Rural Sikkim’s potential for sports gets Sanju Pradhan’s endorsement in the form of a football academy in Sombaria
The best football exports from the State first strapped their boots in their homes in rural Sikkim. The soccer triumvirate of Bhaichung Bhutia, Nirmal Chettri and Sanju Pradhan, all discovered the game in the bastis. What they also have in common is that their talent was discovered young and all three of them accessed professional coaching early in their growth as footballers. It is clearly in recognition of these round realities and the potential of rural youth to grow into “proper” footballers that Sanju Pradhan, who himself arrived in the professional circuit as recently as 2006, has lent his name and resources to establish a football academy in Sombaria, West Sikkim. The village-town is not even big enough to be a sub-division, but has the boasting rights to claim that team India regular and Atlético de Kolkata’s star midfielder, Sanju Pradhan, is a homeboy. And now, Sombaria also has a Sanju Football Academy, established in January 2013, and having a current roster of 42 footballers in training!Rural Sikkim is teeming with football talent, and the need is to identify, groom and provide them with the right platform at the right age, Sanju stresses while explaining why he helped establish this football academy.
