It was a five-decade-long wait and Coimbatore finally got to host the ongoing Youth Nationals for boys and girls. If an event of this magnitude is held in this part of the region, it is mainly because of the tremendous efforts put in by the Coimbatore District Basketball Association (CDBA) and the support extended by the State Association.
“We have worked hard for the development of the sport over the last few years. We did almost everything for the benefit of the players, coaches and referees and particularly creating infrastructure facilities,” said G. Selvaraj, CDBA president.
Quite true as Coimbatore is probably the only district that has conducted more tournaments (about 80) at various levels in a calendar year. Everybody is happy about it but the CDBA wants to do something more in the coming years. It has created a roadmap for the betterment of the sport. “We are looking at promoting the sport at the rural level. We want the boys and girls from these areas to play on par with the city players,” said Mr. Selvaraj.
“We are planning to introduce a district-level league tournament for the under-14 children. It is important to tap potential at that level and train them for the future. We also want to bring in experts to train our coaches so that uniformity in their training methods are maintained,” he added.
For the referees, the CDBA plans to conduct clinics to refresh them on the latest rule changes. “I want the young referees to be involved much more,” said Mr. Selvaraj.
The CDBA wants to introduce the Instant Replay System (IRS) in the tournaments to be played here. It came as a surprise as the new system is probably yet to make its way in the national-level tournaments. Mr. Selvaraj was quite pleased with the player pool.
“There are a number of players who are now representing the State and the country. It is getting bigger by the year. In fact, we have three girls and one boy playing for Tamil Nadu in the Youth Nationals here. Is that not a good sign for the sport,” he queried.
The CDBA also wants to give insurance support to some of the key players. “We are looking at tying up with one of the top hospitals that is specialising in sports injuries. We will soon do the same for all our players,” he said.
Apart from this, the CDBA is also looking at a semi-roofing facility at the VOC Park Corporation Sports Complex court.
“It may take some time but we will make it happen,” he added.