FSL promises mini pitch at Bandiwewa NS ground
The proposed land for the mini pitch
Newly elected president of Football Sri Lanka (FSL), Jaswar Umar recently paid a surprise visit to Bandiwewa National School in Polonnaruwa, which has produced a women’s football player to university level this year.
N.K. Kavini Rasangika, who represents Lucky Birds Sports Club, Bandiwewa, has been selected to the University of Sri Jayewardenepura to follow the bachelors degree in Sports Science and Management, through credentials and points of her achievements in football.
FSL president, Umar, while congratulating Rasangika for her achievement, also inspected the Bandiwewa National School ground, the home for the young women footballers of the area. In addition to being the home ground of the school’s sports activities, mainly football, the venue is also the location for the now-famed Polonnaruwa Girls’ Football Academy and Lucky Birds SC, two of the main contributors to women’s football of the region as well as the country.
Pubudu Paranagama, the head coach of the school’s girls football teams, the academy and the sports club, stated that upon a request made by his team to FSL president Umar, the football hierarchy is keen to develop a futsal facility, which will be ideally located at the school ground.
Umar, during his visit to Polonnaruwa, inspected the school ground and requested his team to conduct a feasibility check to build a mini pitch with flood lights for the usage of school and other footballers even during the nights. Polonnaruwa receives the intended mini pitch or futsal facility as part of ‘Restart Football’ programme, according to FSL president Umar.
FSL officials inspecting the ground in Bandiwewa
“It’s a very promising initiative by these enthusiastic individuals from Polonnaruwa. We paid a visit to the ground and we were highly impressed by their commitment in promoting girls’ and women football in the area. Polonnaruwa will get two of these facilities most probably and we are currently conducting an assessment on the project. No sooner the pandemic conditions ease out, we may be able to start the ground work,” stated Umar.
With the addition of the mini pitch facility at the Bandiwewa National School ground many sectors, mainly girls and women, in football will highly benefit, according to head coach Paranagama, who was instrumental in launching Polonnaruwa Girls’ Football Academy in 2017 with minimum facilities.
“The mini pitch will benefit the whole of Polonnaruwa in general. It can be considered a blessing in our venture to promote football among girls and women in this area,” Paranagama stated.
Through the academy, many young girls have benefited immensely through a platform created to showpiece their football skills to the world. Many young lasses have reached the next level such as district, provincial and even the national stream through the process. Kavini Rasangika, a keen footballer of three entities — Bandiwewa NS, Polonnaruwa Girls’ FA and Lucky Birds SC — is a testimony to how sports could change the course of any youngster, be it male or female.
A banner placed to recognise the achievement of Rasangika
“Rasangika is a student of the academy and a member of the school and club football teams. And we are highly proud of her achievement, while being cheerful for the successes we had during our progress in the recent times. It was the academy that became the platform for many girls for their achievements,” Paranagama added.
The academy’s main aim was to help the underprivileged girls of the area with great football talent, and guide them with a certain path with comprehensive training programme to the national level. The academy conducts its training sessions totally free of charge, and that has open the doors for the girls of the area with a knack to football to join and sharpen their capabilities. Currently the academy is conducting training from age categories of Under-12 to Under-18 for 60 girls in total.
The Bandiwewa NS ground is the home for the academy’s training and during the recent times, the academy has received contributions from donors local and overseas, and earned the spotlight of many top sports officials, resulting in obtaining a mini pitch from FSL.
| “It’s a very promising initiative by these enthusiastic individuals from Polonnaruwa. We paid a visit to the ground and we were highly impressed by their commitment in promoting girls’ and women football in the area.
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