Football is often sold as a 90-minute spectacle. In Sirukalathur, it begins at dawn, spills into classrooms and, at times, decides the course of a life.

When FC Barcelona speaks of “Mes que un club”, it is not merely branding. It reflects how football can anchor a community. Clubs such as Athletic Club in Bilbao, with its deep-rooted commitment to local identity and player development, echoes a similar idea: football can represent people, place and possibility.

Far from the city, in Kancheepuram district’s Sirukalathur village, that idea has taken root in its own way.

In a village of around 2,000 people, more than 150 children train every week at the Sirukalathur Galatipet Football Club. From a single ground, the two-star All India Football Federation (AIFF)-accredited academy has produced seven players for Chennaiyin FC’s youth teams, one for Bengaluru FC, two for FC Madras, and several others who have gone on to feature in first-division competitions.

Founded by D. Harikrishnan, the club traces its origins to the FIFA World Cup in 2014, when the village began shifting away from bat-and-ball games towards football. Inspired by the tournament’s global pull, Harikrishnan began organising sessions for local children, a small step that would grow into something far larger.

Two years later, in 2016, the club travelled to Kolkata for the Young Heroes football tournament. What followed was transformative.

For a fledgling club in a village that had rarely travelled beyond its district, international exposure was the last thing anyone expected. Spain might as well have been another planet. Yet, two players from that group were selected for a training camp there, and one of them, Rishish, went on to secure an opportunity with Swedish club IK Sirius.

“It was my first trip abroad. I used to train on the Sirukalathur ground, and the club helped me reach Spain and then Sweden. I haven’t been in touch with football for a while, but I hope to return as a coach and train the children there in the near future,” said Rishish.

“That was the turning point. That is when my father, D. Harikrishnan, realised that through football we could send our youth abroad and help them build better lives,” said his son Sivaraman, managing director and one of the club’s coaches, who holds an AFC C Diploma.

“Education is essential, but it does not come naturally to everyone. In villages like ours, where most of the youth study in government schools, we wanted to help them build a career through sport,” he added.

The club’s progress, however, was gradual. It took five years to enter the Kancheepuram District League’s third division, before moving up to the second division, just as momentum was building. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic can be considered a turning point for Sirukalathur Football Club,” said Sivaraman.

A different approach

With schools shut and routines disrupted, many children were confined to their homes. The absence of structure soon began to show.

Coming from a family deeply involved in sport, Harikrishnan and Sivaraman, along with Sai Krishnan, a former Under-15 Chennaiyin FC captain, noticed a worrying shift. With little supervision, several youngsters were beginning to drift towards unhealthy habits, including smoking, alcohol and, in some cases, substance abuse.

“We started focusing on children born between 2008 and 2012 and brought in new players. It was not easy, but by 2021 and 2022, we were among the better-performing grassroots clubs in Chennai,” said Sivaraman.

In 2022, Bengaluru FC scouted players in Siruseri, and one from Sirukalathur earned a place at the all-India trials at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary.

“Players from across the country attended the five-day camp, and Sanjay from our U-13 group was selected. He trained with Bengaluru FC for an entire year,” said Sivaraman.

In the years since, the pathway has become clearer. Seven players have moved to Chennaiyin FC’s youth teams, one to Bengaluru FC, and two to FC Madras, while others have stepped into first-division football.

Yet, barriers remain. Training camps and trials are often held in cities and, for families dependent on daily wages, travel and stay can be prohibitive.

To address this, the club turned its focus towards All India Football Federation (AIFF) academy accreditation, a pathway that would allow its players to compete in youth leagues without having to leave the village in search of opportunities.

In 2024, the club applied and received a one-star rating, falling short of eligibility for youth leagues. It reapplied the following year and secured a two-star accreditation.

“It is something we dreamt of as a club,” said Sivaraman.

“My brother and I both played for Chennaiyin FC at different stages, and we always wanted our own academy to compete at that level. It felt like a dream come true.”

Today, many of the club’s players represent the Kancheepuram District Football Association, with many of them coming from the Sirukalathur Government School, a team that regularly advances from local tournaments to district-level competitions.

Two years after the Sirukalathur Football Club was established, the club played in the Young Heroes tournament, where one of their players got an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel and train in Spain. | Photo Credit: Siva Sankar A.

The impact extends beyond football. Players have secured college admissions, with some now representing institutions such as Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science and Loyola College.

From a single ground, the numbers tell their own story: one Santosh Trophy player, three junior nationals, over 20 university-level players, and a growing presence in club football.

A small and trusted circle

What allows one man to influence an entire village, and parents to trust him with their children, becomes clearer upon visiting Sirukalathur.

Colourful flags outline the pitch. Narrow streets connect tightly packed houses, many with cows and goats. Dairy farming sustains a large section of the population, while others work as daily-wage labourers. Around 90 to 100 people hold government jobs.

At the centre of it all is Harikrishnan’s office, its walls lined with trophies and photographs, markers of a steady rise. Since 2019, Sirukalathur has been a consistent presence in the Kancheepuram District Championships, lifting titles in the Third Division in 2019 and the First Division in 2024. They were runners-up in the Second Division in 2023 and the First Division in 2025.

His journey, however, has been far from straightforward.

“My father used to drink a lot, and my mother endured a lot while raising me. I failed Class 10. Though I wanted to study, I loved playing sport,” Harikrishnan said.

“I tried again and passed. In Class 12, I failed English, wrote it again, and cleared it. I was a volleyball player in college, but I only picked up the sport in Class 11. I did not even have money to buy proper shoes,” he added.

Born and raised in the same village, Harikrishnan was among the first to clear and prepare the ground, once filled with garbage, that now serves as the club’s base. Plans are in place to add a seating pavilion, install floodlights, and build a swimming pool. But the ideas hit a standstill as the pandemic wreacked havoc

As substance abuse rose during the 2020 lockdown, the club decided to go beyond coaching in difficult times.

It began providing breakfast and dinner to regular trainees.

“Most of the boys and girls are not from well-off families. Their parents leave early for work, and food cooked in the morning often lasts the whole day. But players need fresh food and proper nutrition. So we provide meals, including non-vegetarian food at least three times a week,” said Harikrishnan.

He pauses to show a set of used injection needles he once took from a boy, a talented left-footed player who had slipped into addiction.

“I got him admitted to Guru Nanak College through the sports quota, but he drifted away. At one point, I had to involve the police,” he recalled.

For Harikrishnan, football is not just about producing elite players. It is about keeping doors open: to education, to employment and, at times, simply to a better path.

A mother’s sacrifice

The journey of a 14-year-old from Sirukalathur offers a glimpse into what that path can demand.

Chennaiyin FC U-13, FC Madras U-13 and U-15, district titles, CM Trophy representation, AIFF FIFA Talent Academy selection, and individual awards, the list is already long for Dharanivendhan.

At home, it is held together by his mother, Kalaimani.

Dharanivendhan, 14, from Sirukalathur offers a glimpse into what Harikrishnan’s plan can inspire, as he, with plenty of support from his mother, went on to play for Chennaiyin FC an FC Madras. | Photo Credit: Siva Sankar A.

“We come from a village, and I do not know many bus routes because I did not complete my schooling. It is my son who has shown me places. I have travelled with him for camps and trials,” she said.

“With a daily income of around Rs. 300, we spend nearly half on him. The rest goes towards food and household expenses.”

Her routine once began at 2 a.m.

To get her son to training in the city, she would travel to Poonamallee and then take another bus to the ground, wait outside for two hours, and return home by noon, day after day, for a year.

Dharanivendhan would then attend school for half a day.

Today, he is back training at Sirukalathur, with a return to FC Madras on the horizon.

In a village where journeys once rarely extended beyond its borders, they now begin before sunrise, on narrow roads, in crowded buses, and on a patch of ground marked by flags.

For some, it leads to a team sheet.

For others, to a college seat.

For all of them, it offers a way forward.

Published on Apr 22, 2026