New Delhi [India]January 17th (ANI): The Secretary General of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kushal Das, praised Odisha Sports for a successful partnership that began in 2019 with the signing of an MoU in New Delhi.
Speaking to AIFF TV alongside Vishal Dev, IAS, General Secretary for Sports and Youth Services and Tourism, Government of Odisha, and R Vineel Krishna, IAS, Special Secretary for Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha, Das described the trip as a ” special and fantastic “.
“This has been a great trip. I am so happy to be part of this entire project. We initially signed an eight-year letter of intent. I am very grateful to Vishal, Vineel and the entire Odisha Sports Department for giving us this support.” I think it will be even better in the future, “he said.
Vishal Dev added AIFF as a very “professionally run” organization and assessed the previous working relationship as positive.
“In recent years, sport has been a priority for the Odisha government. Indeed, Prime Minister Naveen Patnaik’s vision is to make Odisha the leading state in the country for sport. We have come to a point where Odisha as the state is the leading state in.” We have already achieved it in various areas of governance including rural roads, rural housing, housing for the urban poor, poverty alleviation, industrial development, disaster management and much more, “said Dev.
“Odisha is usually known for hockey. But alongside hockey, soccer is a very popular game in Odisha. It’s the most popular game in the world and we are seeing an increasing popularity in Odisha and across the country. Several Odisha-born players have represented the country, in particular So it was our desire to strengthen the ecosystem of football within the state to help our players get the best opportunities for training and coaching. That was the desire and I have to give credit to AIFF and That for that It’s a very professionally run association, unlike many other sports. It’s been a great experience working with them, “he continued.
That explained that Odisha is one of the most progressive states in the country and the importance of “sports and tourism” is one of the key aspects to keep it flourishing.
“Odisha is currently one of the most progressive states in the country. As an advanced state, sport and tourism play a very important role in the overall development of the state. The Honorable Prime Minister of Odisha had announced the establishment of various centers of excellence and football was one of them. The in The Bhubaneshwar World Hockey Championship was a great success.
“It was only a matter of time before football would have found a home in Odisha. I am very happy to be part of Odisha’s overall sports development structure,” said Das.
R Vineel Krishna affirmed that football is extremely popular in the state alongside hockey. He mentioned that 11 of the 16 sports hostels run by the state agency have football as a discipline for men and women.
“Apart from hockey, football is very popular in Odisha. We have around 16 hostels, 11 of which serve budding footballers. We are also represented in the Indian Super League (ISL) with FC Odisha, supported by the state government in terms of infrastructure and others Support systems. The whole idea is to bring a professional culture into the development of football in Odisha, “said Krishna.
“Many of our young players have had the opportunity to play against high profile opponents such as the reserves and U-18 teams of Jamshedpur FC, ATK Mohun Bagan, Odisha FC, etc. These activities have helped our children face better quality opponents. ” has helped them improve their football savvy lately, “he added.
Krishna went on to mention that besides the players, they also focus on coaching education.
“Apart from that, we are also involved in coaching training, scouting workshops, referee development, etc. We are very pleased with the progress and the partnership with AIFF and the way football has developed in the state,” he said said.
Meanwhile, Das assessed the opportunities lost by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he stated that Indian football will certainly take a solid step together with Odisha Sports.
“Unfortunately, the pandemic is out of our control. In the future, we will have a specific plan for development activities such as coach training, referees, talent identification, etc. One of the aspects of the MoU is to develop the National Centers of Excellence for youth teams in the state. We are very much there now focus and hopefully 2021, which ushers in hope, will be a lot better for the future, “he said. (ANI)
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