Odisha Sets Up 22 Training Centres To Boost Hockey At Grassroots

Bhubaneswar: Known for its passion for hockey, Odisha has set up 22 new Hockey Training Centres (HTCs) for development of the game at grassroots.

The HTCs have been set up by Sports and Youth Services department (DSYS) in partnership with Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (HPC) with the aim to nurture a large spectrum of hockey talent from the state and provide an early exposure to synthetic turfs.

The active turfs are at Bonoi, Tangarpalli, Bargaon, Bisra, Lahunipada, Lathikata, Lephripada, Subdega, Balisankara – Tileikani, Balisankara – Sonamara, Nuagaon, Kutra, Gurundia, Kuarmunda and Kukuda in Sundargarh district.  Similarly, Jajpur (Jajpur town), Sambalpur (Jujumura), and Ganjam (Chattrapur) also have active turfs which are already functional. Four other centres are also set to be operational soon.

While 18 centres are already operational and about 1300 kids are training on the synthetic turfs, the four other complexes will be functional soon. Each HTC has two coaches engaged in this development program, an official release said on Tuesday.

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 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 and 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 support 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/zilla 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 are very well utilised by the local kids from the nearby vicinity.