World Cup spirit grips Hoshiarpur villages too

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Hoshiarpur, June 14

As one of the most awaited sports extravaganzas of the year, the FIFA World Cup, started on Thursday, football fans are in a tizzy. Seeing the football fever that has gripped the area, various academies, clubs and hotels have made arrangements for the game enthusiasts to watch the matches live.

Known as the nursery of football, the residential football wing of Mahilpur run by the Education Department has made arrangements for making the budding players watch these matches so that they get inspiration from these world-class players. There are 50 players in the U-14, U-17 and U-19 categories and the selection process for 10 more is on.

“At present, the boys have gone on vacation, but they will be returning on June 18. We have installed an LED TV for them to view the matches,” said Harinder Singh Khabra Sunny, coach of the wing.

He said the players of the wing would be watching the action live on their TV and the coach would be there to help them understand and learn the moves. “The matches will be discussed in the ground before routine practice the next morning and the positive and negatives points will be analysed. They will be made to practice the moves they have learnt from the matches,” he added.

Likewise, at JCT Football Academy, Phagwara, there are 55 budding players. The academy has made special arrangements for them to watch the World Cup. A 50-inch LED screen has been installed for the players at the academy to watch the action live. They will also be guided by coaches of the academy and veteran players of national and international fame during and after the matches. The semi-final and final matches will be displayed on a large screen with the help of a projector.

“At Youth Football Club, Rurka Kalan, Jalandhar, with which nearly 4,000 players, including 1,700 girls, are attached, arrangements have been made to watch the matches on a projector,” said Gurmangal Dass, president of the club. Ahead of the first match, the club even held a cake-cutting ceremony at the village. Three girls of the club will be going to Moscow for a 15-day trip to view the FIFA matches.

Meanwhile, many city clubs and hotels have arranged for big screens in their lawns and terraces for visitors to view live matches while enjoying their food.