Our dream is to set up a hockey academy in India: TATA

August 29th, 2009: New Delhi: “The ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar’ has boosted our confidence to strive harder to achieve our dream of setting up a hockey academy in the country soon”, TATA steel managing director B. Muthuraman said here on Saturday.

TATA Steel received two awards under the ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar’ for their contribution to sports and Muthuraman said he was honoured and privileged. “It is a great honour. I feel proud and happy that the government is giving an award to TATA steel for taking sport to the community. This award has infused confidence in us to strive harder and nurture more talents and give the country more international sport persons,” Muthuraman said.

Asked if TATA would like to venture in some other sports, he said, “We have this ambition of starting a hockey academy in Jamshedpur. Hockey is a game which is in the nature of Indians and I am sure we can excel in that.”

TATA Steel’s contribution to sports span across several, including setting up football, archery and athletics academies in Jamshedpur and installing infrastructures for 18 other disciplines and four feeder centres in rural areas.

Asked if TATA Steel will consider entering into a deal with foreign clubs, Muthuraman said, “We have been approached by UK clubs Arsenal and Liverpool but I feel most of these clubs are commercially driven and financially oriented. Our objective is to take football to community. So our aim is more development oriented. However, we have so many government bodies and football associations. My suggestions would be that they should enter into a deal with them (foreign clubs),” he added. PTI