Times of India: ‘Stick for India’ producing hockey wizards at Anantapur

Aug 10, 2017

By Antony CJ

Andreu Enrich, former Spain national hockey player who has many jaw-dropping feats under his cap from winning the Champions Trophy in 2004 to Spanish Hockey leagues, visited Anantapur Sports Academy (ASA), a sport for development initiative by Rural Development Trust for a 10-day ‘Stick for India’ hockey coaching camp starting from 1-10 August with five other hockey players from Spain. ‘Stick for India’ is a philanthropy project started in 2006 by Andreu Enrich and hockey Olympian Santi Freixa.

Apart from being involved in the coaching camp for the ASA girls and boys, Andreu and his fellow players also visited different ASA grass-root and development centres in rural Anantapur to conduct hockey sessions for children and promote hockey. On the last day, Andreu conducted a workshop for coaches from grassroots and development centres, on using various fun-activities while doing the sessions for the children to make it enjoyable and enriching for both players and coaches.

Hockey has provided the kids with healthy lifestyles, secured jobs and moreover a way to escape from poverty. “I had two options; to represent the national team or to do something for the kids in rural Anantapur. I chose the latter. To see the players with whom we started the project ending up as engineers, army personnel, representing state and district hockey and recent selection of M Bhavani in National Hockey Academy has been the best experience as a human being”, says Andreu Enrich who is optimistic to see international hockey players from Anantapur.

‘Stick for India’ also plans more of exposure games for the hockey players at ASA even to Spain, so that they can share and learn about different hockey cultures. They are also looking for potential partners in India so that they can convert the present hockey gravel ground to a turf to offer better training and to aid in improving the performance of the players.