Kanchenjungha Stadium: Breeding ground

Siliguri, May 3: The Siliguri Municipal Corporation will start a football academy this month to nurture budding players from the town and its surrounding areas.

The non-residential academy will be run at Kanchenjungha Stadium with the help of the Siliguri Mahakuma Krira Parishad.

The SMC has plans to start the academy with 30 footballers. “We will select 30 in the age group of eight to 12 years from different coaching centres and tea estates of the subdivision with the help of the coaches of the Krira Parishad,” said Kajol Chanda, member, mayor-in-council (sports).

The deputy mayor of the SMC, Nantu Pal, said they had proposed the academy in the last budget meeting. “In the previous board meeting, we sanctioned Rs 2.50 lakh for football kits, diet, conveyance allowance and remuneration for the coach in the academy.”

Pal, also the general secretary of the Krira Parishad, met Mohun Bagan Athletic Club general secretary Anjan Mitra here on Friday. During the meeting, Mitra agreed to extend cooperation to the SMC for the academy.

“Such initiatives are welcome for promoting budding footballers from the region. We have already started our own residential academy in Jalpaiguri last year, which our coaches from Calcutta visit regularly. We will instruct them to visit the SMC academy also to guide the players and the coaches,” Mitra had said.

The Mohun Bagan official hoped that the SMC academy would be a good platform for the budding footballers of the region considering the accessibility of the town and its available infrastructure that includes a large football stadium. Mitra also had plans to make his Jalpaiguri academy play a friendly match here in July.