Vashi school sets up India's First Multi-Sport Artificial Turf Ground in
Navi Mumbai. (Maharashtra - India.)
NAVI MUMBAI: A modest SSC school from Vashi here has done a Multi - Sport Artificial Turf Ground which can be used for hockey as well as football.
In fact, GreenFields BV, the Dutch manufacturer of the artificial turf, says this is the first such ground in India.
The 103m by 65m field which costs Rs 3 cr with floodlights is the jewel in the crown for Fr Agnel Multipurpose high school which has a Rs 7-cr sports complex with a swimming pool, basketball court, shooting range and skating rink.
``The ground is a blessing for Mumbai. Hats off to the school,'' said M M Somaya, former India hockey captain. Synthetic grass enables players to practice in the four months of monsoon too and it also reduces the chances of injury. Another hockey great, Dhanraj Pillai, who advised the school, felt that ``a great beginning has been made''.
Hailing it as a ``big step'', former India footballer Henry Menezes said this would go a long way in imparting basic .
All three former sportsmen said this was the first time they were hearing of a dual use artificial turf ground in India.
Fr Agnel high school has not only encouraged sports but over the past 25 years it has also set up its own training facilities with corporate funding. Several of its students such as Lekha Kamath, Jyotsna Pansare and Shrinjini Sahay have broken records at the the national inter-school swimming championships. These students excel in academics as well. Over the past three years, Fr Agnel's students have outscored the board toppers with the 25 marks given for playing in state-level tournaments.
``As of now, we are looking at the artificial turf ground only from the training point of view and children from other schools too are welcome. However, if we get the opportunity, we may use it to host tournaments," said Fr Saturnino Almeida, former principal and now managing director of Fr Agnel's Technical Complex.
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