Sport

Head Start Friendship Games Golf Championship 19th January 2026

Head Start FSG Golf 2026

The 11th edition of the Head Start Friendship Games Golf Championship was held on Monday, 19th January 2026 at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA). Junior golfers from schools across the city participated. Categories U-18 and U-15 played Stroke Play format while U-13, U-11, and U-9 played Stableford format.

Disclaimer: The original Copyright(s) is (are) Solely owned by Head Start Educational Academy.

The 10th edition of the Head Start Friendship Games Golf Championship 27 January 2025

Head Start FSG Golf 2024-25

The 10th edition of the Head Start Friendship Games Golf Championship was held on Monday, 27th January 2024 at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA). 91 junior golfers from 38 schools across the city participated. Categories U-18 and U-15 played Stroke Play format while U-13, U-11, and U-9 played Stableford format.

FSG Golf 2024-25 Results >>

Disclaimer: The original Copyright(s) is (are) Solely owned by Head Start Educational Academy.

Additions to our sports facilities

A synthetic running track and a putting green are new additions to our sports facilities.

Disclaimer: The original Copyright(s) is (are) Solely owned by Head Start Educational Academy

The 9th edition of the Head Start Friendship Games Golf Championship 04 December 2023

Head Start FSG Golf 2023

The 9th edition of the Head Start Friendship Games Golf Championship was held on Monday, 04th December 2023 at the Karnataka Golf Association, Bangalore. The 18-hole Stroke Play/Stableford event featured 57 golfers from various schools, competing against each other in five categories.

FSG Golf 2023 Results >>

Disclaimer: The original Copyright(s) is (are) Solely owned by Head Start Educational Academy.

Once upon a Head Start Mile

Once upon a Head Start Mile
OCTOBER 2014
By Rahul Jain, a parent

At a recent run up Nandi Hills

At a recent run up Nandi Hills

Dear Head Start,

This happened about four years back on one of the Head Start Sports Day events at St John’s Hospital grounds. Sheetal and I were there cheering Tanvi as she participated in her events. It was a charged atmosphere with the rush of children from their respective team tents to field and excited announcements of events about to take place. All the children were putting in everything they had into the events. And the parents and teachers were continuously egging them on to try harder. There was a lot of laughter, some tears and a few scraped knees.

Out of the blue, there was an announcement for a “Head Start Mile” run for parents. Both Sheetal and I looked quizzically towards each other as we were not aware of such an event. Now there was a stronger excitement in the parent’s tent as to who will participate. I used to play badminton and visit the Gymnasium once in a while so I was confident that I would be able to complete the “Head Start Mile” so I registered for the run and so did about a dozen other parents.

After the children’s events ended, now it was our turn to line up at the start line to complete four rounds of the track in the ground and for our children to cheer. As soon as the race started, the ground was filled with the sound of each and every child cheering for either their own parent or the parent of their friend. Some of us parents ran fast in the first couple of rounds - ran out of steam somewhere in the middle and walked the remaining distance, where as some had decided to walk right from the word go. However there were some who paced themselves well and finished strong. I was one of the parents that somehow managed to finish the run. It was a great feeling to finish the Mile. I believe this feeling is what the runners call a “Runners High”. Soon after this the prize distribution ceremony was completed and the Sports Day was declared closed. The Sports Day had ended but the “Runners High” within me did not end.

Coming back home, I thought about the great experience that I had and how I would like to prepare and run better next year. As luck would have it I bumped into Riad, who had completed the “Head Start Mile” miles ahead of all the other parents at a restaurant the same evening and we discussed about how successful the Sports Day had been and how I would like to take on running more often so as to finish stronger next year. I decided that day that I would put together a plan and start running more regularly.

So began my journey. Initially I started with one minute walk one minute run and within a month or so I was running 2-3 kms without stopping. I soon found many running partners were on a similar journey to me. During one of the early Sunday morning runs, we discussed about TCS 10k one of the most prestigious 10km runs in the country which happens in Bangalore. I was unsure if I would be able to make it but I went ahead, registered and kept on scaling up my running.  A couple of weeks before the TCS 10k event the longest that I had ever run was 8km. On the day of the event with butterflies in my stomach I started and guess what I completed without stopping. I was ecstatic…I was on cloud 9, my first finisher’s medal and I was hooked!!!

Since that TCS 10k, I have participated in numerous 10km runs, about a dozen half marathons in and around Bangalore and also completed my first full marathon at Auroville, Pondicherry earlier this year. Running and general fitness (cross training/ weights and yoga) have now become an integral part of me, it does not matter if it is weekdays, weekends, on holiday – if I do not do some activity I feel like I have missed an important part of my daily life.

As I write this note, I am preparing for another half marathon at our own Bengaluru Marathon and I could not be happier. After such events when I meet other runners who are doing their first or nth long distance run, the usual topic is what got you started and my story always starts “Once upon a Head Start Mile…”

So thank you Head Start for introducing me to the Runners High.

Regards,
Rahul Jain

The Head Start Friendship Games

The Head Start Friendship Games
Riad Mahmood 2014/July/02

Why The Head Start Friendship Games?

Competition has the power to bring out the worst in us. It can completely take control of our emotions and make us do things we may look back upon and regret. Such is its impact. The journey of a sportsman is long and not one that assures you where it may take you; such is life too. Playing the game, trying to beat ourselves by raising our own bars, can help us understand why we are playing. Can we just use this participation to learn together as one community of educators and take away from the games nothing more than an understanding and a valuable learning? For this to happen we educators and parents need to exhibit tremendous courage and grace while helping our children accept the outcomes. I see this as an opportunity to collectively educate not only our children but ourselves too, to learn from each other and to share our emotions, appreciate others and build our community.

Expectation comes with preparation and participation. It is natural and lies within the hearts of our children. This expectation or fear of outcome need not dominate the process of trying to be the best we can be. The more we enjoy the sport the better we get at it. What happens after the race or how we help our children manage themselves is what counts. Here we can play the role of educators not only to students of our own school but to all the participants.

They say the difference between the greats and the also ran is the ability to play the game by staying in the moment. Hard to understand and explain but a thought that can be nurtured at this tender age. What we say after the race counts just like what we say before it matters. We have seen some very moving moments so far and we have seen some unproductive ones.

“Head Start has always believed that its students should learn to manage what life has in store for them and sporting arenas are good places to learn to manage outcomes as well as emotions.”

Riad Mahmood, Founder Head Start Educational Academy

The start of the Friendship Games

The Head Start vision was founded in 1984 by Samina Mahmood through the inspiration of her Late husband Perweez Mahmood who was fondly called Tony. The Head Start Friendship Games was founded in 2005 by Riad Mahmood, Founder of Head Start Educational Academy, in memory of his late father who was an avid sportsman and who excelled at football and cricket. The trophy for the Games is thus called the Tony Mahmood memorial trophy.

In 2005, when Head Start Educational Academy began its humble journey, the Head Start Friendship Games were born, thus giving its children an opportunity to participate with children from other schools from an organised platform.

Director of Sports at Head Start Educational Academy, Loynel Johnas (joint state record holder for the 100 metres and former national medallist in the 200 metres) has been with the Head Start sports programme since 2005 and has played a vital role in helping this event evolve since its very first edition. His personal experience as a former champion has helped him understand the value of hosting a games that are well organised, look into the small details that go into hosting various sporting disciplines as well as make sure he has all the right arrangements so that the children can enjoy the games.

Disciplines Offered

Athletics
Track and field events are what it all began with in the very first edition of the games. Sprinting, jumping, throwing and endurance running are all part of our athletic options.
Football
Introduced a few years ago and is a major part of the games. Most age groups are covered.
Hockey
It all began with a group of girls taking up the sport and has become a part of the games. For now we have only girl’s hockey.
Netball
Will be introduced this year as an official sport.
Tennis
In our 10th edition we will be introducing tennis to the games.
Golf
This sport is growing very fast in our country and a lot of youngsters are taking to it. Golf has been part of the games for four years now and will continue to grow with the games.

We will look to adding more disciplines in time based on feasibility. We are also very thankful to all the schools that have participated so far in the games. Parents and children of participating schools have helped us share our spirit of participation and sportsmanship.

For the games we are all one school or a community that is working towards helping young people develop not only as sportsmen but also as future citizens who can impact society around them.