PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE NEXT MARCH Sports ministry to spend Rs. 300 million in two years
Aiming to have a professional mainstream
Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage has decided to allocate Rs. 300 million spread over two years to give a fillip to the sports fraternity in Sri Lanka and have them in shape for the coming Commonwealth and Asian Games.
The Minister has earmarked the prospective national pools in athletics, rugby, badminton, shooting, weight lifting, boxing, table tennis, beach volleyball, netball, judo, football, archery, swimming and rowing to represent the country at the Commonwealth and Asian Games will be granted requisite facilities to boost their morale.
The minister speaking to the Sunday Times said “All this while we were developing the infrastructure, but now it is time to look at the Sports personnel and help the sports that are on the upward trend. For this year my ministry has given a grant of Rs. 25million to rugby. They have now reached the level of becoming the number three rugby playing nation in Asia. So if we are to maintain that position the players should be looked after.
Now the Sports Ministry has transformed the national rugby players into professionals and each member of the rugby national pool is getting a monthly incentive of Rs 50,000/-.”
The minister further said that the Lankan ruggerites ascended to that position without a scrum machine and now the ministry has provided them with one.
“Our main intention is to infuse professionalism to sport in the country. For instance Javelin Throwers Nadeeka Lakmali and Sachith Chathuranga – two potential medal prospects are granted financial incentives amounting to Rs. 40,000/, to help them achieve professional level ability as are being provided to other athletes to achieve the same aim. However their performances will be monitored from time to time and it is up to them to keep up their good work”.
Besides, for the first time in athletic history the respective athletic coaches will be paid monthly allowances between Rs 15 and 20 thousand a month”.
Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage moved to the subject of soccer. He said “Why football is stagnant in Sri Lanka is because there is very little support for the game. Most of the national players engage themselves in menial jobs and then play a few hours of football in the evenings. This situation should not continue. What we are hoping to do is to form a professional Football League. We already have drawn up the blue print. By next March we are hoping to float the Carlton Football League. It will be on the same lines as the Carlton Rugby League. There will be recognised foreign players representing the respective teams and the teams will be bought over by mercantile firms and the players representing the Zonal teams will be paid handsomely”.
“Netball is another game that is showing vast improvement. The Ministry of Sport has identified this factor and is keen to provide good support to them, so that they also can upgrade themselves in the world arena’
The Minister finally added that their mission is to transform the sports sector into a professional mainstream. He said all these years the only professional sport in Sri Lanka has been cricket. Now the time is up to change the status quo. To do that the sport needs the government support and now his ministry is gearing itself for this task.