Kochi: The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), the owners of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kaloor, which serves as the home ground to Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Kerala Blasters, is planning to lay a synthetic athletic tract at the venue, it was learnt.
The move is seen as a ploy to drive away the club from Kochi and force them to shift its base to another city.
Defending champions Bengaluru FC had faced a similar situation ahead of the sixth edition of the ISL after the Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA) approached the court against leasing out the Sree Kanteerava Stadium to the franchise, alleging that footballing activities had been severely hampering the training schedules of local athletes.
Although the association claimed that the venue was built exclusively for track and field disciplines, the court ruled in favour of Bengaluru FC and allowed them to continue to play their home games at the stadium, which consists of an eight-lane 400m synthetic athletic track.
Notably, ever since the commencement of the new season, the GCDA and the management of Kerala Blasters has been at loggerheads after the former raised allegations of breach of contract against the franchise.
Football-specific venues
Football stadiums have historically served as track and field arenas as well, and many still do. However, this does not make for a good match atmosphere or satisfy the needs of the fans.
Although football’s world governing body FIFA is not so keen on hosting major tournaments at stadiums with running tracks, it was seen relaxing rules while allocating key events to countries in Asia and Africa due to the absence of football-specific venues there. That was how the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where a 400m synthetic track exits, was allowed to host the final of the Under-17 World Cup in 2017.
Seven and counting
Currently, there are seven 400m synthetic tracks in Kerala. Three of them are in Thiruvananthapuram, while two each are in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. The facilities in the capital city are at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, University Stadium, and at the Lakshmibai National College for Physical Education (LNCPE) under the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
In Malappuram district, the Municipal Stadium in Tirur and the C H Muhammed Koya Stadium at Thenhipalam have state-of-the-art running tracks. The 400m synthetic tracks in Kozhikode are at the Medical College Stadium, and the Usha School of Athletics.
The construction of the 400m track at Attingal is in the final phase while the track-laying work at the stadiums in Thalassery and at Brennen College are fast progressing. Also, the Cabinet has given its clearance for constructing a 400m synthetic track at the Government Medical College ground in Pariyaram near Kannur.
