Sundargarh, the nursery of Indian hockey received a huge boost on Friday with the launch of One Step Ahead Grassroots Hockey Development Program, which was inaugurated at the Biju Pattanaik Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
The initiative, a joint venture between The JSP Foundation and the Dilip Tirkey Sports Foundation aimed at developing grassroot hockey in the tribal areas. Through the program, about 5000 children from 215 villages of Sundergarh district have been provided with jerseys, hockey sticks and balls.
Terming the initiative a movement, Shallu Jindal, chairperson of the JSP Foundation said, “Odisha Hockey will go a long way if children are provided with proper training and other necessary learning environment to play at the right age. It's just the beginning. It's not a program for me, it's a movement. In the coming days, children will be provided with proper nutrition and a beautiful environment to learn games. I am confident that we can produce national and international level players through this programme.”
Hockey legend Dilip Tirkey said, "Grassroot hockey is the foundation, if we strengthen it, we will never look back. Our first responsibility will be to find the right talent and train them properly so that not a single good player is left out."
