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Notorious Nat's Saturday Cage Games
• Football Crazy Family Dads
To this day, another dad James Chong, an Information Technology Consultant, and his two sons, have joined Natarajan’s family every Saturday with a few other young players.
For Natarajan and James, their weekly games have become a regular fixture in their busy schedules, and it is rare for them to miss the chance of lacing up their football boots with their kids (all now in their teens).
Just what is it that keeps these two dads coming back for a dose of football with their kids every weekend?
• A Family of Fans
Doing so has given his sons the interest not just in playing the game, but in becoming fans of professional football as well.
Serendipitously, for his younger son Matthew, being a fan of professional football provided the fodder to converse with his grandmother. James has observed that if Matthew picks up the phone when she calls, they invariably end up discussing the latest football news as she is a fan too. This happens even if the phone call was not for Matthew in the first place.
• A Team Effort Always
On the pitch, the fathers and sons show great focus on getting on with the game. After a 15-minute warm-up, they take to the pitch with gusto, and being a 5-on-5 format, it gives everyone a chance to make plays and contribute to their team effort.
Natarajan (also known at The Cage as Notorious Nat) recalled the early days, joking about Matthew getting hit on the head by the ball every session when they first started playing, adding, “That was how he developed his intelligence.”
On a more serious note, James said, “If there's a new kid playing, and the (adults or older guys) are having most of the possession, they try to make sure that the (new) kid is given most of the possession to begin with.“
“That way, (the new kid) develops faster, and is able to contribute earlier. It's safer too, compared to if the kid has to learn by competing with his peers, who will less likely be willing to give him the room to improve,” he explained.
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Warm up action.
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James' older son Benjamin, makes a quick save.
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Natarajan's thundering shot.
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Matthew about to 'bend it like Beckham'.
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Playing together has enabled them to learn what could have been missed if alone. Of the most significant lesson, James said, “Play with what you got – it is something that you get with team sports, but not so much in individual sports.”
This lesson was learnt when James and his sons signed up for competitions against teams with much more experience playing together. Overwhelmed by the opposition, they learnt to have a healthy attitude towards competition and tried their best as a team no matter the odds of winning.
That sounds like a win-win situation for everybody.
Steven Yip: Bridging the Miles with Golf
While his son was overseas, Steven, aged 57 at that time, found out over the phone that his son Jeremy, who was then studying at a Canadian university, had taken up golf. Deciding to do the same, Steven enrolled in golf lessons and half a year later, flew to Canada to join Jeremy for two weeks of golf in the summer.
“It was a memorable experience,” Steven said, recalling the daily drives together to search for new pastures (literally) to play the game on. His son added, “I was inspired to take up golf when someone said to me that it was a game you could play for a lifetime, sharing it with anyone, of any age and ability.”
Playing an outdoor sport together also gave father and son time to appreciate nature. “We played almost every day, rain or shine.” Even on days when it was raining, they would still venture to a nearby course for a round.
For years after, the father and son would continue to enjoy their golf in sunny Singapore, favouring the public-access courses, in particular those which allowed walking. “We played regularly at Green Fairways in Bukit Timah, and the now-defunct Seletar Base Golf Course. Walking is the way the game was meant to be played,” Steven said.
For Steven, now 70 years old, the benefits were obvious. Good health, for one, and a motivation to stay fit and strong. Because they chose to play on walking courses, they had to maintain good stamina and strength. Also, Steven shared, “playing golf makes you get up early in the morning – which meant no more late nights for my son.”
That is surely a recipe for healthy living.
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Have a thought or insight? Read more and talk on this Theme here! |
About the Author: The Dads for Life Resource Team comprises local content writers and experts, including psychologists, counsellors, educators and social service professionals, dedicated to developing useful resources for dads.
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