TIRUCHY: Former hockey players and coaches in Tiruchy reiterated their long-pending demand for a dedicated spectators' gallery, toilets and changing rooms at the Anna Stadium hockey synthetic turf run by Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).
Citing rising footfall at the stadium as the district increasingly hosts inter-district and state-level tournaments, they said that despite being one of a few centres in Tamil Nadu with a synthetic turf, the ground continues to operate without basic amenities, forcing hundreds of visitors to stand around the pitch during matches.
Officials said the district hosts nearly 30 tournaments a year, including under-14, under-17, under-18, men's and women's leagues, intercollegiate fixtures, south zone events and regular club matches. "We need a gallery because there is absolutely no facility. It's an open ground with no seating or vantage point," said S Karthik, general secretary, Hockey Trichy.
The absence of infrastructure, he added, has also increased safety risks during crowding at major fixtures. The lack of toilets and changing rooms is also a concern for athletes. Women players have to allegedly walk almost 750 metres to access washrooms in the main stadium block.
"Men too struggle to access restrooms. For every big match, organisers spend nearly Rs 20,000 on makeshift tents and seating. If permanent facilities existed, hosting events would be far easier," Karthik added. Veteran player V Balakrishnan, secretary of the Veterans Hockey Association, said the demand has been pending for over a decade.
"The current turf is more than 10 years old and needs replacement. We even tried pooling resources to build basic structures, but permission was not granted though there is sufficient space," he said.
Tiruchy currently has around 250 active players across 20 clubs, besides school and college teams, and around 40 of the under-14 athletes regularly being trained in Anna Stadium. Veteran players submitted a representation to Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi during the Tamil Nadu School Hockey League (TNSHL) Season 2 meet held at Tiruchy in November, where he had assured them the demands would be looked into.
However, enquiries by TNIE revealed that while a proposal for a new turf was sent by the Tiruchy sports officials to the SDAT in 2023, it is still awaiting approval and no proposal has been submitted for constructing a gallery yet. J Meghanatha Reddy, member secretary of the SDAT, told TNIE that all upgrades and necessary facility works at Anna Stadium are scheduled to begin in January 2026 as part of a statewide stadium development plan.