Artificial turfs have football fans happy

Thiruvananthapuram : Lack of playgrounds and open spaces in the state capital is becoming a handicap for football enthusiasts and youngsters here.

Many artificial turfs have come up recently and interestingly, all of them are located near to the IT Park at Kazhakoottam. For the love of the game, many of the players are travelling all the way to Akkulam for getting the turf experience.  According to experts, the lack of convenient outdoor spaces contributes to this trend. It is learnt that there are over a hundred artificial turfs at Kozhikode and around 30 turfs at Kochi.

Jimmy Joy of Diego Football Park, Akkulam said that the Trivandrumites are very much into football. “The response we got since the launch of this artificial turf is immense. We never expected such a turnout as the normal perception was that people here are more into Cricket. Many players are coming from far off places to play in the turf. People play here even at midnight,” said Mr Jimmy. He said that since the launch of ISL (Indian Super League), the popularity of the game has gone up.

It is learnt that there are hundreds of football clubs and academies in the district.  According to Ebin Rose, former Santhosh Trophy Player and Coach of Kovalam FC, unauthorised constructions are to be blamed for depleting playgrounds. “High rises and shopping malls are fast sprouting. All this happen under the nose of the authorities. It’s disheartening that young players are not getting adequate facilities for football training. Playgrounds at schools are not serving the purpose,” said Mr Ebin.

He said that FIFA doesn’t allow playing official matches on an artificial turf. “The game is getting commercialised and maj-ority of the academies and clubs here are eligible to impart professional coaching,” said Mr Ebin Rose, who is a B licensed coach under Asian Football Federation.