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A hoopster's dream
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An indoor stadium at the Somasundaram ground in T. Nagar will give a fillip to the game and to the clubs in the area
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PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI
TAKING THE GAME FORWARD Boys practise at the open basketball court at Somasundaram ground
The Corporation Ground on Somasundaram Street in T. Nagar is a place where children enjoy being the most. Though they play cricket, football and basketball, what attracts a crowd here is basketball. More often than not, the galleries and the entire pathway get filled with spectators.
Spontaneous support
The support for institutional teams is so vociferous and spontaneous that a newcomer would be astonished to find that the game lures so many fans. From mud-court to cement court, basketball has undergone a lot of changes at this ground. Now, the time has come to convert the basketball court into a multipurpose indoor stadium where chess, badminton, table tennis and volleyball tournaments can also be hosted.
The need for such a stadium was acutely felt when the Ace Basketball Club conducted the Magnolia Trophy all-India tournament recently. Down came the rain and the organisers were forced to hold the semifinals and the finals of the seven-day tournament at the Montford Indoor Stadium in Santhome Higher Secondary School.
The demand for the stadium has come from the basketball clubs in and around Mambalam such as All-Star BC, Junior BC, Mambalam Youths Club, Madras Youth BC, Raghavendra BC, Ravikumar BC, T. Nagar SC and Venkateshwara BC — clubs which have benefited from the Somasundaram basketball facility.
A proposal prepared by G. Krishnan, Secretary, Ace Basketball Club in consultation with the other clubs, says, to keep the momentum going and to further popularise the game, the infrastructure has to be improved and a state-of-the-art facility has to be built.
Bigger following
If such a facility is created, the game will witness a bigger following and more students will develop an interest in it. This will produce players from Mambalam of the calibre seen in national and international events.
M. S. Venkataraman, president, Ace Basketball Club, says funding is the biggest problem, but with co-ordination between the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu and the Chennai Corporation, funds can be raised (tentatively Rs. 2 crore) for the project.
While he's all for promoting the Somasundaram ground, as it is bigger and has more parking space, Venkataraman says he doesn't have a problem if a stadium were constructed at the Corporation Ground on Venkatnarayana Road where basketball is also played.
K. KEERTHIVASAN
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