Pranay Polji has become the first Goan to be appointed as the coach of Indian
softball team.
PANAJI
"This indeed is a proud moment for the Goa Softball Association (GSA) as one of our players is going to become a coach of the national team," GSA president Dharma Chodankar said.
Indian team will participate in the Asian men's championship in Hong Kong from October 31 to November 5. Polji has already been at the two preparatory camps for the national team, and is set to attend the third and final camp in Haryana from October 25 before the contingent leaves for the continental event.
Polji can be an inspiration to the softball enthusiasts in general, with his historic achievement of going on to the highest level in coaching with the national side. The 30-year-old has played softball since year 2000 at the State and national level at the junior and senior events, which shows his dedication to the sport. Having captained Goa in the past, Pranay -- who hails from Parsem, Pernem -- has also served as the State coach at the nationals. In 2014-15, Polji did a NIS softball coaching course and soon developed a reputation as a good coach. He is currently training students of Murgao HS and Deepvihar HS, Vasco.
While Polji has managed to break through into the coaching staff of the Indian softball team, something has gone wrong with regards to the Goan players being unable to find a place in the Indian team. The last player to play for the senior national side was Shraddha Bhandari in 2011, informed GSA president Dharma Chodankar.
"Thereafter Pranay was selected as a player, but due to some reasons, he could not go with Indian team. There is financial difficulty to fund the players to meet the expenses of the tour. It's either the association or the player, who has to raise the funds. There is lack of monetary support for softball from the corporate houses in the State," revealed Chodankar, adding that the association has functioned in the State since 1990 and contributed six internationals
so far.
