Pro4 Sport Solutions (P4SS), a sport development organisation, has led the way in developing a new training programme for community coaches in Odisha.
The trust organised the first community coaching at rural development organisation Gram Vikas’s headquarters in the Ganjam district during the first week of June. As part of its drive to empower youth in rural areas by offering them coach development opportunities, the four-day course trained 14 young participants in the basics of different sports. The course was divided into different sessions. The theory session taught participants the major roles and responsibilities as a coach. The practical session included elements such as sport-specific training, time management, space management, planning skills and communication. The sport-specific training and exercises were taught in cricket, volleyball and badminton, which are popular in the local region.
The trainers were drawn from the P4SS team, holding qualifications from England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), UK Sport, Coaching Association of Canada and Australian Sports Commission. Successful participants were accorded a certificate. They ranged from 16 to 25 years’ old and included volleyball players, badminton enthusiasts and advanced weightlifters from the nearby villages of Kankia, Mohuda and Tamanna as well from the city of Brahmapur. Among the participants was Prasad Mohanty, an international weightlifter from Brahmapur who represented India in the Commonwealth Youth Championships. The course was a great learning experience and taught him skills that will last a lifetime, said Mohanty.
Speaking about this initiative, P4SS co founder Aman Dhal said that the aim is to raise relevance of community coaching in Odisha. “We are looking to build a structure that supports the development of quality coaches at local level. This will also give coaches, who are working in communities recognition they are due,” said Dhal.
Elaborating further about this initiative, P4SS Co-founder Suheil Tandon said that India needs a large number of qualified community coaches to address the issues affecting our grassroots sport development. “Coaches have a key role in community development as they are the role models for youth, like teachers and parents in the society. A well-established system will not only nurture the sport-specific skills of the youth, but their life skills as well, he asserted.
"P4SS is planning to train more than 100 community coaches over the next 12 months in the region. P4SS is currently undertaking sport development project, Khel Vikas in collaboration with Ganjam-based award-winning rural development organisation, Gram Vikas in Odisha,” said Tandon.
Khel Vikas, which literally translates to "sport development", seeks to promote the theme of right to play and intends to support the youth, who wish to achieve sporting excellence. P4SS is playing the role of implementing agency in the project and currently working with over 1,500 children in the tribal schools of Gram Vikas located in the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kalahandi.
It may be mentioned here that P4SS is a Delhi-based sport development trust that uses sport as a means for the holistic development of underprivileged youth who lack the resources and opportunities to participate and compete in sport. P4SS not only promotes the sustainable participation of youth in sport, but also provides those with the ability and desire, a platform to excel and progress in their chosen sport.