‘Sesa FA to equip players beyond football’

Panaji rrSpeaking at the CII’s flagship event on sports, Annanya Agarwal, President, SFA spoke about ‘Corporate Philanthropy and Sports’. The event organized by CII titled ‘CII Scorecard 2017’ was held in Delhi and attended by esteemed dignitaries like Vijay Goel, Minister, Youth Affairs and Sports, Ratan P Watal - Principal Advisor, NITI Aayog, and representatives from various sports federations and academies. rSharing his views, Annanya Agarwal, President, SFA said:“Corporates can leverage sports widely to connect with the youth as sports is a medium that can inspire and engage youth in indescribable ways. The impact sports can garner even with minimal investment is far superior compared to other mediums. There is a high need of effective utilization of CSR funds at the corporate level. At SFA, we focus on holistic development of our players by providing full scholarship, compulsory education, rigorous training and nutritious meals that prepare and equip them for opportunities even beyond football. Our dream is to create players who will make India proud at global level.” rVijay Goel, Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in his address said: “It is a really nice initiative of the CII to host such conferences. With students in our country always pressurized to focus on pure academics, they rarely find time to be involved in sports. It is time for parents to understand that sports will help in the overall development of the child and encourage them. We have to create a conducive environment around us at home and outside to nurture sports. Sports today is an industry just like any other and there are many corporates willing to invest to support good sporting talent. We must make use of the opportunity.” rEarlier this year, on May 9, the multinational natural resources conglomerate, announced a strategic roadmap to actively foster skill development in sports across the country. Sesa Football Academy (SFA) has contributed immensely to the development of football players in Goa and has now opened doors of the academy to develop budding players in football from across the nation and Africa. The skill development model that the company has adopted is to scout young talent and hone them in the sport and equip them with sports related skills that could help carve professionalism.