THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : When the Greenfield International Stadium in Kariavattom, also known as The Sports Hub, was inaugurated with much fanfare in 2015 as part of the National Games, sports lovers across the state rejoiced. The twenty-twenty and one-day international matches conducted here were widely appreciated by sports personalities including Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjerakar. However, its current state cuts a sorry figure. The recent army recruitment and election rallies conducted here has damaged the stadium, including the cricket pitch and outfield.
Lack of proper maintenance is evident from the overgrown bushes that have taken over the facility. Neither the government nor the operators are keen to renovate it. A hashtag campaign, #SaveSportshubtrivandrum, is gaining momentum on social media, where people are putting up the sad state of this stadium.
On a downhill
The 37-acre facility which was developed with a fund of `161 crore as a public-private partnership model, boasts a capacity of 50,000. It was constructed in adherence to the FIFA and International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations to suit both football and cricket events. The stadium is currently being operated by the Kariavattom Sports Facilities Limited (KSFL), a subsidiary of the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services.
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) had withdrawn their agreement with KSFL after the latter agreed to conduct the Indian Army’s recruitment rally in the stadium. An India-South Africa women’s ODI series scheduled for March was cancelled due to this. Recently, the district administration reportedly gave a nod for political parties to hold events at the stadium further destroying its compound. Former minister Kadakampally Surendran had also criticised the move on his Facebook page.
Shelly Raveendran, convener, Trivandrum Development Front, said this is a deliberate attempt to move international cricket events from Thiruvananthapuram to elsewhere. “Many cricket personalities had praised the stadium for its professional management. Now, we don’t know whom to blame. We suspect vested interests are at play here,” he said. Mayor Arya Rajendran will soon conduct a meeting with the district collector to address the issue. “A meeting with all stakeholders will be convened soon. Since we were concentrating on Covid containment activities now, we could not focus on infrastructure projects,” she added. Kadakampally Surendran, MLA, and the officials of KSFL were unavailable for comment.
Facilities
Seating capacity 50,000
31 corporate boxes
World-class lounge areas
Multiplex theatres and food courts
International convention centre built near the stadium
Part of the stadium was converted to Covid First-Line treatment centre
Milestones
27-05- 2016: KCA signed an agreement with KSFL to lease the stadium till 18-11-2027. According to the agreement, the KCA was to use the stadium for 180 days in a year — from October 1 to January 31 and from April 1 to May 30. The KCA was responsible for the maintenance of the playing area inside the stadium and had agreed to pay a fixed amount as fees and share the revenue with KSFL when international matches are held.
On 7- 11- 2017: the facility became India’s 50th international cricket venue when it hosted a T20I against New Zealand
On 01-11- 2018: Hosted its first ODI