Sukinda, August 7, 2017: A three-day long specialized football training camp organized by Sukinda Chromite Mine (SCM) of Tata Steel at its central playground, in Jajpur district concluded today. 60 young footballers from the villages around Sukinda participated in the training camp.
Mr Sk. Manzoor, senior coach of Odisha Football Association, Cuttack conducted the coaching camp starting from August 5, 2017. 30 boys under the age of 14 years and another group of 30 boys under the age of 16 years, from villages like Kate Purty Nagara, Kakudia, Bhalutangar, Patena, Kumardih, Purijhar, Kaliapani, etc under Sukinda block had participated in the camp.
Mr Biswajit Mohanty, Sarapanch, Ransol and Mr Goutam Chakrobarty, Head, Ferro Alloys and Minerals Division, Tata Steel had visited the training camp to encourage the boys. These boys were selected among hundreds of students in a 3-day long screening session organsied in April, 2017 in SCM.
In April 2017, these budding footballers also underwent training in SCM by Mr Ashok Tudu, the veteran coach of Tata Football Academy( TFA), Jamshedpur, who had represented India in international matches. Mr Tudu, taught them basics of the game like controlling, dribbling, speeding, receiving, passing, etc. to junior players and advanced techniques like ball movement, attack, defence, cross and finish to the senior players.
To provide the boys the thrill of professional football, SCM also facilitated the visit of these boys to Cuttack in May, 2017 to witness Federation Cup football tournament at Barabati stadium.
In order to promote football in the region along with other sports, Tata Steel Sukinda Chromite Mine has been running several training camps for young footballers in and around Sukinda. Apart from organizing a village level football tournament each year at Sukinda, similar arrangements are also made for imparting better training to local players by TFA coaches in regular intervals.