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Rural stadiums in UP’s Prayagraj to get coaches
Dept of youth welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal has initiated the process of selecting implementing agencies to recruit coaches through outsourcing
In a move aimed at nurturing sports talent in rural areas, the process of appointing sports coaches at six recently constructed residential mini rural stadiums in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district has begun as part of a statewide initiative.
The department of youth welfare and Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) has initiated the process of selecting implementing agencies to recruit coaches through outsourcing and deploy trained trainers across development blocks in different districts, including Prayagraj, said district youth welfare officer Gulshan Sharma.
Under the plan, a selected agency in each district will be responsible for providing qualified coaches for rural stadiums. The recruitment process is currently underway, with trainers aged between 21 and 45 eligible for selection.
Selected coaches will receive an honorarium of ₹25,000 per month. The initiative aims to strengthen grassroots sports infrastructure and establish a structured system to identify and nurture sporting talent emerging from villages, Sharma said.
Officials believe that providing professional coaching support at rural stadiums will give thousands of aspiring rural athletes access to better training facilities and a clearer pathway to competitive sports.
In Prayagraj district, talented players regularly emerge in sports such as badminton, football, wrestling, kabaddi and athletics. More than 10,000 players participate annually in rural sports competitions organised across the district’s 23 development blocks.
Athletes securing first, second and third positions in these events advance to compete at district and divisional levels. Over the years, many of them have won gold medals and brought laurels to the district, officials said.
Sharma said the construction of residential mini stadiums in rural areas is transforming the district’s sports ecosystem. “The sixth residential rural mini stadium in the district has been completed in Jasra,” he said.
Earlier, mini stadiums were constructed in Handia with a residential capacity of 150 sportspersons, in Chaka with a capacity of 100, in Shankargarh with a capacity of 50, and in Koraon with a capacity of 50. Another facility in Phulpur can accommodate 40 players.
These rural mini stadiums provide facilities for both indoor and outdoor sports. Training will be offered in around a dozen disciplines, including badminton, volleyball, kabaddi, athletics and wrestling.
The stadiums have been constructed by the Small Industries Development Council (SIDCO), and open-air gyms have also been installed at all the facilities, officials added.
