New Delhi agency to introduce sports coaching at pro facilities for school students

In a council meeting held last Wednesday, officials concerned were asked to start the tender process by calling for a request for proposal, NDMC officials said

New Delhi

A previous coaching scheme was stopped in 2020 amid the Covid-19 lockdown. The NDMC has decided to restart it on the PPP model. (Representative photo/HT Archive)

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is planning to introduce specialised sports coaching for school-going children at its facilities on the public-private partnership (PPP) model, senior NDMC officials said. Under the plan, professional agencies will provide coaching at facilities, such as the Shera Ground, Talkatora Cricket Ground and Shivaji Hockey Stadium, among others, on a revenue-sharing basis, they said.

In a council meeting held last Wednesday, officials concerned were asked to start the tender process by calling for a request for proposal (RFP), NDMC officials said. The council’s vice-chair, Kuljeet Chahal, said that the civic body is taking a series of steps to promote sports culture.

“Agencies have used NDMC sports infrastructure including Shera Ground, Talkatora Cricket Ground, Shivaji Hockey Stadium, etc. This initiative was launched in alignment with the council’s resolution that approved the use of school playgrounds for community benefit in the evenings. Coaching was provided across disciplines such as football, cricket, hockey, tennis, squash, basketball and more,” he said.

A similar scheme was previously in place in 2016 but discontinued in 2020.

An NDMC official said, “The previous memorandum of understanding (MoUs) had expired in March 2020 and the model was discontinued in 2020. There were also prolonged lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme could not be restarted.”

The official said that under the previous iteration of the scheme, nine sporting activities were covered at places like Ansari Nagar, Talkatora Indoor Stadium, Shivaji Stadium, Laxmibai Nagar Multipurpose Gymnasium, Talkatora Stadium, Talkatora Garden Cricket Ground and schools across the New Delhi area. “The scheme provided subsidised coaching at a third of the charges by the coaches and coaching agencies; 33% of the seats were also reserved for NDMC students. Benefits were also provided to Delhi government schools,” the official said.

The civic body overseeing the Lutyens’ Delhi area manages 31 Atal Adarsh Vidyalayas and 11 Navyug Schools, where around 30,000 students are enrolled. Last year, the NDMC had also announced that it will hire part-time sports coaches to develop schools as hubs for training specific sports. Under the scheme, 24 part time sports coaches in 10 sports—cricket, hockey, football, volleyball, basketball, badminton, boxing and lawn tennis, among others—were hired to provide professional coaching to NDMC school students after school.

Last week, the council also decided to develop a multi-purpose hall at the Navyug School in Pandara Park, along with other infrastructure upgrades, at a cost of ₹11.29 crore.