Did You Know That Mahatma Gandhi Used Football Game To Spread The Message Of Nonviolence?

2nd October is celebrated across the country as the birthday of the ‘Father of the Nation’ – Mahatma Gandhi. We all know that he is the driving force behind India’s independence. But did you know that Gandhi had a deep interest in football in his initial years in South Africa? Gandhi had become familiar with the sport while studying law in England and very few of us know that he used football as a tool to spread Satyagraha and equality in a regressive society.

Mahatma Gandhi and his experiments with football

Initiation:

When Gandhi went to South Africa, he noticed the popularity of the game among the less-privileged classes in South African society. These were exactly the kind of people among whom he wanted to promote his ideas of passive resistance. He thus decided to use football to spread the message of non-violence and equality in a regressive society.

Mahatma Gandhi Experiments With The Beautiful Game 'Football'

Gandhi founded 3 clubs in South Africa:

Gandhi founded three football clubs at the turn of the 20th century in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg. All three clubs were called ‘Passive Resisters Soccer Club.’ While there are accounts of him talking to the players before and during games to impart ideals of his movement, there is little evidence about whether the clubs plied their trade in any organised league/tournament.

Gandhiji's farms were used for football related activities

The money raised from these sporting events helped fund the families of those people who had been imprisoned for their non-violent struggle against local racist laws.

Though it is unclear if Gandhi ever played for any of these clubs, his presence in team photos and his speeches to the team members prove that he played a crucial role in their activities.

Gandhi and Football: The Mahatma's experiments with the beautiful game

Return to India:

Eventually, Mahatma Gandhi was convinced by Indian families to return to his motherland to fight for the country’s freedom, and soon after his departure, the Passive Resisters Soccer Clubs wound up. But his initial years with football in South Africa are still considered crucial in South Africa’s sports history.

Mahatma Gandhi return to India

Federations like Transvaal Indian Football Association, or the Klip River District Indian Football Association, and the more famous South African Association of Hindu Football are examples of Gandhi’s organizational skills.

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