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| Sunday, 10 July 2005 |
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FICA 'one of the best' in the field by Lal Gunasekera If the Fingara International Cricket Academy (FICA) of the Ceylinco Group of Companies which was declared open last week in the outskirts of the metropolis is a success, they intend to open similar Academies in Galle and Kandy too. Speaking to the Sunday Observer Tony Opatha, the Executive Director of the Academy whose brainchild this is, said that his dream became a reality when he met Mervyn Jayasinghe (Deputy Chairman of F & G) at the NCC, who also had an idea of a Cricket Academy. It was then that Opatha was requested to hand over a project report to Ceylinco supreme, Deshamanya Dr. Lalith Kotalawela. The dreamer,Tony Opatha, met the financier, Kotalawela, a few days later. The latter read the report and said: "It's a winner". He was told that it could cost about Rs. 100 million (in the end it was Rs. 140 million), with Opatha receiving the blessings of the Kotalawela's who wanted this Academy to be "one of the best". The Fingara International Cricket Academy has some of the finest coaches from Australia on contract. Like John Dyson, Trevor Chappel (who will be here on August 1), Dean Jones, Doug Walters, Jeff Thompson and Len Pascoe to name a few. Hemantha Dewapura is the Head Coach and there are several Sri Lankan consultant coaches too, who have been singed up. Opatha said that bio mechanism (which is lacking in Sri Lanka) is also available at the FICA. While the cricketers are videod at practices and are corrected. There is a sitting gallery for their parents too who are able to watch their kids at practices on three video cameras. The FICA also has a library, Sports Shop, Coffee Shop, Snack Bar, Restaurant, Swimming Pool, Gymnasium etc. He further said that each kid (starting from six years)has to pay an initial sum of Rs. 2,500/= as entry fee and a further sum of Rs. 6,000/= per month with a progress report being given to the parents every one-and-a-half months. There are 285 children enrolled at the moment with 10 scholarships for "underpreviledged" children. The FICA are also hoping to send three kids every year for a period of two months to either Australia, England or South Africa. Tony Opatha played for Sri Lanka for over a period of 12 years as a fast bowler, and then played cricket in South Africa, Holland, Netherlands, England, Ireland and Bangladesh too. |
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