Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has set up 22 new hockey training centres (HTCs) for grassroots level development of the sport. The HTCs have been set up by Sports and Youth Services Department (DSYS) in partnership with Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC with the aim to nurture a large spectrum of hockey talent from the state and provide an early exposure to synthetic turfs.
The list of active turfs includes Sundargarh (Bonoi, Tangarpalli, Bargaon, Bisra, Lahunipada, Lathikata, Lephripada, Subdega, Balisankara – Tileikani, Balisankara – Sonamara, Nuagaon, Kutra, Gurundia, Kuarmunda, Kukuda), Jajpur (Jajpur town), Sambalpur (Jujumura), and Ganjam (Chattrapur). Four more centres are also set to be operational soon.
Currently, 18 centres are operational and have about 1,300 kids who are training on the synthetic turfs. Each HTC has two coaches engaged in this development programme.
During his recent visit to Sundargarh, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had emphasised the importance of sports development in the region. He expressed his vision to nurture a wide range of sports talents from the district and nearby regions. The projects launched during his visit were aimed at achieving the goal by providing better infrastructure, training facilities, and opportunities for the youth interested in sports. In line with this vision, DSYS has ensured that the HTCs are well-equipped with required training equipment, conditioning items, and first aid requirements that will enable holistic development of hockey from grassroots to elite.
The HTCs have deployed well-trained coaches who are experts in grassroots development. The coaches have undergone training with David John, Director of Hockey for Odisha. DSYS, along with Odisha Naval Tata High Performance Centre (ONTHHPC), have been pivotal in training local junior coaches to train young champions from various districts of Odisha.
John stated that in the next few months, when all the centres will be operational, club-level championships will be conducted every weekend. Such championships are quite active in countries like the US, Australia, and the UK. John asserted that it will be a great programme to promote local talent.