From Passion to the Para: Organising the Beyond the Maidan Community Cup
The idea
Football has been part of my life since I was a child.
It has given me experiences that go far beyond simply playing a sport. It has given me friendships, competition, memories and a sense of belonging.
As I learned more about Kolkata’s football history, I began thinking about the relationship between the city and the sport that had become such a large part of my own life.
I wanted to give something back.
Rather than simply supporting football from the outside, I wanted to create an opportunity for people who did not necessarily have access to competitive football.
That was where the idea of a community tournament began.
Making the idea possible
I was able to turn the idea into reality through a connection my father had with a local para leader through his business.
That connection introduced me to Tamal Bhattacharyya, a community leader in Beleghata.
Together, along with my father, members of the Beleghata Yubak Brinda Club, local residents and other helpers, we worked towards organising the tournament.
The project was not something I could have done alone.
That became one of the first lessons of the experience.
An idea can belong to one person, but making an event happen requires coordination between many people.
The tournament
The Beyond the Maidan Community Cup 2026 was held at a local ground in Beleghata on 25 and 26 July 2026.
Approximately 10 teams participated, with around 8–10 players per team, bringing together more than 80 young football players according to the organiser’s confirmation.
The competition began with a league stage before moving into the semi-finals and final.
My role extended beyond financial support.
I helped coordinate the event, supervised activities, worked with participating teams, helped with the venue arrangements and acted as a referee during the matches. These responsibilities are also independently confirmed by the community leader’s letter.
Supporting the players
I also provided financial support for the tournament.
The sponsorship was used to purchase football equipment, including boots, shirts and shorts, as well as supporting the people helping with the organisation of the tournament.
The participants were able to keep the equipment provided to them.
For me, this was important because the support was not only about making the tournament happen. It was also about giving players something they could continue using after the tournament.
Some participants told me that having proper equipment could make a difference when they took part in inter-school events. They felt better equipped to compete alongside other students and believed that having access to better equipment could help them continue developing their football skills.
The tournament also gave them access to referees and people with greater knowledge of the sport, allowing them to experience organised football and learn more about the game.
These conversations made the project feel much more meaningful to me.
Being part of the tournament
One of my favourite parts of the project was simply being there.
I had planned the tournament, but once the matches started, it became less about the planning and more about the football.
There were serious moments, competitive moments and plenty of laughter.
Some participants had very little experience playing organised football, which led to some genuinely funny moments on the pitch. At the same time, there was some impressive football and a lot of enthusiasm.
I enjoyed refereeing the games and speaking to participants.
Those conversations helped me understand that the tournament meant something different to each person. For some, it was simply an enjoyable football experience. For others, it was an opportunity to compete, learn and experience something they had not had access to before.
The challenges
The tournament was not perfect.
One of the biggest challenges was the weather. Rain caused disruption and affected the schedule.
The banners that had been put up for the tournament were also damaged by the weather and had to be removed.
I also faced a personal challenge that I had not properly considered beforehand: language.
Although I have lived in Kolkata for several years, I do not speak Bengali. Communicating with people in the community was therefore sometimes difficult.
Another challenge was balancing the tournament with school.
Because I was still managing my school responsibilities, I could not be as involved as I wanted to be at every stage.
These difficulties were frustrating at times, but they also became some of the most valuable parts of the experience.
What I learned
Before this project, I had limited experience organising something of this scale.
I learned that planning an event involves much more than having a good idea.
Coordination matters.
Different people have different responsibilities, and they need to know what is expected of them.
Planning matters.
Things that seem small beforehand can become major problems during an event.
Flexibility matters.
No amount of planning can completely control the weather or unexpected problems.
And perhaps most importantly, people matter.
The tournament was possible because many people contributed in different ways.
My father helped me significantly. The para leader coordinated with me. Members of the Beleghata Yubak Brinda Club and local people helped. Participants brought their enthusiasm to the pitch.
The event was never really just mine.
It belonged to everyone who helped make it happen.
What I would do differently
Looking back, I think I rushed into the project.
I had the idea and wanted to make it happen, but I did not spend enough time considering everything that could affect the tournament.
If I organised it again, I would start planning earlier.
I would also involve more of my friends and build a larger team around the project rather than trying to manage so much myself.
I would choose a period when I had more availability and plan more carefully around weather.
Most importantly, I would think more about participation.
The tournament had around 10 teams, but there were people who could not take part because the tournament was relatively small.
If I did it again, I would want to create a larger opportunity and involve more players.
What the tournament meant to me
The most important part of the experience was that I finally got to see what giving back to football could actually look like.
I had spent years receiving opportunities from the sport.
This time, I was helping create one.
The tournament was not perfect. It was not a professional competition, and it did not solve every problem facing grassroots football.
But it did not need to.
For two days, more than 80 young players had the opportunity to compete in an organised football tournament.
And for me, that was enough to show that even a small idea can become something real when people are willing to work together.
Beyond the Maidan 