The Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) created a Facebook page in the hopes of getting kids away from classroom furniture and out on the sports field. Savio Abraham, Director of Administration at the MSSA explained that the idea of going on Facebook originated with the President of the MSSA, Fr. Jude Rodrigues.

“Rodrigues wants MSSA to be interactive with the students who play out there. And since everyone is on Facebook, we thought it was the best way to promote sports,” Abraham explained.

Rather than sitting behind a reception desk and explaining what they do, they hope that the Facebook page will reach out to 360 schools in the Mumbai region. The MSSA also wants to connect with people who played sports with the MSSA in the past. The alumni are actually the ones that add the most to the page, sharing stories about the games that they participated in.

Another goal of the page is to get much needed publicity. Not so long ago the MSSA attracted spectators in the thousands. Today the MSSA feels lucky if even 100 people show up for a game. Hopefully, if students are hooked into Facebook, they will be more inclined to get on a bus to a game to cheer on their school’s team, like what was done in the past.

One last challenge for the MSSA is to get their field covered in artificial turf instead of dirt. Such an undertaking will most like “revolutionize school sports in Mumbai,” Abraham says.