The Grassroots football programme of Paro FC is closely aligned with the main objective of FIFA’s grassroots football programme by allowing football to be discovered by as many people as possible. We have got a facility lease from the community school for thirty years and we give them access to football in their own environment whatever their age, sex, physical condition, skin colour, religion or ethnic origin is.
The initiative of such public privatepartnership in sports, specifically football is the first of its type in Bhutan. Parents in our grassroots programme have given various reasons for their participation in the PFC Grassroots initiative. The following are some of the reasons.
- Opportunity for Social Interaction
- Venue to learn moral human values
- Outlet to deviate from social media and mobile phone addiction
- Gives an opportunity to experience the most popular sport in the globe
- An avenue to live their dreams of being a professional footballer
We have two programmes under the Paro FC Grassroots Initiative. The short term grassroots initiative ‘Catch them young’, is conducted during winter vacation (for one month) and summer vacation (for one month) targeting students on vacation. It is during this time that the parents would be seeking a positive engagement of the children.
The long term grassroots initiative ‘Keep them moving’ is a yearlong initiative which is carried out throughout the year. This is an initiative to attract children for a continuous programme and also to retain those talented for a continuous training.