From Vision to Victory: The Swami Vivekananda Football Tournament

Swami Vivekananda: A Lifelong Inspiration

“You will be nearer to heaven through football than through the study of the Bhagavad Gita.”

This quote inspired S.K. Thanigaivelan, founder of Victory Sports Foundation, to launch the Swami Vivekananda Football Tournament in 2014. What began as a single event soon became a regular annual fixture in Victory’s calendar, motivating countless aspiring footballers to take a step closer to achieving their dreams.

Swami Vivekananda has been Thanigaivelan’s role model since childhood. Whenever he felt down or dejected, Swamiji’s teachings and quotes uplifted him. Each time he read them, it felt as though someone was speaking directly to him, guiding him, like an external force showing him the way when he saw none.

The Birth of an Idea

In December 2013, nearly ten years after founding Victory, a friend approached Thanigaivelan and told him that the coming year was special. Thanigaivelan smiled, instantly knowing why – it was the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. His friend went on to mention that there would be an all-India celebration event a month later, on January 12th, Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, and invited him to be a part of it.

One would have expected him to say yes with excitement. However, at that very moment, an idea sparked in his mind – an idea that he knew could create a significant impact. At that moment, Swami Vivekananda’s famous quote about football and the Bhagavad Gita came to his mind. A decade earlier, this very quote had inspired him to start his own NGO, and now, once again, it played a crucial role – this time in inspiring him to start an impactful tournament.

Resisting the temptation to join the celebration event of his idol, he politely declined the invitation, choosing instead to turn his idea into reality. That idea would later develop into the Swami Vivekananda Football Tournament – a major event in Victory’s annual calendar and a game changer for the youth.

Overcoming Doubts and Ridicule

When he shared this idea with his friends and close circles, most of them were quite apprehensive. With less than a month left, organising such a large tournament seemed extremely difficult to them. A few even ridiculed him when he mentioned his plan to invite teams from different districts and conduct it as a state-level tournament. Despite the lack of encouragement, he remained firm in his conviction.

Most of them weren’t wrong from their perspective, though. Organising such a tournament required significant funds and preparation. 

On January 1, 2014, while everyone else was celebrating the new year, it wasn’t exactly a happy one for Thanigaivelan. The tournament was just ten days away. Teams had been invited from various districts, the ground was booked, and the chief guests had been confirmed. Yet, he was still far short of the required funds — less than 10% had been raised.

Gaining the Unwavering Support of Well-Wishers

As it has been since childhood, whenever the words “I cannot” echoed in his mind, he looked up to his idol’s quote:

“Never say NO, never say, ‘I cannot’, for you are INFINITE. All the power is WITHIN you. You can do anything.“

He realized that Victory had sustained for 10 years, and there was a reason for that. Not every NGO lasts so long. They had earned the trust of people – well-wishers who believed in their work and saw their honesty and commitment to transforming lives through sports.

With this renewed energy, Thanigaivelan began meeting each well-wisher who had supported Victory over the years, either in person or over the phone. He explained the importance of the tournament and how it could provide great exposure and opportunities for children.

He planned to invite Under-17 teams, as this is the crucial age before entering bigger competitions. He told them that his focus was mainly on government and corporation schools, as he wanted to reach underprivileged children who were talented but had never had the opportunity to participate in major tournaments. 

He also told his well-wishers that he had booked Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, one of the largest football stadiums in the state, where all major tournaments are held. The well-wishers loved his idea and decided to support his noble cause. Within days, the funding issue was resolved. 

The tournament was scheduled to take place on Ground B, a newly constructed ground. Until then, all major tournaments had been held on Ground A. An Asian Pacific athletic championship was supposed to inaugurate Ground B, but it was postponed for certain reasons. Thus, Victory’s tournament became the first-ever tournament to be conducted there.

Beyond Winning and Losing

The big day arrived, and the tournament was successfully held as a two-day event on January 11 and 12. Victory strongly believes that winning or losing is just part of the game, but the opportunity to play is what truly matters. They organised the tournament in a league-cum-knockout format to ensure that each team had the opportunity to play multiple matches.

In the end, only one team lifted the trophy, but the greatest victory was seeing the smiles on the faces of players from all participating teams and their excitement at playing on a big ground for the first time. Nothing could be more rewarding than that.

Learning Through Challenges

Of course, there were challenges during those two days – no tournament is without them. But the members and volunteers of Victory faced each one with a smile, knowing they were creating a meaningful impact. As Swami Vivekananda rightly said:

“Take risks in your life. If you win, you can lead; if you lose, you can guide.“

They took that risk, and the outcome was truly rewarding. There were setbacks both before and during the tournament, but these became valuable lessons that they improved upon in the years that followed.

An Annual Celebration of Youth Empowerment

Since then, the tournament has become an annual event, held regularly across districts such as Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Nilgiris, Tirupattur, Tiruvallur, and Kanchipuram with great success. 

Each year, Victory continued to fine-tune the tournament by learning from past shortcomings. They also kept sharing these learnings with other emerging organisations – living true to Swamiji’s words, “you can guide.”

This tournament is held every year as part of National Youth Day, and it beautifully connects Victory Sports Foundation and Swami Vivekananda through a shared purpose – the welfare and empowerment of youth.