If the City Corporation takes a favourable stand, the EMS Memorial Corporation stadium will host the Ranji Trophy matches and other national level cricket tournaments. Kerala Cricket Association Secretary (KCA) T C Mathew has expressed that KCA was keen to develop the Corporation Stadium into a cricket stadium and talks in this regard was being held with the Kozhikode Corporation officials.
Mathew said the KCA is willing to share the ground with other sports, especially football. “I know the city has a craze for football and we don’t have any problem with national and international football tournaments or any other events being conducted at the stadium,” he said. “I realise that the football lovers here are apprehensive about KCA’s interest in the stadium, but those fears are misplaced, I can assure them.”
He requested that the league level matches be conducted at the Medical College ground that the turf can be laid at the Corporation Stadium.“We have held talks with the Corporation authorities and are willing to invest in the ground so that we can host cricket matches here,” he said. “Though the facilities here at present may not be enough to host international matches, we hope that it will be possible in the near future,” he added.
Earlier, the stadium had hosted international cricket matches. However the change in ICC norms has prevented the city from hosting any international events. Now it is difficult to say that whether ODIs can be conducted here,” said KCA officials.
The stadium will be hosting the football events in the 35th edition of the National Games and construction of a grand stand pavilion is progressing here. The new building comprises a grand stand pavilion and a twostorey shopping complex. The grand stand, which will adhere to international standards, will be constructed at an estimated cost of `19.01 crore.
The stadium will have state-of-the-art facilities including a VVIP lounge with a seating capacity for 200, a VIP lounge, dressing room for players and a media centre.
There will also be a parking complex at the stadium. Around 3,000 spectators can watch the match from the grand stand, which has been designed by architect R K Ramesh.
The stadium which was constructed in 1977 was last renovated in 2005. It has hosted the home side matches of SBT Thiruvananthapuram in the National Football League, in 2005, and also home games of VIVA Kerala FC in their I-League campaign in 2009- 10.
