ACC nurtures local talent through football champ

In its commitment to recognise young talents across the country and foster skill development through sports, ACC, leading manufacturer of cement and ready mix concrete, organised its first regional-rural football championship in Chaibasa.

As part of the company’s flagship initiative ACCDRONA - a programme to promote local sports, art and culture, ACC organized a three-day football tournament for 20 teams across eight villages in Chaibasa of which four teams were an all-girls team, thus encouraging participation of women in sports.

Local players, Saurabh Gope and Raghunath Tubid, belonging to villages Jorapokhar and Dalki, were chosen for further training at the Mumbai Rush Soccer Club. Ganesh Chandra Tripathy, director plant,Chaibasa, ACC Limited, felicitated these young footballers at the event.

The selected students will be formally trained by George Lawrence– a certified Asian Football Confederation C License holder, Assistant Technical Director of India Rush Soccer Club and All India Football Federation (AIFF) I-League youth development programme. The academy will provide formal education to the trainees at Mumbai Rush Soccer Club.

Commenting on the initiative, NeerajAkhoury, managing director & CEO, ACC Limited said, “Sports is an essential element of learning and also bridges the gap between countries and across generations.ACC has taken significant steps in identifying and encouraging sporting talent across the country, especially from rural India and providing professional training to budding footballers to nurture them to be the next heroes of the nation. I believe that these are small yet significant steps in equipping the youth for future opportunities of growth and development.”

George Lawrence, assistant technical director of India Rush Soccer Club, said, “Lack of resources and non-availability of professional coaches across the country limits opportunities for young talent to be nurtured especially in India’s hinterland. We are honoured to partner with ACC through an initiative that not only supports but also provides them a global platform to showcase their talent.”