GEYZING,: Five young football players from West Sikkim have
been selected by the Shyam Metalics Academy (SMA), Kolkata, in a selection
trial during the ongoing Geyzing Football League organized by the West District
Football Association (WDFA) at Kyongsa Stadium.
A
total of 11 players from the age group of 15 to 18 years have been selected, of
whom six have been kept on standby.
Kolkata-based
Shyam Metalics Academy (SMA) was formed under the aegis of steel plant and
manufacturer Shyam Metalics's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Five
footballers who made the first list of the selection trial would be heading
towards Kolkata soon to be part of SMA's football training initiative.
The
selected players would have access to all the facilities related to football,
including educational facilities.
Abhisek
Rai (Mangalbaria), Nikhil Chettri (Hee Gaon), Sabit Chettri (Young Boys
Football Academy Geyzing), Prajal Thapa (Berfok), and Kinar Limboo (Chingthang)
are among the footballers selected in the trial.
SMA
chief coach Indranil Chatterjee, who had headed the selection trial, informed
that SMA is a residential football academy that selects the best football
talents from various states across the country and nurtures them to play in State,
national, and international level football tournaments.
The
footballers selected in the trial will be playing in the Kolkata League very
soon, and their advancement to the national level of football depends upon
their football talent and skills gained during their training sessions, he
added.
On
the training facility, Chatterjee asserted that a modern and systematic
training facility would be available to the footballers in SMA, wherein the
holistic development of the footballers would be taken care of, including their
education.
"SMA
functions in a systematic way where the needs of students are given ample care.
The players selected by SMA here should be convinced that they are going to
their second home," he expressed.
The
SMA chief coach maintained that Sikkim has a good number of young footballers
and expressed that Sikkimese footballers will do well when they become part of
a systematic and modern way of training under SMA.
WDFA
president Namgyal Bhutia expressed his happiness over the selection of
footballers from West Sikkim. He said it was a moment of pride that reflected
WDFA's sincere commitment towards the upliftment and development of football in
West Sikkim. He shared that the future lies brightly ahead for the footballers
selected in the trial, as they would have access to the best facility in SMA
for further development of their football skills.
"We
wish them good luck. Make the most of the available opportunities and
facilities in SMA, and we hope that the footballers who successfully completed
the trial will represent our state and the country in the near future,” Bhutia
said.
