Odisha boosts grassroot hockey development with 22 new hockey training centres

Bhubaneswar(Odisha) [India], April 11 : With the aim to nurture a large spectrum of hockey talent from the state and provide early exposure to synthetic turfs, Odisha has set up 22 new Hockey Training Centres (HTCs) for Grassroots Development.

The HTCs have been set up by the Sports and Youth Services Department (DSYS) in partnership with Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre.

The Active turfs include Sundargarh (Bonoi, Tangarpalli, Bargaon, Bisra, Lahunipada, Lathikata, Lephripada, Subdega, Balisankara - Tileik, 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 1300 kids who are training on synthetic turfs. Each HTC has two coaches engaged in this development program.

During his recent visit to Sundargarh, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had emphasized 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 of 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 the holistic development of Hockey from Grassroots to elite.

The HTCs have deployed well-trained coaches who are experts in grassroot development and 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.

David John, Director of Hockey for Odisha, 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, and have been successful in engaging talents here too at the HTCs kids will benefit from this initiative.

Rajiv Seth, the Project Director of the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre (ONTH-HPC), highlighted the centre's commitment to developing young talent and promoting hockey in the state. The ONTH-HPC will provide coaches and processes at Hockey Training Centres (HTCs) across Odisha to expose young children to synthetic turf from an early age and facilitate their smooth transition to higher-level hockey. The HPC has created a coaching education pathway for all its grassroots coaches and supports them with several workshops and exposure tours. The HTC initiative showcases the HPC's dedication to advancing the sport and cultivating budding hockey players.

DSYS is engaging schools, communities, and district parishads for maximum participation. The team is also inviting schools in urban areas to engage their teams for hockey training and development. The objective is to ensure the HTCs are functional and are very well utilised by the local kids from the nearby vicinity.

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