Hockey players practise on the synthetic turf at Kalinga Sports Complex in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 29: The Hockey Gangpur-Odisha today started a coaching camp on the synthetic turf at Kalinga Sports Complex.

The camp is an effort to create a talent pool for the state’s franchise to represent at the second edition of the Hockey India League (HIL), a professional league for field hockey competition in India.

The state has bid for the sixth team in the tournament. The first edition of the HIL had five teams and the sixth slot went unsold.

The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) have already decided to bid for the state-based franchise. The official bidding for the sixth team will be held in December.

Thirty-five players of the Sports Authority of India, other sports hostels and rural pockets of the state will take part in the camp that will continue till November 25. Former national player and Olympian Lazarus Barla will coach the players.

“The state is going to have its own franchise in the HIL. This will not only help in giving opportunity to the talents, but also popularise hockey in the state. We are hopeful that some of the players from this camp will strengthen their place in the Odisha team,” said Barla.

An official in the state sports and youth services department said the name of the state’s HIL team was likely to be Idco-MCL Kalinga Lancers. “We have already started the process of composing a theme song for the franchise. We are also planning to invite students to watch matches free of cost,” he said.

The participants are also excited about the camp. “Learning skills from a former Olympian is always exciting. At the same time, we know that this can be a lifetime opportunity for us as the state is set to have its own franchise in the HIL,” said participant Anand Kujur.

The department is also planning to reunite hockey players from the state currently playing for other states for the Odisha HIL team. Former national captain Prabodh Tirkey, who was among four Odisha players who represented Jharkhand at the National Games, will be invited to join the state franchise, said a department official.

Though the pink-and-blue synthetic turf will be a visual delight during live telecast of the matches, the stadium is yet to get floodlights.

“The installation of flood lights will start in November and it will over by the end of December,” said a senior official.

On August 27, the government held a meeting with HIL officials to explore the idea of having a state-based franchise. A four-member delegation of Hockey India, the organiser of the league, had also visited the synthetic turf hockey stadium on September 28 and expressed satisfaction over the set up.

The first edition of the HIL had five teams from Ranchi, Delhi, Punjab, Lucknow and Mumbai. Each team consists of 24 players, including 10 foreign players. But the final 11 can feature a maximum of four foreign players. The second edition of the HIL will begin from January 23 next year.