Demand for a stadium at Mavelikara is getting louder. The Kerala Congress Mavelikara Assembly constituency committee will organise a programme to shore up support for the cause on July 10 at 4 p.m. Bishop of the Mavelikara Eparchy of the Syro-Malankara Church Joshua Mar Ignathios and others will kick a ball on the occasion.
Mavelikara, which has produced several athletes over the years, lacks proper facilities for holding sporting events and sportspersons to train. The municipal stadium owned by Mavelikara municipality was transformed into a private bus stand some time ago. In the absence of quality sporting facilities, many athletes are forced to travel long distances for training.
Though the municipality had repeatedly announced its intention to construct a stadium, it remains a pipe dream. In the 2023-24 Budget, the civic body earmarked ₹10 lakh as a token sum for the construction of volleyball and badminton courts. The project is, however, expected to cost around ₹1 crore.
Meanwhile, M.S. Arunkumar, MLA, recently offered help for the cause. A team led by Mr. Arunkumar last month visited A.R. Rajaraja Varma Memorial Government Girls Higher Secondary School and Government Boys Higher Secondary School to examine the possibility of constructing indoor and open stadiums there. The plan is to construct a 3,000-seat indoor stadium with badminton, volleyball and basketball courts at Government Girls HSS. A basketball court and a football pitch are proposed at Government Boys Higher Secondary School.
