Have you ever dreamt of being a world-renowned sports player? Watching Sachin Tendulkar and many other extravagant sports players, we all had that thought at some point in our childhood, didn't we? So much so that some of us even got our parents to sign us up for coaching in the hope of becoming a sports person someday. 

But, what if that opportunity wasn't given to you? Your dreams of becoming a sports player would be crushed. That's the privilege that you and many of us have. The privilege of having an opportunity. Not to mention, countless marginalized children do not have the same opportunities as us and are forced to give up on their dreams at a very young age.

In a country as diverse as India, with an uneven playing field and a lack of opportunity for those who don’t come from privilege, Magic Bus India Foundation, along with Giving for Good Foundation (GfG) has developed a programme that uses sports as a means to empower and enrich the lives of children and young adults belonging to marginalized communities. 

The project offers an opportunity to nurture talent in children and youth through specialized sessions offered by Magic Bus and impart valuable life lessons in the process. Striving to ensure they make the right choices as they grow, the programme hopes to inculcate lessons learnt on the field into a child's everyday life.

The future belongs to the youth. Investing in them entails building a solid foundation for future leaders by maximizing their potential. We source our inspiration from Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecosystemic Model, placing the primary stakeholders – children and youth – at the core of the universe. The 'Sports for Excellence’ programme is strengthened by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 31 which recognizes and reinforces unequivocally each child’s right to relax and to play and the Sports for Development concept. 

With assistance from GfG, Magic Bus’s Sports for Excellence programme delivers specialized football coaching sessions to selected students currently based in Delhi, India. With 3 years of training, students linked with this programme are given opportunities to participate in tournaments, engage in quality physical and formal education, with additional opportunities to attend exchange programs, workshops, and definitive coaching sessionsskills alongside their academic education.  that are held twice a week. The programme provides children with practical exposure and opportunities to develop skills alongside their academic education. 

This unique programme helps children enhance traits such as sportsmanship, discipline, and teamwork, along with increasing a child’s understanding of strategy, rules, and the importance of abiding by them. 

The programme also strongly believes in building a sense of equality and autonomy. Girls are given equal footing alongside male students, and parents are also encouraged to send their daughters for sessions and school with no scope of bias. Along with the right guidance and physical coaching lessons, this programme focuses on the nutritional needs of children and conducts adequate fitness tests to monitor their performance throughout. 

The programme provides a safe space for students to learn through play. Schools ensure that children attend classes regularly and optimize their education, featuring sports in physical education classes. With this programme, we not only create sportspersons but also mentors who in future provide mentorship to the adolescents in the community.  As these children become adults, Magic Bus works with them to ensure they have the right employability skills, and are capable of contributing to their communities.