LFC in India: 26 Photo Stories

A week ago today, Liverpool FC touched down in India to help coach children at the LFC - Standard Chartered football clinic in Mumbai. While some of the children on the final day of the clinic came from very privileged backgrounds, many of the kids who had made it through to the final stages of Go Forward, with the prize of being coached by LFC, came from the slums. (See 'Slum Dreams' feature.)

The five-day visit also included a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for two teenage girls from LFC's very own Goals 4 Girls project to participate in a cultural exchange with girls from Standard Chartered's Goal programme, an initiative set up to teach young females in Mumbai about important social messages through the sport of netball.

LFC TV were in Mumbai to capture footage from the trip for two upcoming programmes but before then, here's a photographic snapshot of the visit and the stories and emotions behind the pictures.

LFC coach outside Bridge Chapel, Liverpool, November 8

Rebecca Hughes, LFC Goals 4 Girls coach: "This was taken at 3.45am on Tuesday morning. We were sat on the coach outside Bridge Chapel in South Liverpool. The coach hadn't even left yet. We had to drive to Heathrow to catch a flight to Mumbai at 10.15 so we needed to get to the airport before 8am but the traffic was terrible on the M25 and we thought we might miss our plane at one point. I was excited about going and thought I knew what to expect when I got there but it's not until you see it with your own eyes that you appreciate just what terrible conditions some people have to live in."

Taj Mahal hotel, November 9

Scott Fowler, LFC Community Coach:  "This photo was taken on the first morning after we arrived at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai. We actually landed about 1am in the morning and by the time we got to the hotel, it was after 2am. We were all given flower garlands and had a dot of red colour powder put on our foreheads, a traditional Indian ritual. The whole time we stayed there, we were treated really well. Sometimes you felt a bit guilty coming back to this really opulent hotel after a day visiting slums or coaching kids who had nothing. The guy in the picture told us he was a Liverpool fan and was always asking questions about the team whenever we saw him. He was made up his picture appeared on the official website the day we arrived."

Seva Niketan Centre, November 9

Scott Fowler: "This was taken at a community centre that was set up to help young girls in Mumbai as part of the Goal project that Standard Chartered runs. It was our first day in Mumbai and we went there because the lady who ran the Goal project wanted to give us all - particularly the two girls we'd taken over from our own Goals 4 Girls scheme - an introduction to Indian culture. We were told that families in Mumbai make this really intricate designs out of chalk dust to go in the entrance to their homes, particularly during festival times. They're called Rangoli and they're supposed to keep the bad spirits away from the home and keep the good spirits in. They're usually created by women but it was a guy called haresh who was demonstrating to us how you do them. He did this really good one first with Indian symbols but then he asked us to create our own Liverpool one. With a little help from him, we created this masterpiece!"

Seva Niketan Centre, November 9

Jade Adekoya, LFC Goals 4 Girls coach: "This was taken before we had our saris put on and our henna tattoos done. We had to help design this piece of chalk art using sieves and our hands and it was actually looking really good until we started getting involved!"

Seva Niketan Centre, November 9

Rebecca Hughes: "The girls from the Goal project had just finished dressing me and Jade up in traditional Indian saris, doing our hair and our accessories. It was a bit strange at first to have so many people fussing over me. One girl was doing my hair, another was wrapping and pinning my Sari, another was doing my accessories and then a different girl painted a henna tattoo on my arm. The girls were all very nice and they went to a lot of effort to make us feel welcome. It was really helpful to get that introduction to Indian culture before we attended the clinics as it helped us to understand the life the girls lived. They showed us some dances and I even showed them some steps of my own!"

Seva Niketan Centre, November 9

Jade Adekoya: "This was taken at the end of the day after we'd spent a lot of time learning about Indian culture. I hardly knew anything about Indian culture before then so it was really helpful to find out so much and hear about the issues girls our age face in India."

Outside the Restobar, November 9

Rishi Jain, LFC Community Coach: "This was taken at the end of the night outside the Restobar, a place about 10 minutes from our hotel on the first night after we arrived. We'd asked on Twitter if there were any Liverpool fans in Mumbai who wanted to meet up with us while we were in town and the LFC Mumbai Supporters Club got in touch and said they'd love to meet up. When we left our hotel, we thought we'd be meeting five or six of them but there were about 30 fans, all in Liverpool shirts, waiting for us when we arrived. They knew all the songs and even taught us a couple of new ones which they'd made up for Lucas and Stewart Downing."

Scott Fowler: "They were all really passionate and when they found out who my brother was, they couldn't believe it. They immediately all started singing, 'One Robbie Fowler...' The funniest thing was the song they'd made up about the Neville family. I won't repeat the words but even the barman was in stitches."

Matt Walker, LFC TV Senior Producer: "I was blown away by our meeting with the members of the Mumbai LFC Supporter's Club. Their home made banners - including one celebrating their status as Mumbai's Scouse Army - were instantly recognisable as in the same spirit as those adorning Anfield on a European night or flag day. Immaculate renditions of Kop favourite songs were belted out for our benefit with particular enthusiasm saved for those heralding Luis Suarez, Stevie G and Lucas, while numbers 'dedicated' to John Terry, Gary Neville and Fernando Torres had all of us visitors in stitches. When speaking to them afterwards it became apparent that their obvious passion for the club ran deeper still - opinions on the prospects of which current Reserve team player might make the first team were excitedly offered, heart-felt hopes that there may one day be justice for the 96 revealed and so on. In a country that has long been divided on grounds of faith, the Mumbai Supporters Club members took great pride in telling me that the only religion that mattered to them was Liverpool FC. Their entire week revolved around that 90 minutes each weekend, just like the rest of us Reds back in the UK. Having found a little piece of L4 over 4,000 miles away in the heart of Mumbai, I left our meeting that night knowing that there really is such a thing as The Liverpool Family.

Colaba Municipal School, November 10

Dave McParland, LFC Community Coach: "This was taken when we went to do a coaching session at the Colaba Municipal School. It wasn't that far from our hotel but it was very poor. The yard was tiny which was amazing because the school has over 2,000 students. Someone said there's up to 600 kids who have to use it at one time although I can't see how that is possible as it was tight for space when we were trying to coach just eight kids. I've no idea how anyone can have a game of football with that many people packed in there."

Scott Fowler: "The school looked pretty grim but even though the facilities were really bad, the kids were all accustomed to playing in those conditions. Our schools in England aren't that bad but nearly all footballers who make it come from inner city backgrounds where conditions are never great. As kids, we'd play anywhere on any surface. It was the same for me and my brother, for Steven Gerrard, for Jamie Carragher, for Wayne Rooney and even the likes of Luis Suarez and Messi."

Colaba Municipal School, November 10

Mark Bygroves, LFC Community Coach: "This was taken at a local school in Colaba. When we first arrived, we were taken aback by how small the school yard was and the surface had big craters in it. Playing football on it wasn't just difficult, it was dangerous as you could easily go over on your ankle if you foot when in a crater. The fact that some of the kids were wearing school shoes rather than trainers made it even more difficult for them but having said that, there touch was really good and their balance was pretty impressive. That was our first training session in India and the fact that we were so well received by not just the kids but also the school headmaster really encouraged us to make this the best possible trip we could. It was small, dark and dingy and nothing like what you'd ever see in a school in England. We immediately knew we were dealing with a different level of poverty."

Ambedkar Nagar slum, November 10

Claire Rourke, LFC TV presenter: "Having watched footage on TV and read about and seen photographs of the poverty in Mumbai, you think you can prepare yourself in some way for what lies ahead on a trip like this but nothing can prepare you for seeing young innocent children in the most desperate of situations. The stench of the slums overpowers you, the flies stick to you and the feeling of helplessness overwhelms you. This was a reality check in the most extreme sense but sadly it's a day to day reality for these children."

Ambedkar Nagar slum, November 10

Rishi Jain: "This was taken about 10 yards from where Montesh, one of the kids on the Go Forward project, lived. About two yards behind us was a swamp that smelled like nothing I've ever smelt before. There were dogs milling about looking for food. I've never seen a place like this slum before in my life but for all the poverty, the kids were all very happy and excitable. Everyone of them had smiles on their faces and seemed content with their lives. I never met one person who seemed to feel sorry for themselves which puts us all to shame when you hear some of teh things we moan about."

Backbay Depot slum, November 10

Matt Walker: "As a resident of the leafy South Liverpool suburbs, the stench and squalor of Mumbai slums were immediately apparent as we visited a couple of the kids taking part in the 'Go Forward' football programme. Also apparent was the friendliness of the slum's inhabitants and the joy with which we were welcomed into their neighbourhood. Our reception was humbling and the smiles and laughter of our hosts in their tiny but immaculately tidy homes is something that will stay with me for a long time."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 10

Dave McParland: "This was the moment I first met Ian Rush. He was great with all of us and was really engaging with all the kids. None of them will have seen him play but when he was introduced as Liverpool's record goalscorer, you could tell they were impressed. I got on really well with Ian the whole trip. I think he fancies himself as a bit of a comedian though!"

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 10

Rebecca Hughes: "This was when me and Jade had to address all the girls from the Goal project. We had someone translating for us because only a couple of the girls were able to speak English. The messages we delivered - about bullying, drugs, image, loneliness, aiming high and respect - are relevant to girls anywhere; regardless of where in the world you live."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Dave McParland: "I never got to coach the girls but I introduced myself to all of them when we first arrived. They all seemed really happy to be there and when I did watch them, the standard was better than I thought it would be. They weren't amazing but with some proper coaching, you could see they had potential."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Scott Fowler: "This was my group that I trained on the Thursday and Friday. Montesh, who was featured on the website on Monday, is the fourth boy from the left. He did really well during the session and you could tell that he'd been practicing a lot. All the boys were really well disciplined and called you 'Sir' when they spoke to you. As much as we'd tell them to call us by our first names, they still insisted on addressing us as 'Sir'. I spent quite a lot of time talking to the coach on the left, Arshad Hussain. He'd played professionally in India when he was younger but was desperate to learn as much as he could from not just me but all the coaches and Ian Rush as well. He was quite a funny character, quick witted and always good for a one-liner. We had some good banter during the water breaks as it was boiling hot. He told us that due to the heat, they'd normally coach the kids between six and eight in the morning and then anything after six at night."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Scott Fowler: This was my second football clinic with Standard Chartered. I went to Seoul in Korea back in April and I thought that was a great experience but this was even better. One thing that is guaranteed with Standard Chartered is first-class organisation and this was no exception. Everything ran like clockwork and we were really well looked after. From the staff in London to the staff out there in Mumbai, no one could do enough to make sure that the whole trip was a success. There's not much free space in Mumbai so finding a venue to host the clinics was tough but they found a site that was totally overgrown and pretty basic and turned it into something that looked really professional. As Liverpool FC are involved, you want the kids to go 'Wow' when they first turn up and they certainly did that. Getting hold of Jan Molby's shirt was a nice touch too."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Mark Bygroves: "It's amazing that wherever you go, people know who Ian Rush is. I saw it firsthand during the summer in Asia and it was the same here in Mumbai. I was really encouraged by everything Ian did and how genuinely interested he was in the lives of everyone he met. He's naturally very good with kids and he immediately makes them feel relaxed when he starts messing about with a football. He'd just had a knee operation but it didn't stop him playing head tennis with the kids and when he walked round to watch the different coaching sessions, the kids would immediately try that little bit harder. That's the effect he has on them."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Scott Fowler: "This was our team photograph taken in front of the giant shirt. We spent pretty much the entire six days working and living together and everyone got on really well. It must have been a bit daunting for the girls going so far away at their age - they're only 18 - but they acquitted themselves really well and got involved in everything we did. They have experience of working with us at Goals 4 All but to go to India and do it over there can't have been easy. Not only were they doing their day job but they had to do it in front of the TV cameras which will have been a new experience for them. We all thought they did really well though and they definitely impressed the people who run the Goal project in Mumbai."

Jade Adekoya: "The coaches were fantastic with us and helped get us involved in everything they did. Everyone was friendly and they helped give us advice when we needed it. It was a fantastic experience even if it was really upsetting to see all the kids on the streets and to see the way people were living. It was nice to mix with the girls we met and really get to know them and exchange information with them. It was a lot better than I expected and the people are really friendly but I never expected to see as many people on the streets as I did."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Mark Bygroves: "These girls were the chefs at the football clinic. They were from an organisation that provides employment opportunities for people with severe learning difficulties. They were thrilled that all the coaches made a massive fuss of them and we even had the opportunity to do some fun coaching with them during our lunch break. I found it quite moving just how excited they were. It didn't matter that we were from Liverpool Football Club to them - they were just happy that we cared about them."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Rebecca Hughes: "I was a bit nervous on the first day when we had to do lots of TV interviews but as soon as we got that day over, I got used to it and by the end, it almost seemed normal for everything we did to be filmed. This was taken just before the end of the clinic on the Friday and Claire was asking me about what it had been like to coach the girls from the Goal programme."

Western Railway Sports Ground, November 11

Jade Adekoya: "I was on stage with Ian Rush and asking all the Goal girls to come up to receive their signed pictures of Steven Gerrard for completing the clinic. It felt quite weird to be stood on the same stage as Ian Rush as he's so famous but he was really nice to us. As soon as he arrived, he came over and said hello and made both me and Becky feel really relaxed."

Pavement near the Gateway to India, November 11

Dave McParland: "You can only see three people in this photo but there were actually five people lying there. There was another child behind the mum and a baby girl cradled in the mother's arms. It was Friday night and we'd gone out for a walk to see what was happening around our hotel and on our way back, we came across this family about 50 yards from where we were staying. It was really moving and quite upsetting to see people living like that - particularly as there were young children asleep on the street. When you see things like that, it makes you put your own life in perspective."

Outside the Taj Mahal hotel, November 12

Rebecca Hughes: "I felt really guilty when we'd see the poor people sleeping rough and begging on the streets. We were advised not to give money to the children begging as it's not the kids who get the money and it actually encourages more begging but on the Saturday, we decided not to eat our lunch that the hotel had given us and instead we took it out with us and gave it to a woman who had a young child. We wanted to make sure that she and the child got the food rather than someone else. Obviously you can't give to everyone but it's hard not to feel terrible when you see women with babies knocking on your car window in traffic and putting their hands to their mouths to signal they need food."

Pavement in Colaba, November 13

Matt Walker: "The trip was my third visit to India but the sheer number of pavement dwellers in Mumbai, including entire families and the sometimes severely deformed / mutilated was as shocking as ever. Only metres from where the above photograph of this homeless amputee was taken. a gleaming Aston Martin showroom was entertaining prospective customers. Parallel universes just a streets' width apart."

Ambedkar Nagar slum, November 10

Paul Rogers, LFC Head of Content: "Of all the photographs I took in Mumbai - including most of these on this page - this is my favourite. It was taken in a tiny slum that was home to 8,000 people. The kids in the photo kept asking me to take their picture as it was such a novelty for them to see an outsider visit the place where they live. They clearly had nothing but they seemed very happy children. The slum smelt because of the swamp and the sewerage but where people lived, I thought it was pretty clean as the residents obviously took a great deal of pride in their homes. There was an amazingly vibrant community feel to the place which is not what I was expecting at all. I'd definitely like to go back to Mumbai one day."