The growing popularity of Australian rules football in India

KISS staff and ARFAI officials with the newly trained coaches

Odisha became the latest state to embrace Footy as they welcomed ARFAI officials to hold an introductory training session at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) campus in Bhubaneshwar. The Australian High Commission in India deserve a special note of thanks for sanctioning the Direct Aid Program (DAP) grant for the joint venture between ARFAI and KISS.

Under this project, ARFAI officials will train senior students at KISS to be Footy coaches, who will in turn help in training at least 1500 children by the end of this calendar year.

The 3 day session comprised of indoor and outdoor sessions through which the KISS coaches were taught basic skills and rules of the game. The enthusiasm was there for all to see and they picked up on pointers given by the ARFAI officials very swiftly indeed.

The coaches were also acquainted with coaching methods which need to be employed while they conduct the trainings. When the ARFAI coaches reached the field in the final day, they were faced with an experience like no other. More than 700 children had taken to the field, brimming with energy and willing to experience the sport.

With the help of the KISS coaches, the ARFAI officials taught the children basic Footy skills in a friendly, interactive session.

The highlight of the final day was a visit by the founder of KISS, Mr. Achutya Samanta himself. He was delighted to see the positive response and provided the coaches and children words of encouragement and a promise for further such opportunities in the future.

He seemed particularly pleased at the idea of forming the first Odisha state team comprising of KISS students who will participate in the ARFAI National Championship 2015 later this year. The day culminated in a friendly match between the coaches. Although the match was conducted to bring them up to speed with the basic gameplay rules, they showed exceptional grasp of the basic skills even at such an early stage.

The ARFAI is grateful to KISS for providing them the perfect setting for venturing into a new state and are hopeful that this partnership will only grow stronger in the coming days.