Punjab to groom football talent in schools

Chandigarh, Apr 28 (UNI) With a view to "catching 'em young" and providing scientific training, the Punjab Sports Department has allotted 188 sports wing seats for boys Under-14, Under-17 and Under-19 in various schools and in the football nursery in the 'Football Zone" of Punjab.

Special emphasis is on tapping and training talents available in Mahilpur area in Hoshiarpur District, known as the football nursery of Punjab. This soccer belt is famous for producing a large number of international players, including 'Rock of Gibraltar' late Jarnail Singh. The Football Academy from Hoshiarpur has been shifted to Mahilpur.

According to Punjab Sports Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, 60 regular sports wing seats have been allotted to the Football Academy of Government Senior Secondary School, Mahilpur. Th selected trainees will be given residential training under the supervision of State Department coaches.

The Sports Minister announced that 20 boys each in Under-14, Under-17 and Under-19 were shortlisted after completing exercise of spotting and selecting the talents by an expert committee, headed by Arjuna Awardee Inder Singh.

Inder Singh, who is also secretary of the Punjab Football Association, was assisted by Ali Hassan, Jhamal Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Daljit Singh (all from Hoshiarpur), Vijay Kumar (Jalandhar), Mahinderjeet Singh (Nawanshaher), Khushwant Singh (Amritsar) and Mohd Salim Bakshi (Sangrur).

According to Ranike, 21 boys in the Under-17 have been admitted to the sports wing of Cantonment Board Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar and four regular sports seats have been given to Government Senior Secondary School, Hoshiarpur.

The remaining 103 sports wing seats have been given to day boarding scholars. Eleven day boarding seats for Under-12 and 16 seats for Under-17 go to Government High School, Mianwind, Khadoor Sahib (Taran Tarn).

Twenty nine boys under-14 would receive training as day board scholars in Government Senior Secondary School, Rurka Kalan, Jalandhar. Fifteen day board scholars Under-14 will be admitted to Devinder Inter-National Public School, Kuljit Academy of Ajnala in Amritsar District.

Other institutions which have been allotted day boarding sports wing seats are: Government Senior Secondary School, Udaykaran, Muktsar (16 boys Under-17) and Khalsa Co-Education Senior Secondary School, Baddon, Hoshiarpur (16 boys Under-19).

UNI