It was a Saturday afternoon. I was having lunch when dad told me to get ready. I became upset, and reluctantly marched towards my room. I don’t like Saturdays! Even though it’s a holiday for most children, it is not for me because I need to go to the football club where I don’t want to go.

Many kids love sports, but I am not one of them. I am a stout person who wants to stay indoors and read. I don’t like running, so in a team, I am a bad player. The coach is tired of me and my teammates sometimes make me a fetcher.

I have no idea how to play football. I shout “foul” when it’s a penalty, or sometimes give tackle to my own teammates. Usually, after practice, my teammates would request me to stay out of the game and I would just nod.

Last Thursday, the coach told us that we would be competing with some other team in a month and many people will come to see the game. I froze at the thought of the embarrassment I would face if the team lost because of me. So I vowed to practice hard for the match, but I didn’t go to practice for even a single day.

After one month, when the tournament day came, my teammates were reluctant to take me in the team, and I also prayed to stay away from the ground as well. But luck would have it that they were short of one player and had no option but to take me in the team.

Our team was named the Big Blues. There was a big applause on our arrival in the field. I got nervous and started sweating. The game started and within two minutes, I got a blue card. By the time I was allowed back, the score was two goals by each team and the next goal would decide the winning team.

When the ball rolled towards me, I froze. My teammates were exhausted and seemed worried. The opponents grinned and charged towards me. Without thinking anymore, I gathered courage and with all my might, I kicked the ball. The opponents were taking me easy, so they didn’t think that I would be capable of kicking the ball so powerfully. As I kicked, the goalkeeper jumped out of the goal.

As the ball hit the net, I heard a big cheer. The Big Blues won the match!

Our supporters clapped with joy and all my teammates ran towards me to lift me in the air. Since that day, I gained some confidence and have started to play better. My coach and teammates are also happy with me and they try to polish my skills every time I go to play. Now I have realised that it wasn’t that I didn’t like the sport, but it had something to do with the encouragement I got — something that boosted my confidence and I realised I could also play this sport.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2022