| The new venture, Muthoot Volleyball Academy, will promote the game among schoolkids in the district. |
| According to the group officials, the initiative is perhaps "the first from a corporate group in the state aimed at promoting, encouraging and popularising sports among schoolchildren." |
| "Volleyball was once the favourite game of Keralites. The state produced many international volleyball stars. However, in the last few decades, the popularity of the game has waned owing to various reasons. It is in this background, we have decided to come out with a concrete project to promote volleyball among schoolchildren. Our mission is to catch them young", said George Alexander Muthoot, managing director of the group. |
| "The academy would sponsor students who possess high skills in the game," he added. |
| The academy plans to help students and schools form their own volleyball teams and conduct regular matches at the school-level. The group also plans to bring back the past glory of the game by organising promotional and training activities. |
| As part of this, a core team has been constituted, which includes Muthoot's own volleyball team, complete with the players and a coach. The members of this group will visit schools and give training to the students. |
| Besides, the core team would also encourage schools to conduct more volleyball matches and prepare a long-term strategy at the school-level. |
| The academy also plans to organise friendship matches to pick up young talent. The group plans to explore the options to extend it to other parts in a phased manner. |
| The academy would identify 20 school teams through a selection process and provide overall support to them, a source elaborated. |
| This would be done after evaluating the performance of the school-level team and the selected teams would be provided with volleyball kits. |
| The group plans to sponsor a select number of outstanding players for coaching at the national-level too. |
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