shweta were selected for the National Camp. Sridevi Bhandari (captain), Simran Sharla and Vivika were selected in the district level match.
The club has produced countless players who are role models for today's kids.
Shivraj Pawar, a student from the slums of Hanuman Nagar, joined U.K.M. when he was in the seventh standard. He progressed so well in the game that he was selected for Kalyani Bharat F.C., for this club and F.C Pune City. He played there and also went to Delhi to play for Pride Sports. Despite the dire situation at home, he is determined to pursue a career in sports. Financial independence has also been achieved with the club giving him the responsibility of coaching the academy's younger boys.
Gaurav Pandey is an example of how success can be achieved through hard work. When he came to the club, this eighty kg player not only lost weight by maintaining consistency in practice, but also by training in the club, got a place in the highly respected Thailand League and went to Thailand to play. Jinju sir and the club are very proud of our players.
Amit Chavan is also a small boy in the chawl of Hanuman Nagar. He came to play for the club when he was in the sixth standard. Recognizing his agility and intrinsic desire to play, he was immediately taken to the club for training. Within two years, he started playing competitively for the team. But when he was in eighth grade, his father stopped his education because the home conditions were not good. When Jinju sir came to know about him, he first met his parents, arranged his education through the club and promised to finance him through football. Amit, who has been successful in many football matches, now holds the 'D' license required for coaching by the All India Football Federation. Eighteen-nineteen-year-old Amit is a coach at the club's Dhairi Training Academy. He is paid a reasonable salary by the club and is also completing the rest of his education.
Manraj Singh is also an outstanding player of the club. He had his BBA paper on the day of a match. It was decided that he will go for the test after playing the first half of the match. But in the first half of the match, the club was trailing 2-1. He continued the game without saying a word thinking that leaving the game in that state would be a loss for the team, contributed to winning the match by playing stubbornly and ran to the test, when he was an hour late. All this happened not in a movie but in reality. An organization becomes famous because of its dedicated workers. He is a living example of this.
Partha Saikia from Assam is the coach of the girls' A team. Without his assistance it would have been difficult for the girls team to be where it is today.
Social commitment
Kulkarni kaka emphasizes that the players in the club should be aware of social commitment apart from sports. For this, activities like Mutha river cleaning campaign are implemented. When in need the athletes and their families are provided assistance for all kinds of challenges. Staging true to the organization's social commitment, none of the UKM coaches accept any remuneration while coaching the senior teams and pass any fees recived to the organization.
These young people of Pune have set a good example before the society by working in this way. Today this has saved countless children from low economic class and other classes from going astray in life, instilled positivity in them and most importantly they have learned a very important lesson that success and failure are both temporary. If the fruits of success are to be tasted, failure must be faced boldly. The next focus is for the boys team to get a place in the Indian League (I League).
Meet UKM's Management