GUWAHATI: Guwahati got its first FIFA approved football turf and sports complex ‘Game On Arena’ on December 6. The artificial turf located at city’s Beharbari area aims to boost grassroots football infrastructure in the state and provide a safe and world-class facility for children who aspire to be professionals in the sport.
The turf is a joint venture of father-son duo Hiren Barman and Jiten Barman and has brought to life by Sajad Siddique, a graduate in sports management in association with Guwahati City Football Club (GCFC) in their activities.
“It is the concern of every parent that my child may get hurt if he or she is into any contact sport. So when one is playing on a FIFA-approved turf which is made of rubber, silica, etc., it reduces the chances of any injury. Moreover, we also tried to create a recreational environment. Most of the working class either go to cafes during our spare time but we miss school days when we used to play together. So we have tried to provide a similar platform here,” Siddique said during the inauguration ceremony.
The turf was inaugurated in the presence of senior journalist and president of All India Sports Journalists’ Federation Subodh Malla Barua and Kamalakanta Loitongbam, coach, N.F. Railways along with Siddhartha Sankar Deka, co-founder, Guwahati City Football Club (GCFC).
“I believe that if our children are provided with a safe environment such as the turf here, it will help in developing their skills. We from Guwahati City FC will also try to introduce more such arenas which will benefit the children and the sport,” said Siddhartha Sankar Deka, co-founder Guwahati City FC.
An Under-9 exhibition match was also played between GCFC Academy and Kaziranga Football Academy following the inauguration.