Vadodara : It is one of the oldest sports clubs in the city that has produced several national and international athletes. Established way back in 1972, the Youth Service Centre (YSC) used to train youngsters in athletics at Polo Ground. However, athletics took backseat in the last decade as youngsters turned to cricket that offered a better career. YSC now has decided to revive its old glory and re-introduce athletics training at the club.

The club has drawn up plans to rope in children at young age and train them in various forms of athletics. And, the youngsters will be trained by former international athlete Razia Sheikh. "Our city had produced several athletes in the past and it still has abundant talent. It is just that very less attention is being paid to athletics. So, we have decided to start athletics coaching again. It is a revival process," said Sudhir Parab, who runs YSC.

"We want to get in children so that they can be trained professionally. Athletics training is very tough and it takes lot of time to learn games like javelin throwing, disc throwing, long jump and running long distance," Parab told reporters.

YSC has identified some schools in its vicinity and is planning to approach them for getting candidates. Parab wants to enter into contract with the schools for training its students and help them participate in competitive contests. "Most of the schools want their students to excel in sports, but they don't have big grounds. We will provide all the facilities at YSC. In fact, we have already started working on preparing special ground for athletics training. We will also train the kids in football," Parab added.