KOCHI: An overdose of the Beautiful Game in recent years - featuring the heroics of Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League and the awe-inspiring displays of the Brazilian and Spanish colts in the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup - has got Malayalees catching the football bug again! The sport that had taken a back seat for the national obsession - cricket - now finds itself under the spotlight. And at least a few kids who had dreamt of punching the ball like Sachin Tendulkar once used to do have now replaced the red cherry with a slightly bigger sphere - the one kicked around by the likes of Iain Hume and Sunil Chhetri.
But football enthusiasts in Kerala faced another big problem - a severe lack of access to playgrounds. For the fate of several open spaces was already sealed by realty developers and other ventures. Step in young entrepreneurs. A new band of promoters is now cashing in on this new fascination for the game .
The trend is nowhere more visible than in Kochi, the sporting capital of Kerala, where commercial playing spaces have sprung up like mushrooms in recent times. These ready-to-rent spaces aremostly small five-a-side courts installed with artificial turfs that can be booked on an hourly basis.Kochi now boasts of more than half a dozen such turfs that are packed to the rafters from the break of dawn to well past midnight.
“We got the idea to start such a facility after seeing the success of such courts in cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai,” said Cinto Anto Alapatt, owner of Kakkanad-based Espirito. Started last year, Espirito recently hosted the Kochi leg of Neymar Jr’s Five and is the favourite hangout location for a good number of techies these days.“We had to travel quite a distance earlier to play football,” said Thahir P M, an Infopark-based IT professional. The 36-year-old has participated in five corporate and non-corporate ‘fives’ football tournaments in the past year or so.
“My colleagues and I book a turf twice or thrice every week. We have always been passionate about football and when you have a facility like this nearby, you will definitely want to play,” he said.
Sportopoliz, opposite Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Tripunithura, was the first private player to throw open an artificial turf in Kochi, in April 2015.“We began by giving coaching camps to children during the summer vacation. Six months later, we laid the artificial turf and the demand went up considerably,” said co-owner Sachin Suresh who partnered his friends from school to open the place.
“Our customers were mainly IT professionals in the first two years. But with more turfs opening up in the Kakkanad region, we are getting more children and youth from nearby areas. We also rent out the place for schools once in a while.”Zesto, opened less than six months ago along the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, has two five-a-side fields powered by floodlights on a 32-cent plot. Open from 6 am to 1 am, the place is a beehive of activity throughout the day. “We have people playing here from all walks of life. Men and women, kids and senior citizens, residents associations and techies -- they all have a lot of fun,” said Zesto’s Richie Kuriakose. “People look from outside and think it is not for them; that it is a serious game of football. But most of our patrons wouldn’t have kicked a football before and they all come back for more.”
On an average, a field can be rented for an hour for around R1,000 with peak hours going for R1,500. Shared by a 10-member group needed to play a game of ‘fives’, the cost involved is arguably cheap.
Jogo Football Arena in Chilavannur, Soccer Pitch in Edappally, Soccer City in Kakkanad, The Backyard Activity Arena in Kangarappady and Campeones Football in Ayyappankavu are some of the other sought-after venues in Kochi.The trend might have picked up pace recently, but you will have to go back as far as 2011 to trace its beginnings.
That was when the Regional Sports Centre (RSC) laid the first-ever artificial turf in the state at their sprawling campus in Kadavanthra.“We spent around R1.5 crore for the athletics track and the artificial football turf opened in February 2011. With only a nominal fee of R100, it has proved to be so popular we were forced to relay it a year early because of the wear and tear,” said RSC secretary S A S Navaz.
“You can do mundane workouts in a gym paying a big sum or you can come to one of the turfs with your friends, enjoy yourself and keep yourself fit. I have heard many companies in and around the city booking spots for their employees in order to boost their morale and improve relations,” said Fredy M S, an IT professional.
Treading a new path
The much sought-after football venues with artificial turf in Kochi are Sportopoliz (Tripunithura), Espirito (Kakkanad), Zesto (Kadavanthra), Jogo Football Arena (Chilavannur), Soccer Pitch (Edappally), Soccer City (Kakkanad), The Backyard Activity Arena (Kangarappady) and Campeones Football (Ayyappankavu)Pioneering spirit
The trend might have picked up pace recently, but one has to go back as far as 2011 to trace its beginnings. Because that was when the Regional Sports Centre (RSC) laid the first-ever artificial turf in the state at their sprawling campus in Kadavanthra.
NOT JUST FOOTBALL
THE arenas are not limited to just playing football. While some facilities offer training for kids with the help of professional coaches, others have diverged into cricket and badminton.
Zesto, for instance, is planning to provide coaching to under-15 children and has appointed veteran football coach Rufus D’Souza as advisor. They have also tied up with a leading international sportswear manufacturer as their sponsor!
The Jogo Football Arena has UEFA-licensed Portuguese Joao Pedro giving lessons to children. “Our plan initially was to set up an academy. When we realised grounds are very difficult to find in Kochi, we laid the artificial turf ourselves,” said Jogo’s Francis Noel Ben.
Other centres are planning to add to their menu. “We will soon come out with facilities for kabaddi, aerobics and cricket,” said Firthous of Kozhikode-based Forza.
Sportopoliz in Tripunithura already has a cricket nets and is planning to start a separate facility for badminton. Standalone badminton facilities have also sprung up -- one of the most popular being Smash Arena, with facilities at Thammanam and Kathrikadavu.
“Setting up a wooden court alone costs around R20 lakh. You need to have a real passion for the game to succeed in the longer run,” said co-owner Louis Kochappu.
Badminton courts normally charge up to R6,500 for an hour and let a maximum of eight players in.