BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has claimed that the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) is set to be unveiled soon. More importantly, this high performing center will be used by Olympic sportsperson as well. Jay Shah has ambitious plans of further establishing 6 more NCA’s in the North Eastern states while another would be opened in Jammu. Currently, the focus lies on the development of the youngsters and the athletes and thus in a bid for that, the BCCI is going all guns blazing in forming these performance centers.
“We are going to make it available for Olympic sportspersons too like Neeraj Chopra,” Jay Shah told the Times of India.
NCA for Olympic Athletes too
The brand new state of art NCA will be inaugurated in September. This will be located in the outskirts of Bengaluru much like it’s predecessor. Shah claimed that within 2 years the development and the construction has been done. And now it is time for not just the cricketers but Olympic athletes to use the same.
Shah plans on rapidly expanding cricket all over the country. And a special emphasis lies in North-East India. The BCCI secretary claims that 6 NorthEast states will have their own NCAs while a seventh one will be setup in Jammu. Furthermore, a brand new stadium is also set to be established in Banaras.
“When I took over as BCCI secretary in Sept 2019, immediately within three to four months, there was the Covid-19 pandemic. All our focus was on how to host the IPL and some domestic cricket. For two years, BCCI office was almost shut. Once we got the second term, we decided that we must take this forward. This was about developing facilities in North-East. And the NCA, I had laid the foundation stone in 2022 in Bengaluru. In 2008, we had procured land, but no work was done. I don’t know why my predecessors didn’t do anything,” Jay Shah told the Times of India.
Special Focus on NorthEast states
For now, only India cricket team matches are held at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. While the other NorthEast states regularly participate in domestic cricket, a fast scaled development is needed. And thus, the BCCI is keen on expanding their project here.
“They have been given full membership of the Board. They are an integral part of the country and getting opportunities is their right, and giving it is the Board’s duty. Creating facilities in the North-East was in my mind for a long time. The moment the bonding between the local associations there and BCCI improved, we started work. They are also more than happy. Earlier, they would get Rs 5 crore to run cricket, today they get Rs 20 crore to host matches,” Jay Shah concluded.
