Five years of Kickstart FC- a journey of passion and consistent hard work

On this day in 2016, Kickstart FC was started with the conviction to enhance social integration by enhancing the three basic dimensions of our existence - the body, the mind, and spirit. The beautiful game was their tool, and it would act as the catalyst of inclusivity in our society, and that's how Kickstart FC visions to promote football in India.

The club wanted to embark on the journey to educate and help children not only in the development of football but also engage in changing their lives through character building, sport, and knowledge. The club has the services of like-minded individuals with hopes and visions, positive and high.

The Bangalore-based club has teams across all age groups and competes in the BDFA super divisions in the men's category, and it has the same in the women's category. The club elegantly won the Karnataka Women's League and is ready to play in the Indian Women's League for the first time later this year. The club's effort to not view football as a one-gender sport has helped them take high strides further in the ecosystem. The management believes that the game does not differentiate based on gender, so why should they. Kickstart's academy has more than two hundred students, and the number keeps on increasing every year.

"We started as a few but are now so many, not only in numbers but also in talents and creativity. It's not just a corporate anniversary; it's a celebration of a family that only grew strong, defying the odds," said Laxman Bhattarai, Founder, and CEO, on asked about how the five years have gone by for Kickstart FC.

"Kickstart has always been an incredible assortment of dedicated and trustworthy people who have the zeal of working hard as a team. The reputation that we have earned as a football academy is well-deserved as we have earned it after a lot of toils. We are grateful for the belief and confidence the parents and the students have shown us in the last five years, and we continually do all we can to earn it. That confidence is possible thanks to our talented and dedicated team who operates with an extremely high level of quality, consistency, and efficiency in mind. Those efforts and continued dedication give us all reasons to be excited about our future." added Laxman, on how he felt about the five years.

The club wants to give an opportunity to the underprivileged to experience and discover the spirit of brotherhood, egalitarian outlook, and desire to dream big. The endeavor to promote football at all levels - schools, colleges, and corporate, in the society and put India on the world footballing map is what the club dreams of achieving in the coming years."

"In identifying talents, we have been very successful. We have to thank a lot of people inside and outside the system who have helped us grow. I want to thank Mr. Satya Narayana, the president of the Kickstart foundation, who has been a strategic thinker for us. His vision of making the team and making things better has been a guiding force for us." said Shekar Rajan, the founder and Chairman of the club, on people who have helped us grow.

The team will be stepping up for new challenges in the COVID, and hopefully the post COVID era, and they are preparing for it. The club plans to play in the I-League or the Indian Super League soon, whichever of the two happens first, as the founders say.

The last five years have been full of ups and downs, and the club showed its gratitude to all those people who have been a part of their journey in this time.

Football is a sport for everyone across age groups and genders, and Kickstart FC's beliefs in inclusivity have helped them grow and become one of the most successful clubs in Bangalore. The club has only one way to go, and that's forward, to reach the top with their performances on and off the pitch.