With ‘take the game to the people’ as its motto, the Nagaland Cricket Association (NCA) is working to execute some of its plans to develop cricket in the north-eastern state.
The NCA, which got full membership of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2018-19, has made some efforts to boost its grassroots programme and build infrastructure.
Inspired by the Alur model in Karnataka, the NCA is planning to prepare two more grounds near its main venue, the Nagaland Cricket Stadium, in Sovima on the outskirts of the state’s main city Dimapur.
“There is another ground, the SCG (Sovima Cricket Ground), which has a three-storey building on it. It will house a residential academy for young cricketers. We will develop one more ground so that we will have three grounds within a radius of one km,” NCA secretary Hyunilo Anilo Khing told Sportstar.
To take cricket to all parts of the state, where football is the first love, the NCA has sent coaches to different districts to groom youngsters. It has also prepared cement pitches in the limited space available in the predominantly hilly state.
“We have signed MoUs with village councils to develop the game,” said Khing.
The game has started spreading slowly. “There is this Kohima Orphanage and Destitute Home. We call it ‘The Home’ and it has produced five age-group players and a Level-1 coach. Earlier, they used to play with handmade balls, made of rubber strips cut from tyres and wound with paper. We provided used leather balls so that they could play. It’s good to see they have improved,” said Khing.
The other priority for NCA is to upgrade its half-built stadium, which has been planned as a replica of the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
“The present stadium is there because of the Chief Minister’s initiative. The lack of funds is a major issue. We hope the BCCI will help us complete the stadium (which has been lying like this for the last 10 years),” said Khing.
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