Ground not in best shape, but CFC home games at JLN Stadium are on

CHENNAI: Chennaiyin FC (CFC) are gearing up for a run of home fixtures at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, with the two-time Indian Super League champions set to host FC Goa in their first home game of the season on March 22.

However, the pitch doesn’t look in the best shape with 11 days to go for the game. Currently there are big dry patches due to surface wear and tear with sprinklers being visible and it will need a tremendous amount of work to get the ground in perfect condition for the games. Despite the concerns, club officials and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) remain confident that things will be fine before March 22.

“Work is underway in full flow and we have deployed additional resources and machinery. We are working with our vendor to lay a fresh layer of grass to ensure we are ready for the first match,” a senior Chennaiyin FC official told TOI. “In due course, we hope that the pitch will get better.”

CFC are scheduled to play five consecutive home matches at the venue, making the timely preparation of the surface crucial.

Member secretary of the SDAT, J Meghanatha Reddy, also expressed confidence that the ground will be match-ready. “They are working on it. The pitch will be ready in superb, playable condition for the ISL from March 22. This is not the first time we are doing it. We do it every year,” Reddy told TOI.

The stadium recently hosted concerts and corporate functions, which took a toll of the playing surface. CFC had serious concerns about playing their home games at the JLN stadium, but Reddy dismissed suggestions that the non-sports events had affected the pitch.

“These are two mutually exclusive events. Worldwide, it is an accepted and increasingly adopted practice to generate revenue from stadiums because running a facility like this comes at a huge cost,” he said.

“When we allow athletes to train here, whether for football, athletics or other sports, we provide the facilities at highly subsidised rates. The only way to make a stadium sustainable is to explore revenue opportunities without compromising sporting schedules and practice.”

According to Reddy, the authorities are closely monitored the installation and dismantling processes of the events held at the venue. “As an authority, we watched everything very closely from installation to dismantling. We have our own teams supervising the process and we did not find any damage whatsoever to the stadium,” he added.

He also clarified that the responsibility for pitch maintenance lies with Chennaiyin FC and ISL as per the agreement between the club and the state authorities.

“As per the understanding between SDAT and CFC, they manage the upkeep and maintenance for about eight months in a year. The overall maintenance of the pitch is with the CFC team, so we have no direct role in that,” Reddy explained.

He added that the club had already begun restoration work after the recent events at the venue. “Soon after the concert, they started working on it. By the time we approach the match, everything should be perfect,” he said, reiterating that concerts had “not disturbed their maintenance in any way.”