Courtesy: The Hindu


Footloose in futsal

CHENNAI, October 12, 2016

With eight arenas, and more to come, it’s become easier than ever to get your friends together for a game of football, writes UDHAV NAIG

Football fans in Chennai, a city known for its love for cricket, have been given short shrift for too long. Without proper turf to play on, football enthusiasts had to settle for playing under street lights at uneven public playgrounds built for amateur cricket matches.

“We would go home covered in red mud after every game. Now, we have proper turf pitches. After playing at Corporation grounds, these facilities feel world-class,” says photographer Varun Suresh, who now regularly plays at one of the eight ‘futsal’ arenas that have sprung up in the city over the past year.

Partly spurred by the growth of the Indian Super League, Indian Premier Futsal League featuring popular international players and the immense popularity of European football leagues, the city seems to be rediscovering its relationship with the sport.

Inspired by passion for the sport, young entrepreneurs have come up with ‘futsal’ arenas designed to provide a typical footballing experience, besides enhancing the overall football infrastructure in the city. While everyone saw problems, these entrepreneurs saw opportunity. At least three of these venues, laid with artificial grass and reasonably good facilities such as locker rooms, have come up in different parts of the city over the past year.

And the football community in Chennai, according to the owners of these arenas, has responded enthusiastically. Despite the fact that there are eight venues, it can still be challenging to find an open slot over the weekend. Taking into account that each slot accommodates about 10 players, and the facility is open from 5 a.m. to midnight, that’s a pretty impressive footfall.

Prahlad Meyyappan, founder of Tiki Taka, a rooftop futsal arena in Kilpauk, which opened in October last year, says he turned the swimming pool used by a gym into a futsal arena soon after he graduated from college. “My college had extremely good facilities to pursue sports. And I wanted to create something like that in the city which lacks such facilities,” says Prahlad, who adds that he wanted to provide a ‘footballing’ experience in Chennai.

One of the first futsal arenas was built by Rohit Ravindran on East Coast Road. “I built one in Uthandi for the love of football. Everyone said that such a facility would work even better if I built one inside the city,” says Rohit, whose ‘Kick-Off at Chamiers’ is situated on Chamiers Road. Contending that such facilities are important to nurture young talent, Rohit says, “We need better facilities to play football. We are already seeing new, exciting talent emerging from tournaments that we conduct regularly each month. Who knows, someday, a kid from the city could play in Europe.”

Anwar Abazir and Hatim Shabbir own Futzorb in Adyar. Frustrated by lack of space to play football, they built this venue to cater to players with similar challenges. “We used to play at our school playground in Adyar, but we could do so only during weekends. We needed a place to play during the weekdays,” says Anwar.

Is he happy with the response? “Yes!,” he says, adding, “Frankly, we didn’t believe that there would be so much demand. We get a range of clients, from young IT professionals to lawyers. We even get visits from parents enquiring about football coaching,” he says.

There have been some problems as well. The ‘costly’ pricing, non-conforming to ‘futsal’ regulations and smaller playing areas have been identified as challenges by regulars. Prashaanth B., a lawyer who works at Madras High Court and plays six days a week, says he is hoping that rates will come down as more arenas come up. “The market will decide rates. I also hope pitches get bigger. In England, there are indoor pitches that are as big as a football field,” he says, adding, “I also hope that the owners think of giving out memberships and package deals to regulars.”

Varun Suresh, who has restarted playing football, adds that since the ball is always in play, the quality of the game goes down. “It is terrible without proper boundaries. Venues in Pune had boundaries. Those that are coming up in future shouldn’t try to save one metre of space around the field,” he says.

A football field measures 90 to 120 m in length and 45 to 90 m in breadth, while a futsal field can vary from 25 x 16 m to 42 x 25 m. Chennai’s arenas, however, are usually about 4,500 sq feet. The sizes are variable, depending on the space available. Hence, these venues can be in unexpected places. Game On, in Egmore, for instance, is on the rooftop of a building and boasts rebound nets, parking facilities and stunning views.’

Netz is at Citi Centre Mall. And at Futzorb in Adyar, players enjoy an ‘open to sky pitch’. To play, you just need to check the availability on iamplay.in and book a slot on the website. A one-hour slot costs between Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 3,000, depending on the time you choose to play.

Nevertheless, the arenas are currently proving to be as flexible as they are popular, as amateur players desperate for space to play sports book slots. “If you want to do something in the city with your friends, there’s really nothing much to do except to go for a movie or party. I conceived Tiki Taka as a place where friends can enjoy a game together,” says Prahlad, adding, “I wanted them to feel like football stars themselves. We give people a great pitch to play on, as well as locker rooms that make them feel like professionals.” Prahlad says that a new property will soon open in T. Nagar. “That will be much bigger, complete with a dedicated space for people to sit and watch the games.”

The idea is, he concludes, “Just bring your boots, we’ll give you the experience.”



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com