SAI and SSPF chart out road-map for grassroots National Talent Search and Nurture

New Delhi, 24 August 2015: In an attempt to explore possible solutions in identification of talent in the early years and nurturing it through the teen years , The Gurukul Trust, a non-profit philanthropic trust, in association with Sports Authority of India, today announced the launch of the School Sports Promotion Foundation (SSPF). The Foundation will organize sports tournaments across the country to identify talent and arrange to nurture it and take them through the city, district, state, zonal and national level of competitive sport. At the next level, it will arrange to provide sports coaching to those talented youth who are identified through these tournaments at all levels.

SSPF will roll out Football and Cricket, to start with in the first year of its operations and other sports like Tennis, Basketball and Athletics will be introduced from the second year onwards, with new games being added every year. SSPF hopes to reach out to around 1,00,000 secondary and senior secondary schools irrespective of their ownership, economic or social strata they operate in or the board they are affiliated to. In the next phase, rural, sub-urban elementary schools with a strong focus on rural sports would be included in the programme.

* School Sports Promotion Foundation (SSPF) aims to identify and nurture young talented sportspersons across districts, States and National level, reaching over 5,000 schools in its inaugural year.

*SSPF aims to cover every nook and corner of the country, reaching out to 1,00,000 schools or more over the next few years.

* The league to start off with cricket and football in the first year; more sports disciplines to be added in subsequent years.

Commenting on the launch of SSPF, Shri Injeti Srinivas, Director General, Sports Authority of India said, “SSPF is indeed a welcome step forward, through which we hope to identify potential sport stars of tomorrow at an early age. The scale of the initiative is colossal and potentially offers a long-term grassroots development programme.”

“While SAI has the coaching expertise and the knowledge base required to produce champions, the partnership with SSPF will allow us to penetrate through the huge schools network and identify talent early,” he added.

Sh. Ajit Sharan, Secretary Sports said, “School sports is the most important cog in nurturing the culture of sports in the country. Only if majority of children are exposed to right training methods and coaching, India can dream to be a powerhouse in sports,” he added.

Speaking about the initiative, Sh. Om Pathak , Chairman, SSPF said, “Most of our future champions are in schools today and it is here we need to proactively scout for talent, nourish and prepare them to participate and win and give India its due glory in sports as well. SSPF is aimed towards bridging the existing need gap through a structured system wherein we hope to eventually reach each and every district in the country to unearth talent and empower them to realize their potential.”

SSPF aims to create enough interest and engagement with sports through use of infrastructure and training resources, including training coaches and incentivizing achievement in sports, generating interest, spotting and rewarding talent wherever that be and go on to nurture them by putting them in sport specific coaching centers without having to sacrifice their academic program. The programme entails the following:

1. Launch a number of sports tournaments to scout for talent at all levels

2. Identify resources, support and coaches in each sport

3. Identify, leverage and coordinate usage of existing sports infrastructure

4. Arrange to provide coaching at district, state and national level

5. Create and build teams at all levels, going up to the national or International level

6. Forge alliances and partnerships with individuals, sports bodies worldwide, governments, educational institutions and just about anybody else who can support and sustain the cause of sports and sports persons

SSPF will be supported by sports-specific Councils, each headed by an eminent sportsperson and proven managers. The councils shall be responsible, on behalf of the SSPF, for conduct of tournaments, selection of probable and building teams at the District, State & National Levels.

In addition, physical conditioning and sports medicine support shall be provided at all levels of camps in addition to the appropriate diet for the game. Students of exceptional merit in sports will be provided scholarship to be able to fund their schooling, advanced level preparations, personal kits, travel etc.