AIFF secretary, players hail Odisha government's support to Indian football

All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das and players registered with sport's apex body in country hailed Odisha government for its support to development of Indian football. AIFF had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Odisha government in 2018 and a number of teams -- U-15, U-17, Indian Arrows and even senior women's side -- have been given access to its state-of--art facilities and infrastructure since n. Das highlighted "major impact" of partnership on sport in India and thanked state government for its "invaluable support".

AIFF secretary, players hail Odisha government

" MoU with Government of Odisha has had a major impact on development of Indian Football. A number of teams have been hosted and trained making use of state-of- -art facilities at Kalinga Stadium complex.

"I thank Government of Odisha for ir invaluable support and look forward to continuing relationship in strengning efforts for continued growth of sport in country," Das said in an AIFF release.

Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar was home venue for Indian Arrows for 2018-19 season of I-League and has hosted both editions of Hero Super Cup, along with Hero Gold Cup in February last year, where Indian senior women's team faced off against Myanmar, Nepal and Iran. "Sports continues to be a top priority for Government of Odisha. Odisha High-Performance Centre for National Youth Teams mark a convergence between vision of Govt. of Odisha and All India Football Federation," said sports secretary Vishal Kumar Dev. " Govt. of Odisha, along with AIFF, is committed to strengning roots of Indian Football at youth level in Odisha and India. This is a unique initiative, one, which or states would also do well to emulate, and reby contribute to rapid development of Indian football landscape," he added.

Midfielder Amarjit Kiyam, currently a member of men's senior national team, talked about "perfect infrastructure" at Kalinga Stadium, which he feels enabled all members of Indian Arrows (2018-19 batch) to play a stylish brand of football while enjoying some memorable results.

" stadium pitch was perfect. It allowed us to play our possession-style game which was a key feature of that Arrows team. training pitch was excellent too and had floodlights which allowed us to train in evening as well. Where in India do you get that," he quipped.

"It was a really memorable experience for all of us in team. We did well in Hero I-League that season and for me, it was a good campaign as I scored five goals too.

"In first Hero Super Cup, we had come very close to defeating Mumbai City FC and in next edition, we got better of a top Hero ISL side like Kerala Blasters. 

"That match was really special for us and I consider it to be benchmark that I strive to achieve in terms of my performance," Amarjit, who captained India in FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017, said.

Blue Tigers defender Narender Gahlot, who was part of Indian Arrows unit in 2018-19, recalled his team's stay at "fully-professional set-up" in Bhubaneshwar. " facilities we received were absolutely wonderful. It had everything a footballer needs and everything was taken care of. At KIIT, we had a gym, swimming pool, mess as well as a lecture hall for team meetings.  " rooms we stayed in were spacious and fantastic, and we were also provided with a variety of nutritious options during our meals," Narender said. " whole experience laid down a great foundation for us as it allowed us to focus on our game completely and express ourselves on field," he added.

Bhubaneswar has been selected as one of venues for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and is also slated to host FIFA World Cup Qualifying match between India and Qatar. 

Im credits: PTI / Twitter