Work on training grounds in home stretch

KOCHI: With barely two weeks left for the football gala to begin, renovation and beautification of the training grounds are going ahead at full throttle. The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium was handed over to FIFA on Monday after upgrading amenities and other facilities.  The stadium now has refurbished seats, dressing rooms, drainage facility, fire safety system, floodlights and toilets.Facilities at training grounds are expected to be on a par with the FIFA standards. Maharaja's College Stadium is among the four training grounds for the teams playing in Kochi. A total of Rs 2.9 crore has been spent to renovate and augment facilities at Maharaja's. 

The pitiable condition of the ground had invited the wrath of FIFA representatives during the inspection in the initial stages. However, all shortcomings have now been rectified.Veli Ground and Parade Ground at Fort Kochi and the Sports Academy Ground at Panampilly Nagar have also been renovated despite work being stalled for some time owing to heavy downpour.

Paving of the walkway, construction of entry gates and the installation of floodlights are progressing at Parade Ground while renovation and beautification of the Sports Academy Ground are nearing completion. Since all these grounds have to be handed over to FIFA shortly, work is going on a war footing. 

A logo has also been designed for the Kochi matches of the World Cup. With the iconic Chinese net in the backdrop, the logo was designed by Manu Michel of Vazhakkala. All the six cities in India playing host to World Cup matches have separate logos selected through competition.