Following are excerpts from a Newkerala report.

Seven players from Orissa will participate in the national senior women football training camp scheduled to be held at Neyvelli in Tamil Nadu from September 10.

The players selected for the training were– Prasanti Pradhan, Alochana Senapati, Gayatri Mallick, Gitanjali Khuntia, Sukumati Lagori, Sasmita Mallick and Pinki Bomphal Magar.

Orissa State Women’s Football Association General Secretary Sahadev Rout said while four of them had already played for the country, Prasanti (Goalkeeper), Gayatri (Half) and Lagori (Forward) were new faces.

Note that in the 33rd National Games Womens’ football championship, held earlier in this year, Orissa was the champion. But later in the year it lost in the semifinals of the 15th women’s national football championship. In recent years Orissa’s Sradhanjali Samantray has captained India’s national women’s football team.

Orissa also sends significant members to the Indian national women’s as well as men’s hockey teams. Orissa’s Jyoti Sunita Kullu (bio), who got an Arjuna award earlier this year, has captained the Indian national women’s hockey team. A recent team was captained by Binita Toppo of Orissa and had three other members from Orissa in Suniti Kispotta, Poonam Toppo and Binita Xess. The current women’s hockey probables 18 has the following six players from Orissa: Poonam Toppo, Nilima Kujur, Binita Toppo, Mukta Barla, Binita Xess and Subhadra Pradhan.

Dilip Tirkey has captained the Indian national men’s hockey team and Prabodh Tirkey is the current captain. The current team of eighteen consists of the following Orissa palyers: Dilip Tirkey, William Xalco, Prabodh Tirkey (captain) and Ignace Tirkey. Orissa Steelers, captained by Dilip Tirkey, won the 2007 Premier Hockey League championship in 2007.