Tata Steel launched Naval Tata Hockey Academy at the Indian Steel and Wire Products Sports Complex near Telco on Thursday. There are 25 boys who have made into the academy. Among the cadets, 19 are from Khunti, four from West Singhbhum and three from Seraikela-Kharsawan.
The boys from Khunti are from feeder centres run by Tata Trusts in collaboration with Collectives for Integrated livilihood Initiatives (Cini) while players from West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan are from facilities run by Tata Steel Rural Development Society.
Tata Trusts, a philanthropic organisation that works towards the holistic advancement of communities has announced partnership with Bovelander and Bovelander B.V and One Million Hockey legs, Netherlands, to promote hockey. An interaction with the first batch of hockey academy cadets and their parents was organised. Sunil Bhaskaran. vice president (corporate services), Tata Steel, welcomed the first batch of cadets of the academy.
Present on the occasion were Neeraj Kant, MD, ISWP, Sandeep Singh (Ex. Captain of Indian Hockey Team) and senior officers of Tata Steel. The setting up of a world-class Tata Hockey Academy will create the necessary institutional structure to continue to nurture Indian talent for hockey leagues and international tournaments, as also to bring back the erstwhile glory of Indian field hockey through professionalizing grass root level hockey and bringing the global best to train domestic coaches. The project will touch 50,000 school boys and girls and aims at generating 200 high quality players at the end of a three year period.