PNN
New Delhi [India], November 7: For most professional footballers, the dream ends when the final whistle blows on their playing career. Some move into coaching. Others become commentators or administrators. Very few choose to rebuild the system that shaped them.
Sharath Kuniyil belongs to that rare group.
Long before he became the Founder and Chairman of WAWU Foundation and the Founder & Director of Ofioh Sporty, Sharath was known for his calm presence between the goalposts.
Representing Kerala in the Santosh Trophy, captaining Viva Kerala in the I-League, and becoming the first goalkeeper from Kerala to captain an I-League club, his career reflected years of discipline, perseverance, and leadership. He also represented renowned clubs including Chirag United, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Mumbai FC, and Bengaluru FC, earning respect as a technically gifted goalkeeper and a dependable leader on the field.
Yet, if you ask Sharath Kuniyil today about his proudest achievement, football statistics rarely dominate the conversation.
Instead, he speaks about young children with extraordinary talent who never received an opportunity.
Throughout his professional journey, Sharath witnessed a recurring reality. Across villages, small towns, and underserved communities, countless youngsters possessed remarkable footballing ability. They had passion. They had commitment. They had dreams.
What they lacked was access.
Many had no structured coaching. Others had no exposure to professional scouting. Some couldn’t afford equipment or travel. Many simply disappeared from the football ecosystem before anyone noticed their talent.
The problem, Sharath realised, wasn’t a shortage of footballers.
It was a shortage of opportunity.
That realisation became the turning point of his life.
After retiring from professional football, Sharath transitioned into coaching, serving as Goalkeeping Coach for Thrissur Magic FC in the Kerala Super League. Coaching brought him even closer to aspiring players. It reinforced what he had experienced throughout his career: talent exists everywhere, but opportunities do not.
Rather than accepting this as the way Indian football functions, he decided to challenge it.
That decision led to the birth of WAWU Foundation.
Unlike conventional football academies that focus solely on training elite athletes, WAWU Foundation was established with a broader purpose: to bridge the gap between raw talent and real opportunity. Football became more than a sport; it became a tool for confidence, discipline, education, mental well-being, leadership, and social transformation.
The Foundation believes every talented child deserves a chance to succeed regardless of geography, financial background, or social circumstances.
This philosophy reflects Sharath’s own journey.
He understands what it means to pursue excellence. He knows the sacrifices required to compete professionally. More importantly, he understands how many promising careers are lost before they even begin, not because of a lack of ability, but because no one creates a pathway for those players.
His mission is simple yet ambitious: ensure that talent is never wasted simply because opportunity is unavailable.
That vision has steadily evolved into one of India’s most promising grassroots football movements.
One of WAWU Foundation’s earliest flagship initiatives was India’s Next Legend League (INLL), a grassroots tournament designed to identify exceptional young footballers from across communities. Instead of searching only within established academies, the programme reached aspiring players at the grassroots level, evaluating them through structured competition before selecting 21 outstanding youngsters for advanced football training and long-term development.
For many participants, it represented the first genuine step toward a professional football pathway.
The Foundation continued expanding its impact through WAWU GoalQuest, a community football initiative held in Bengaluru. More than a competitive five-a-side tournament, GoalQuest demonstrated how football could unite communities while supporting grassroots infrastructure. Proceeds from the event contributed toward renovating a school football ground and creating better playing facilities for local children.
Another initiative, Beyond The Field, extended the Foundation’s vision across India through school visits, football academies, and interactive sessions with young athletes. Instead of limiting development to technical coaching, the programme introduced students to discipline, career pathways, mentorship, and the values required to succeed both on and off the pitch.
For Sharath, these programmes are not isolated events.
They are building blocks of a much larger movement.
And his commitment to developing Indian football does not stop at the grassroots.
Sharath has also taken his experience into professional football management as the Founder & Director of Ofioh Sporty, a Kerala-based sports management company working to strengthen the operational and organisational foundations of the sport.
In September 2026, Ofioh Sporty was appointed the Official Operational Partner of Kerala Blasters FC, one of India’s most recognised professional football clubs. The appointment, made as part of the club’s transition to new ownership under the UAE-based Al Fursan consortium, marked a significant milestone for the organisation.
Alongside Ofioh Sporty CEO Thameem Anwar, Sharath has taken on responsibilities for overseeing the club’s day-to-day operations and supporting the implementation of its plans under the strategic direction of the new ownership.
For someone who spent years defending goalposts in Indian football, the opportunity to contribute to the management of a major professional club represents a different kind of responsibility.
It is no longer only about what happens during the 90 minutes of a match. It is also about the systems, people, infrastructure, planning, and operational excellence required to sustain a professional football institution.
The association with Kerala Blasters FC reflects another dimension of Sharath’s evolving journey, from professional athlete to grassroots ecosystem builder and sports entrepreneur.
While WAWU Foundation focuses on discovering and nurturing talent at the community level, his work through Ofioh Sporty places him within the professional structures that shape the future of Indian football.
These are distinct responsibilities, but they reflect a common understanding: the future of football depends not only on the players a country produces, but also on the institutions, opportunities, and systems it builds around them.
Sharath’s experiences across professional competition, coaching, grassroots development, and club operations have given him a perspective that extends well beyond individual sporting achievements.
He has seen the game from the player’s dressing room, the coach’s technical area, the grassroots training ground, and now the operational side of professional football.
And across all these environments, one principle remains central to his vision: talent needs the right ecosystem to succeed.
His ambition extends far beyond producing the next professional footballer. He wants to create an environment where football contributes to healthier communities, stronger youth engagement, improved mental well-being, and positive life choices.
Through structured programmes, mentorship, and community participation, WAWU Foundation aims to ensure that football becomes an instrument of social development as much as sporting excellence.
As part of its 2026 expansion agenda, WAWU Foundation has outlined several programmes intended to take its grassroots football mission across India. These include the All India Football Engagement Event beginning in Kerala, designed to bring together young players, students, and football enthusiasts through skill challenges, live activities, and community-led experiences.
The Foundation’s plans have also included a World Cup Fans Engagement Programme at Calicut Beachside, aimed at bringing football communities together during the global tournament season.
Building on the success of its first edition, INLL Season 2 is intended to identify more talented children from rural and underserved communities. Alongside this, WAWU’s Mega Football Event aims to create a larger platform for youth engagement, talent discovery, and football awareness.
Together, these initiatives reflect Sharath’s belief that meaningful sporting development cannot depend on occasional talent identification alone. It requires continuous engagement, accessible platforms, long-term mentorship, and communities willing to invest in the next generation.
India’s football ambitions have grown significantly over the past decade. Better leagues, improved infrastructure, and increased fan engagement have elevated the sport’s profile. Yet grassroots development remains one of the country’s greatest challenges.
The distance between a talented child playing on a village ground and a professional football career can still be enormous.
Bridging that distance requires more than coaching academies or competitive tournaments. It requires collaboration between communities, schools, football institutions, professional clubs, sporting organisations, and people who understand the development journey.
This is where Sharath sees the opportunity to contribute.
Through WAWU Foundation, he is working to create more accessible starting points for young footballers. Through Ofioh Sporty and its operational association with Kerala Blasters FC, he is also contributing to the professional football environment.
Together, these experiences reinforce his conviction that sustainable progress in Indian football requires attention to every level of the game.
Sharath Kuniyil believes the future of Indian football will not be shaped solely inside professional stadiums.
It will be shaped on school grounds, village playgrounds, local tournaments, and community fields where children first discover their love for the game.
Every future professional begins somewhere.
Sometimes all they need is someone willing to believe in them before the rest of the world does.
That is the purpose behind WAWU Foundation and the broader philosophy that continues to guide Sharath’s journey in football.
From representing professional clubs to helping manage operations at Kerala Blasters FC, his career has come full circle. But unlike many athletes who measure their legacy through trophies and appearances, Sharath is increasingly focused on the opportunities he can help create for others.
His journey represents a transition from participating in India’s football story to helping shape the systems that will define its next chapter.
Sharath Kuniyil spent years saving goals on India’s football fields.
Today, he is working to save something far more valuable: the dreams of an entire generation of young footballers who deserve the chance to be seen, nurtured, and given the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Because when opportunity reaches talent, extraordinary things become possible.
(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
From Saving Goals to Creating Opportunities: Why Sharath Kuniyil Is Building India's Largest Grassroots Football Movement
