The state which has generated several well-known footballers in the past will finally have a stadium exclusively for football games. The Kerala Football Authority(KFA) and the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) would develop Ambedkar stadium in Kochi solely for the football events. Ambedkar Stadium, which is owned by the GCDA, will sign a pact with the KFA in this regard on Thursday. The GCDA would lease out the stadium to the KFA for 20 years for the rate of `50,000 per year.
Each three years, the rate would be hiked by 15 percentage. The KFA can use the ground for 200 days in a year for their purpose. For the rest of the days, the GCDA will organise football events here. The KFA is looking to organise inter-district games, inter-university games, Football training camps and national coaching camps in this ground. The ground can further be developed with international standards for organising international games. “Discussions in this regard have been continuing for the last several months. This move would help both cricket and football equally. Currently, both cricket and football games are conducted at Jawahar Lal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, which is leased to Kerala Cricket Authority (KCA). With a new football ground, Jawahar Lal Nehru International Stadium would be completely used for cricket matches. With this, both the grounds can be developed into international standards,”GCDA chairman N Venugopal said.
The KFA would lay football turf, install flood lights and other primary facilities in the stadium. Service Charge, water charge and electricity charge will be looked after by the KFA. The GCDA would renovate the gallery and increase the ground for laying new football turf here. The gallery will have a seating capacity for 1,000 people. Development fund allocated by Hibi Eden MLA will be used for this purpose. The GCDA has submitted the master plan of the football stadium before Kochi Corporation for their nod. N Venugopal said that construction work would begin soon after the corporation gives its nod for the master plan. The work would be completed within a year. Advertising rights inside the stadium would be with the KFA and exterior advertisement revenue would be collected by GCDA. The GCDA also have prepared a plan to shift the shops and vendors operating at Ambedkar stadium complex. These shops and vendors would be shifted to another building constructed by the GCDA near the stadium. K M A Mather, president, KFA, Minister K Babu and N Venugopal, Chairman, GCDA, would sign the pact at a function on Thursday.