GT to take Junior Titans grassroots programme across Gujarat for third year

Ahmedabad, Jan 15 (PTI) Gujarat Titans will roll out the third edition of their grassroots programme 'Junior Titans' across five cities in the state from Saturday, continuing their push to get children "away from gadgets", franchise COO Colonel Arvinder Singh said.

The Under-14 programme, which has already reached more than 10,000 children in its first two editions, will begin in Surendranagar before moving to Morbi, Amreli, Anand and concluding in Ahmedabad on February 14.

"We are trying to motivate children to come out and play, not be busy with gadgets and all that kind of stuff indoors," Singh told PTI, underlining that Junior Titans is not a talent hunt.

"We are not trying to make them into cricketers. This is not a talent hunt programme. It's about getting outdoors and playing. If someone eventually plays cricket, so be it, but that's not the focus." Singh said the initiative, which began in 2023, was GT's way of giving back to the state that the franchise represents.

"We are a sporting franchise and we are Gujarat Titans, so we focus primarily on the children from Gujarat," he said.

The programme uses sport as a tool to build life skills such as teamwork and camaraderie.

"It's about teamwork, working together, making friends, and not just restricting yourself to indoor stuff and gadgets," Singh said.

The response has been strong, with 21 schools already registered for the Surendranagar leg.

"In the last two editions we had more than 10,000 children taking part in 11 events across different cities," Singh added.

The third edition will continue with a non-competitive format, keeping participation, inclusion and the joy of being active at its core, under the theme 'Let's Sport Out -- outdoors." PTI TAP TAP AH AH