BCCI finds Rs 800 crore for talent academy

[King]

The full-fledged residential academy will accommodate the country's top 80 emerging cricketers and be equipped with a health centre, gymnasium and restaurants. More... BCCI finds Rs 800 crore for talent academy Aminah Sheikh August 24, 2007 12:30 IST Caught on the backfoot over the launch of Subhash Chandra's Indian Cricket League (ICL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) plans to invest over Rs 800 crore in over 30 residential academies to train potential champions of Indian cricket. As a starting point, the BCCI has identified 30 acres on the outskirts of Bangalore where it will set up a new National Cricket Academy (NCA).

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The full-fledged residential academy will accommodate the country's top 80 emerging cricketers and be equipped with a health centre, gymnasium and restaurants. The current NCA is housed at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which comes under the Karnataka State Cricket Association. Confirming the development, chief administrative officer, BCCI, Ratnakar Shetty, said: "BCCI is looking at a major revamp to bring new talent and will have a three-tier structure to set up residential coaching academies that we will partly fund." The move might make it tougher for the ICL to attract more talent at the top of the pyramid. As part of an elaborate structure for nurturing cricketing talent, the BCCI will set up 27 state academies (in collaboration with state cricket associations) and five zonal academies.

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Sources said the BCCI had paid a token amount of Rs 25 lakh for an indoor northern zonal academy in Delhi. The Board will soon set up an eastern zonal academy in Kolkata, a central academy in Rajasthan, a western academy in Mumbai and a southern academy in Bangalore. "The idea of controlling these academies is to conduct activities throughout the year," said Shetty. He added each of these academies would be up and running by 2009. Under the financing structure, the 27 associations would be given around half the total cost, or up to a maximum of Rs 25 crore each to set up the residential academies.

[King]

Not bad.. BCCI is now investing in talent find too.

[abhinav]

Funny..how it took ZEE to shake BCCI out of its slumber.. Laaton ke bhoot..baaton se nahi maante :two_thumbs_up:

[The Outsider]

Just by the announcement of a rival, the jacka$$es at BCCI have started going some good for Indian cricket.

[talksport]

I will take it with a pinch of salt..... It is just an announcement. The money never goes into development....BCCI is full of politicians and bureaucrats and parasites just for money. For an example AP govt in the last 3 years announced many multi crore projects in different areas only to up the real estate prices bought by them earlier.....

[The Outsider]

Not only a pinch, I'll take it with a barge full of salt, PK. The point is that BCCI is making all these announcements in response to ICL and if ICL does take off then some of these announcements will actually see implementation.

[abhinav]

I will take it with a pinch of salt..... It is just an announcement. The money never goes into development....BCCI is full of politicians and bureaucrats and parasites just for money. For an example AP govt in the last 3 years announced many multi crore projects in different areas only to up the real estate prices bought by them earlier.....

Valid point..these may just be announcements made by the rotten politicians to garner support. I still remember the promises Pawar and his chronies made when they were elected: CEO for the board ..Professional selectors..what more??

[Chandan]

Huh??? More announcements??? Has BCCI no shame left?? They have not been able to set up a web-site for themselves and they are talking about a project worth 800 crores?? I bet they won't invest even Rs. 80 in this. What a sham!!!

[Guest dada_rocks]

free market always kicks the lazy a$$es into atcion..