A year after the Naval Tata Hockey Academy (NTHA) started its Odisha chapter at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, a fresh hockey training for boys will start soon. Last year, NTHA had selected 30 trainees in their introductory program for girls.
The new program for boys will strengthen the talent pathway and bridge the gap between
grassroot players and an elite HPC and by providing more opportunities to young and promising hockey players from the state and country.
“The HPC has ambitious program to take hockey skills from its existing 10 grassroots centres and three regional Development Centres (Bhubaneswar, Panposh & Sundergarh) to elite level over the next three to five years. The boys program will have 30 Resident cadets from U -17,”
said Sports Minister, Odisha Tusharkanti Behera.
“We are seeing positive results among the girls who are being trained and are confident that the HPC will be able to provide similar highly focused and professional training to the boys too. They all are young, skilful and have a natural flair for hockey. We will evaluate the players individually at the HPC and match their skills with appropriate training at the world-class facilities here in Bhubaneswar. Training early at a synthetic turf vis-a-vis on grass pitch grounds will benefit these players immensely.”