GUWAHATI: In the current light of events, the football fraternity of Guwahati is witnessing a sweeping revolution as most of the youths prefer playing football in artificial arenas rather than playing in grass fields or government-owned fields.
But then it's also a question as to why would anyone spend so much just for the sake of playing in a 50X30 meter pitch.
Although football is deemed a popular sport among the youths of Guwahati and traditionally it's a sport typically played on a natural surface like grass or hard grounds.
However, there are many youngsters who have claimed to face numerous challenges while playing in these fields.
Speaking to G Plus Kunal Dey, a resident of Adabari says, "Most of the fields are not well maintained and the ground is uneven. This is very risky because of this I sustained injuries on several occasions.”
Nilanjan Sutradhar, another resident of Uzan Bazar claims that there is a lack of space in the fields. "Despite the presence of humongous fields. There is always a lack of space. You could see other people occupying space to play cricket." Nilanjan claims. Nilanjan also mentioned that their playtime gets interrupted when club players come to the ground for practice.
Another resident of Paltan Bazar claims that "Football is an essential sport for honing yourself and during early years, there were ample playgrounds for us to play in like Sai field, Judges field, Khanapara field, Chandmari Engineering College field. But, recently the administration is taking absolutely zero initiative to maintain these fields."
Although the Assam Government is actively working for the upliftment of this game.
Last year Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma spared a whopping amount of ₹150 crore for the construction of the SAI football stadium in Kokrajhar, which is going to host the quarter-final match of the Durand Cup.
In 2018, the then Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also announced the development of 500 playgrounds but unfortunately that never came to fruition.
The people and local football club members of Guwahati have been requesting a decent field, but unfortunately, these prayers haven't been answered.
Speaking to a member of Maharana Club under the conditions of anonymity, the member claims that they don't have their own football ground and most of the playgrounds they practice in are not in good shape.
That's where the artificial football grounds come in. Despite their size, it has come as a blessing.
It all started when Guwahati got its first FIFA-approved football turf on December 6, 2020, in Beharbari.
This move paved the way for the further establishment of football turfs.
Speaking to Pragyan Kakoti, a resident of Ambari says "Playing in these artificial turfs is amazing. They maintain it every day and we book a slot in advance and sometimes we also get a small discount as well."
However, people are still skeptical about the exorbitant rates as the charges cross up to ₹2,000-2,500 for booking a slot for 1 hour.
Kakoti also said despite the rise in prices, there is also a bunch of additional features provided.
Speaking with G Plus, Aditya Barooah, who owns the sports complex on the VIP Road says, "It is more of a recreational zone where people come to play after office hours and it has benefitted their health. From Football to swimming, we have built this ranch for them." Aditya further said that these sports complexes come with additional features like lights and an enclosed space with netting so that there is no chance of losing the ball.
"Usually, the fields that are under the administration don't provide these features for people who love to play during evening hours. That's why they prefer playing in sports complexes and they just pay up an amount and book the turf for 1 hour." he further added.
This upward trend of football turfs becoming more relevant has in turn helped promote football as a sport and will benefit the cause of the sport for the state and eventually the nation.
