The grassroots camp run in Itahari with the aim of producing players from the school level has reached its 243rd week.
All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) started 6 years ago the grass root which is considered as the basic level of football, now itahari football club and the boys club along with Rashtriya Jagriti Club are operating.
After the financial support of ANFA was stopped, the grassroots program started by these clubs of Itahari has passed its 243rd week on Thursday. The program, which has been running for three years with the financial support of Ward No. 6 in Itahari sub-metropolis after the donor's support stopped, was completed on Thursday after the budget for the current financial year was exhausted. Diwas Pokharel, Ward President of Ward No. 6, informed that the program was stopped for some time due to the rainy season and the budget for the current financial year.
After seeing the craze for football among children, Keshav Karki, program coordinator and joint secretary general of ANFA Koshi province, said that they started the program to make Nepali football the best. He also informed that the local clubs have prioritized the organization of age group competitions.
President of Rashtriya Jagriti Club Sant Bahadur Dumjan said that since the local level has also given importance to sports, such programs will help bring out many talented players. More than 300 children from Sunsari and Morang are participating in the grassroots football camp that has been running for 243 weeks in Itahari.
Shyam Manandhar, the head coach and former assistant coach of the national women's team, informed that the children were taught the basic skills of football by the national coaches in the program conducted every Saturday on school holidays. Program coordinator Karki informed that coaches including Manandhar, ANFA coach Rajkumar Shrestha, Abhishek Kalikote, Sandeep Koirala have been deployed for the grassroots football camp, which will be attended by children from the rural areas of Sunsari and Morang.
