Mumbai, Jan 8: IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders and non-profit organisation Meer Foundation have started a football training programme in West Bengal to empower 50 girls from tribal and rural backgrounds. Through this initiative, they aim to unearth hidden talents among young women in the region, providing them with opportunities to pursue a professional career in football, a press release read. Meer Foundation and KKR, owned by superstar Shah Rukh Khan, have teamed up with Shreeja India, an NGO based in Kolkata, to run the programme which targets first-generation learning (FGL) girls (age group 10–20 years) in Rajnagar Block, Birbhum district in West Bengal. Venky Mysore, CEO, Knight Riders Group, said the company has been active about making a meaningful impact both on the field and off-field. South Africa Wicket-Keeper Batsman Heinrich Klaasen Hangs Up Test Gloves, Announces Retirement From the Longest Form of Cricket.

"KKR along with Meer Foundation and Knight Golf, strives to cultivate the spirit of sportsmanship among the underprivileged in West Bengal.

"Our collaboration with Shreeja India's remarkable football-training program has led to empowering young girls from rural Bengal to pursue a career in sports. Through such initiatives and partnerships, we remain steadfast in our commitment to build, nurture, and create opportunities for young talent in the realm of sports," Mysore said in a statement.

"Meer Foundation and KKR came together during this year's IPL for the Knight Golf Charity Event, where funds raised during the event are used towards social causes in Kolkata. This year, we decided to allocate these funds towards sports development for children who are in need of these resources and different kinds of sports training," added Kanchan Yadav, Head - CSR, Meer Foundation. Meer Foundation and KKR have previously backed diverse initiatives, spanning from aiding the recovery of acid attack survivors to organising tree-planting efforts and managing solid waste at Kolkata's Eden Gardens stadium during the IPL, the release also said.

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