HCLFoundation and Chennaiyin Football Club join hands to promote football at grassroot level

Khel Today Bureau 

NOIDA: HCLFoundation, which drives the corporate social responsibility agenda of global technology company HCLTech in India, has announced its collaboration with Chennaiyin Football Club (FC) as the Social Cause Partner for its 10th season in Indian Super League (ISL).

HCLFoundation and Chennaiyin FC, a two-time ISL winner, will work together to nurture football at the grassroot-level and will use this sport to empower youth and community engagement.

“Through this partnership with Chennaiyin FC, we aim to harness the unparalleled power of sports in fostering inclusion, empowering youth and driving positive social change. Together, we aspire to create a legacy of sportsmanship and community engagement that inspires generations to come, ” said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President, Global CSR, HCLTech and Director, HCLFoundation.

“This partnership represents a significant milestone in our journey to leverage the platform of football for broader social impact. By empowering youth, nurturing talent, and fostering a culture of sportsmanship and inclusivity, we are committed to creating a vibrant ecosystem where dreams flourish and communities thrive,” said Ekansh Gupta, General Manager, Chennaiyin FC.

Chennaiyin FC offered 500 match tickets to students and youth of HCLFoundation’s Sports For Change (SFC) initiative to attend the ISL game on April 9 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. Additionally, 20 children from HCLFoundation’s SFC program escorted the Chennaiyin FC ISL players into the stadium ahead of the match. Select matches will also be live streamed for students of Police Boys and Girls Clubs of Arumbakkam and Kannaginagar, Chennai. 

Chennaiyin FC players and staff members will join hands with HCLFoundation for a plantation activity at a Harit afforestation site, underscoring their commitment to environmental sustainability. They will also visit Kannaginagar Police Boys and Girls Club and interact with the Sports for Change students from Kannaginagar to motivate the students to pursue sports professionally.

About Chennaiyin FC:

Chennaiyin FC is the Chennai-based Indian football club founded in 2014. The club has two Indian Super League titles to its name, winning them in 2015 and 2017-18 seasons. In Ms Vita Dani, Mr Abhishek Bachchan and Mr MS Dhoni, the club has a passionate set of owners at the helm who come with a single-minded vision of making Chennaiyin FC the best and the most successful football club in India. As part of Chennaiyin FC’s initiatives for the development and growth of football in Tamil Nadu, the club has established a sound grassroots level structure that boasts a CFC Reserve, an U-18, an U-15 and an U-13 team.

About HCLFoundation

HCLFoundation delivers the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech in India. The Foundation contributes to national and international development goals by investing in long-term sustainable programs and special initiatives with thematic focus on education, nurturing grassroots sports, health and sanitation, skill development and livelihood, environment and disaster risk reduction, and response management. To ensure equitable development, child protective strategies, inclusion and gender transformative approaches are at the core of all the programs of the Foundation. Till date, the HCLFoundation has invested over $150 million to positively impacted over 5.5 million lives. To learn more visit www.hclfoundation.org

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 224,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around digital, engineering, cloud, AI and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending December 2023 totaled $13.1 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.