The long-awaited demand of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), to set up a system to produce top-class coaches, was fulfilled in the Union Budget presented on Thursday. The finance ministry has earmarked Rs 250 crore for the development of a 'coaches' training system' in the budgetary allocation of Rs 1219 given to the sports ministry.
The SAI will get Rs 250cr for the project over a period of three years. Apart from setting up a separate wing at NIS, Patiala, for producing top-class coaches under the National Institute of Sports Coaching scheme, SAI will have three more such wings at its centres in Kolkata, Bangalore and Gandhinagar.
In the next phase, SAI will include its centres in Thiruvananthapuram and Imphal.
Keeping pace
"Our system has not been able to keep pace with rapid modernisation in coaching technique. So, now it has been decided to set up a new institute dedicated to coaching education --- the Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports Coaching," said LS Ranawat, executive director, NIS Patiala.
"We will have separate infrastructure for the new coaching institute, while NIS will continue to train the country's elite athletes," Ranawat added.
The main objective of producing top class homebred coaches is to have less dependency on foreign coaches.
{{/usCountry}}The main objective of producing top class homebred coaches is to have less dependency on foreign coaches.
{{/usCountry}}Scientific approach
"The objective of the new wing will be to produce coaches of different levels of proficiency in sufficient numbers to cater to the various sports-related bodies and institutions.
"We will include scientific-oriented sports coaching. Work will also be done to raise the technical competence and knowledge of the existing coaches," said Ranawat.
As per the existing coaching programme, SAI is running a 10-month coaching diploma at NIS Patiala and other centres.
Under the new system, there will be a three-year graduation course and a further two-year coaching programme.