While Odisha has made monumental efforts to promote the game at the international level, its grassroots program has taken a backseat.

Since March, budding players enrolled at various hockey academies in the state have had no opportunity to practice after the government closed down training centers due to the pandemic.

Despite allocating Rs 100 crore in 2018 to sponsor the national men’s and women’s hockey teams for five years, the Odisha sports department has overlooked shabby training conditions at the local level.

Pictures taken last weekend of AstroTurf facilities at Sundargarh and Rourkela, the two major hockey training centers in the state, reveal that Odisha’s sports think tank has ignored grassroots development.

Barring an academy in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, training facilities at other hockey centers are in a state of neglect.

Last week, Amit Rohidas and Birendra Lakra, members of India’s Olympic bronze-medal winning men’s team, were felicitated by the state government. The duo received a cash incentive of Rs 2.5 crore each and government jobs.

Deep Grace Ekka and Namita Toppo, members of the women’s team that finished fourth, were each presented Rs 50 lakh.

While it’s heartening to see elite hockey players get their due, there has been negligible investment at the grassroots level in the last two to three years, another coach said.

The hockey academy in Rourkela has 150 players, including 75 girls, in the age group of under-12 to under-18.

Sundargarh has two hockey academies. While one is run by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the other is managed by the state government.

Players from both training centers share a common turf. The hockey pitch at the SAI training center was replaced in 2007 but is in shabby condition these days, a player from Sundargarh said.

An official said the proposal to change the turf was sent to SAI headquarters in New Delhi three years ago, but there hasn’t been any response yet.

Sandip Pradhan, director general of SAI, wasn’t available for comment.

A couple of years ago, Hockey India (HI) banned competitions at New Delhi’s iconic Shivaji Stadium after the turf there turned dirty and slippery.

Sundargarh’s SAI hostel has 30 girls in the age group of 14 and above, while the state government’s academy for boys has players in the age group of 12 and above.

The Rourkela hockey training center has 150 players, including 75 girls. There are two turfs, neither in good condition.

In the 2019 and 2020 editions of the national junior hockey championships, Hockey Odisha men’s team won the title. However, the majority of the young players haven’t received any employment and are doing odd jobs for survival.

The state government also has a hockey academy in Bhubaneswar where players aged 18 and above are enrolled. Though there are currently 60 players, including 30 girls, all training centers have been closed since March due to the pandemic, a coach said.

Dilip Tirkey, former India skipper and chairman of the Odisha Hockey Promotion Council, said he is aware that the turf at Sundargarh Hockey Academy needs to be replaced. However, Dilip couldn’t provide a timeline for when the project will be completed.

Tirkey, who oversees grassroots development in the state, hasn’t been able to get things moving even in his own backyard. He had planned to set up hockey facilities in his village of Saunamara in Sundargarh district.

The proposal to improve the hockey ecosystem in the state by building 17 new hockey pitches in the Sundargarh region is also pending. Tirkey is hopeful the project will start shortly.

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