Terry Walsh (extreme left) interacts with hockey players at Kalinga Sports Complex in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 12: Terry Walsh, who has represented Australia in three Olympics and is the chief coach of the senior men’s national hockey team, today visited the synthetic hockey turf at Kalinga Sports Complex.

Walsh interacted with the participants of a training camp being organised to find players for the Odisha-based franchise in the second edition of Hockey India League (HIL).

Walsh’s visit assumes significance because the Idco-MCL Kalinga Lancers, which the Odisha team will be called, is planning to rope him in as their coach.

Walsh visited the stadium to take stock of the infrastructure at the stadium. He also met officials of the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco).

“We have already made a list of probable players and will take part in the bidding process scheduled to be held on December 22,” said adviser to the franchise Dilip Tirkey. Former national player and Olympian Lazrus Barla has already been appointed as the team’s assistant coach.

The team will include 30 players, including two goalkeepers, 10 defenders, nine midfielders and nine strikers. According to the HIL rules, one franchise can have maximum 24 players, including 10 foreign players. A franchise can spend maximum of Rs 3.5 crore during the players’ auction.

“We will have a pool of 150 players to choose from, but we can take a maximum of 10 foreign players and 14 Indian players. The infrastructure of the hockey stadium is satisfactory,” said Walsh.

The first edition of the HIL included five franchises based in Ranchi, Delhi, Punjab, Lucknow and Mumbai. The second edition will feature the sixth franchise.

The second edition of the league is scheduled to begin from January 23 next year.

Preparations for installation of floodlights at the stadium are on in full swing. The sports and youth services department was allotted five acres belonging to the Central Poultry Development Organisation to erect floodlights and construct an additional practice turf on Saturday. A department official said the floodlights would be installed by December end.

“We were facing a lot of problems in setting up the fourth tower needed for the stadium floodlights. Now that the land has been allotted, we will start the construction shortly,” he said.

The hockey stadium with a seating capacity of 6,000 was built with a pink and blue synthetic turf.