Chandigarh, Aug 2 - It has been a long term investment and now the Chandigarh Football-Hockey Academy is beginning to show results.

Started in 2000 by the government for children from all over northern India who are talented in sports, the academy is now producing players who can compete at national and international levels.

A brainchild of J.F.R Jacob, former administrator of Chandigarh and a retired general and war hero, it started as a football academy at the Sector 42 sports complex. Two years later hockey was added and it was rechristened Chandigarh Football-Hockey Academy (CFHA).

The first batch of 24 football players, who joined the academy when they were 9-10 years old, graduated in 2007 after completing seven years' training.

J.P.S Sidhu, joint director of sports, Chandigarh, told IANS: 'Around 14 players of the first football batch had attended national football camps for various tournaments and six players represented India in prestigious international competitions in different age groups.

'We are confident of producing global standard sporting talent in the near future. On an average, Rs.80,000 is spent by the academy on each trainee annually.'

The second (10-11 years) and third (9-10 years) batches of 24 footballers each were started in 2004 and 2007.

Hockey training started in 2002 with the first batch of 11-12-year-olds of 24 boys for a six-year training stint. Subsequent batches of hockey trainees were inducted in 2005 and 2008.

'Once a child is selected in the academy then he is our responsibility and we look after his every need. They are provided free education till Class 12 and the sports department also arranges for their admission in good government schools,' Chandigarh Sports Secretary Sanjay Kumar told IANS.

'They are provided free board, lodging and sports equipment and the facility of free treatment at leading government hospitals. The department also engages tutors to regularly monitor and supervise their studies,' he added.

Six hockey players from the first batch made it to the India juniors squad. Dharamvir, who passed out from here, was in the team that bagged the silver medal in the Junior Asia Cup held in Singapore this May.

The academy also started training a girls' hockey team in 2007 and admitted 24 trainees in the age group of 13-14 years.