Thiruvananthapuram: There is a piece of good news for cricket lovers in the state capital. Giving wings to their dreams of watching their favorite cricketers play live, the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) will take over the Greenfield International Stadium in Kariavattom for a stipulated period of time.
If the KCA's takeover of the stadium materializes, Kariavattom will host the international matches to be allotted to the state association. Possibly, the stadium will be the venue for a couple of IPL matches as well in the next edition of the tournament.
The KCA’s move was necessitated by the terms and conditions of the lease agreement that allow the Kerala Football Association (KFA) to conduct matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kaloor, till 2017.
According to KCA president T.C. Mathew, the association had fruitful discussions with the Kariavattom stadium authorities. "A charter is expected to be drawn up regarding the financial package terms and a revenue-sharing formula needs to be worked out," he said, adding that the move will be a significant milestone for the Kerala's sports sector.
The KCA and the Kariavattom Sports Facilities Limited (KSFL) are on the verge of finalizing a memorandum of understanding (MoU), he revealed.
The cricket body has put forward a number of proposals to the new government to build cricket stadium in other parts of the state. Apart from reviving its international cricket stadium project at Edakochi, the KCA has recommended new stadiums in Kannur and Kozhikode districts. "We hope the state government will take a favorable decision," Mathew said.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, which has been leased out to the KCA for a period of 30 years by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), would now be made available for football matches as per the consensus reached between the KCA and the KFA on the use of the stadium.
As Kochi has been selected as a host of the 2017 under-17 FIFA World Cup, the football association needs to start working as early as possible to get the stadium ready for the tournament.
Until the proposed stadiums come up, the KCA will have to weigh other options to host international matches.
Meanwhile, football activities in Thiruvananthapuram are expected to come to a screeching halt if the KCA managed to strike a deal with the KSFL. According to sources, the KSFL officials were compelled to consider the KCA’s proposal as a result of the football body’s lethargic attitude in promoting football. When the stadium hosted the SAFF Football Championship matches recently, the KFA did not provide much support to the KSFL authorities.
There was a campaign from the very beginning that the capital city was not an ideal venue to host football tournaments. However, a huge crowd poured in to watch the final match as the attendance soared to around 45,000.
The World Cup qualifier between India and Afghanistan was also shifted to Kochi citing lack of interest among general public. It turned out to be a poor idea as the match was attended by less than 2,000 people, including maintenance staff of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.