{"id":4874,"date":"2025-07-21T10:21:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T04:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4874"},"modified":"2025-07-21T10:21:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T04:51:23","slug":"from-the-field-to-the-classroom-how-bslas-old-is-gold-football-tournament-is-changing-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/?p=4874","title":{"rendered":"“From the Field to the Classroom: How BSLA\u2019s \u2018Old is Gold\u2019 Football Tournament is Changing Lives”"},"content":{"rendered":"

South India Unites for Education: Veterans\u2019 Football Tournament Supports Underprivileged Schools<\/strong><\/h1>\n

A Sporting Event with a Noble Cause<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In a heartwarming display of unity and philanthropy, the\u00a0Bengaluru Sports Lovers Association (BSLA)<\/strong>\u00a0hosted the\u00a05th Edition of the Old is Gold Veterans Tournament (40+ years)<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a020th July<\/strong>\u00a0at\u00a0VeloCT Play Arena, Bengaluru<\/strong>. But this wasn\u2019t just another football competition\u2014it was a powerful movement to uplift education for underprivileged children.<\/p>\n

Teams from\u00a0Secunderabad, Chennai, Chikmagalur, Pondicherry, and Kerala<\/strong>\u00a0traveled to Bengaluru, answering BSLA\u2019s call to\u00a0\u201cCome Forward for Back to School: Education for All.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Their participation fees directly contributed to donating\u00a0computers, Anganwadi utensils, play items, and stationery<\/strong>\u00a0to a\u00a0government school in Thindlu Village<\/strong>, handed over to the headmaster,\u00a0Mr. Murali K.<\/strong>\u00a0Additionally, BSLA supported a\u00a0local NGO run by Advocate Tejaswini S.<\/strong>\u00a0by providing essential supplies for underprivileged children.<\/p>\n

Inspiring Support from Sports and Social Icons<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The event saw remarkable support from influential figures.\u00a0Mrs. Greeshma Bernad<\/strong>, an\u00a0IT professional and national-level powerlifter<\/strong>, graced the occasion as the\u00a0Guest of Honour<\/strong>, reinforcing the importance of\u00a0\u201cEducation for All.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adding to the spirit, the\u00a0Abhaya Bravery Award-winning ladies\u2019 team<\/strong>\u00a0stepped forward to champion the cause, while\u00a0Mr. Antony Sajeeth<\/strong>, owner of\u00a0PINK ROOM<\/strong>, sponsored the tournament trophies.<\/p>\n

\"\"
“Old is Gold: South India\u2019s Veteran Footballers Champion Education for Underprivileged Kids”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Victory on the Field, Impact Beyond It<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A total of\u00a024 veteran teams<\/strong>\u00a0competed fiercely, with\u00a0Viveknagar FC<\/strong>, led by captain\u00a0Naveen Babu<\/strong>, emerging as\u00a0champions<\/strong>. The\u00a0runners-up trophy<\/strong>\u00a0went to\u00a0Old Monks FC<\/strong>\u00a0from Bengaluru.<\/p>\n

However, the real winners were the children who will now have better access to education and resources.\u00a0Payel Sengupta<\/strong>, Founder of BSLA, expressed gratitude and called for continued support:\u00a0\u201cThis is just the beginning. We urge all football lovers to join us in our next tournament in August to keep this noble cause alive.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Collective Effort for Change<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The event\u2019s success was made possible by the relentless efforts of\u00a0Debmalya Bhattacharyya, Ayan Pramanik, Privil Rodrigues, Devi Bala, and Advocate Rawley Muddappa<\/strong>, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

As BSLA prepares for its next initiative, the message is clear:\u00a0sports can be a powerful tool for social change<\/strong>. By uniting passion with purpose, South India\u2019s veteran footballers are proving that\u00a0age is no barrier to making a difference<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
“Football for a Cause: Bengaluru Tournament Supports Govt School & NGO”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Join the movement. Support the cause. Because every child deserves a chance to learn.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Key Quotes:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • \n

    Payel Sengupta (Founder, BSLA):<\/strong>
    \n“This isn\u2019t just a tournament\u2014it\u2019s a movement. Every registration fee, every match played, helps a child get closer to education. We\u2019re just getting started.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Mrs. Greeshma Bernad (National Powerlifter & Guest of Honour):<\/strong>
    \n“Sports and education go hand in hand. If we can inspire even one child through this initiative, we\u2019ve already won.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Mr. Murali K. (Headmaster, Thindlu Govt School):<\/strong>
    \n“These contributions mean the world to our students. A computer today could shape a scientist or engineer tomorrow.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Naveen Babu (Captain, Viveknagar FC, Champions):<\/strong>
    \n“Winning feels great, but knowing our game helped kids? That\u2019s the real trophy.”<\/em><\/p>\n

    \"\"
    “BSLA\u2019s \u2018Old is Gold\u2019 Event Unites South India for Education Drive”<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Q&A Section:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Q: Why combine sports with education support?<\/strong>
    \nA: “Sports brings people together like nothing else. If we can channel that energy into social good, why not?”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Debmalya Bhattacharyya, BSLA Organizer<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Q: What\u2019s next for BSLA\u2019s campaign?<\/strong>
    \nA: “We\u2019re planning another tournament in August and expanding to more schools. The goal? No child left behind.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Payel Sengupta<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Q: How can the public contribute?<\/strong>
    \nA: “Join us on the field, donate supplies, or just spread the word. Every bit counts.”<\/em>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Advocate Rawley Muddappa<\/strong><\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n

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    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    South India Unites for Education: Veterans\u2019 Football Tournament Supports Underprivileged Schools A Sporting Event with a Noble Cause In a heartwarming display of unity and philanthropy, the\u00a0Bengaluru Sports Lovers Association (BSLA)\u00a0hosted the\u00a05th Edition of the Old is Gold Veterans Tournament (40+ years)\u00a0on\u00a020th July\u00a0at\u00a0VeloCT Play Arena, Bengaluru. But this wasn\u2019t just another football competition\u2014it was a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bengaluru"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4879,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874\/revisions\/4879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belgaumnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}