Bhubaneswar, November 14: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Odisha government under which Odisha will host the national team camps as well as act as the home of the Indian Arrows.
The MoU was signed in the presence of state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at a packed Kalinga Stadium complex here on Monday.
As per the MoU, the training and connected infrastructure like gymnasiums, swimming pool, etc, will be housed at the Kalinga Stadium Complex.
Thanking the state government, AIFF President Praful Patel said: “I need to thank the Odisha government and Naveen Patnaik for wholeheartedly supporting Indian Football as part of their overall support for development of sports. It is a very encouraging sign that more and more state governments are coming up to support Indian Football.”
AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said: “We laud this unprecedented initiative taken by the government of Odisha under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik. I am confident the MoU will help Indian Football, as well as benefit further development of the sport in Odisha.”
The Indian U-15 national team as well as the Indian Arrows consisting of a bulk of Indian U-17 World Cup players have been utilising the infrastructure here in their quest to further enhance the development of the team.
The occasion coincided with the unveiling of the hockey World Cup 2018 trophy. The hockey World Cup is slated to be held at the Kalinga Stadium from November 28 to December 16.
Prasanta Patnaik