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Total sports solutions
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The SPT Sports Academy is an ideal space for leisure for those in the IT corridor, and certainly the sports lover too
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Amit Saran who is spearheading the concept
BANGALORE IS growing and how! The fastest growing metro in the country, perhaps in Asia too, however, lacks the infrastructure to meet the sports and recreational needs of its denizens and the available lung space and playgrounds have outstripped the demands. The silicon-valley's golden stretch, Koramangala-Sarjapur Road, for instance, has virtually no recreational area that could cater to the needs of the growing population. One has to drive for miles to find a suitable place for sporting activities.
Now, this void is set to be filled by a state-of-the-art sports academy, which promises to meet every kind of demand — be it football, golf, cricket or tennis. The academy offers professional training facilities on its grounds spread over seven acres. The academy is promoted by the Sports Promotion Team headed by Amit Saran.
The SPT Sports Academy is ideally located on Sarjapur Road, about 10 km from Koramangala's BDA complex and 3 km from the Wipro corporate office. Amit Saran claims that the Academy's golf driving range is one of its kind, as none of the privately-run academies, barring golf clubs, boast of such a facility in the country. The academy, when it becomes fully operational, would have a bowling alley and athletics track too.
Saran and his team are working round the clock to get the complex ready. Saran's main business has been and still is sports event management. He has now set his sights higher to provide what he calls a "total sports solution", not only for common people, but also to meet the growing needs of the corporate sector. "More than anything else, I realised there is a great potential for children who wish to take up sports. They need the right kind of facilities and environment to grow with sports. It is with this view to encourage sports consciousness among the children, besides catering to the needs of adults that we have set up this academy," says Saran.
Saran feels sports should have multi-faceted dimension. "Children may idolise a Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid but their real skills might be in some other sports. They may be good in dribbling or might have good drive needed for golf. So, we are giving them a range of facilities, and allow them to evolve as sportsmen in the chosen field," says Saran.
View of the lush green SPT Sports Academy on Sarjapur Road. — Photos: Bhagya Prakash K
The focus at SPT Academy is just not on cricket alone. "We are going to have a cricket oval, but our accent will not be on cricket as there are dime-a-dozen academies for cricket. We wish to concentrate on football and golf, two of the fastest growing sporting activities in the world."
Saran sees lot of scope for golf. "We have nine hole par 28 mini golf facility with practical green available to fine tune one's putting and short game. We are going to provide quality equipment and there is going to be a 15-bay driving range with target greens, which also double up as playing greens after one had the learnt the basics of the game," says Saran.
"Golf training will come at affordable costs and the academy would have instructors certified by the Indian Golf Teachers Federation. We also intend to get expert trainers from US," says Saran. SPT gold facilities would offer corporate executives to learn the game and develop networking.
"Golfing is part of corporate set up in the U.S., and on weekends every corporate and software professional worth his salt plays golf. Many of our Indian techies who go over there feel left out as they do not know much about the game. Even at home here, golf and business these days go together with our facilities and training. Corporate executives not only get the hang of the game, but get proficient in it too," says Saran.
As regards tennis, the academy will have two grass courts, two football fields customised for five-a-side play, besides a full-sized ground. After the end of the hard day on the courts and greens, one could relax with a beer and a hearty meal at a clubhouse that is being built at the complex.
Getting children involved in sports might be a lofty aim of SPT, but the real bread comes from corporate participation, and Saran hopes that the Academy would be a one-stop destination for all corporate activities in the city.
Saran plans to rope in ex-players and experts in various disciplines to help and train the wards at the Academy. "I would even try and get foreign experts, especially in golf. We have already tied up with the U.S. Golf Teachers Federation in that respect," says Saran. Saran hopes to get as many schools in the area on the board. "We plan a tie-up with schools to send children for training here. We also plan to have residential camps during school holidays here," says Saran.
The response to his project has been very encouraging. "Lot of apartment complexes are coming up in and around Sarjapur and Koramangala stretch. The families need certain basic facilities and the biggest demand is from the corporate sector and IT units in Koramangala, Whitefield, Electronics City, and Sarjapur areas. The corporates can use our facilities for intra-sport activities and for weekend sporting bash. We plan to have a corporate football event with 16 teams, in April. That should be a big hit too. Already, lot of companies have sent their personnel to have a look at our proposed facilities. People from Hewlett Packard, Biocon and a few other companies had come here. I see a good turnout from the corporate world once all the facilities are ready," says Saran.
The SPT Academy would be formally inaugurated after the completion of football and golf facilities on January 25. Saran reckons by March-April, the SPT Sports Academy would be fully operational. Saran is confident that he would meet deadline.
"For one thing, we have the experience in building sports infrastructure. We have done golf, football, and squash facilities around the country for many clients. We have the expertise and we are professionally equipped to do it. And at SPT, we are not going to compromise on quality. Five years from now, I see the academy really buzzing with some big activities," signs off Saran.
KHALYAN N. ASHOK
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