Players of Jamshedpur Football Club, some of whom arrived in the steel city on Sunday, will be able to relax and unwind in cosy air-conditioned rooms - complete with LED televisions, en suite bathrooms and lounging space - when they play home matches in December during the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) Season 4, beginning next month.

Club owner Tata Steel is remodelling 34 out of the 84 rooms at a G+3 service apartment complex in Kadma, less than a kilometre from Tata Football Academy, which is the temporary practice venue, to accommodate the players. Once the facelift is complete, the complex will boast an air-conditioned dining hall, recreational space, gymnasium and a massage room, besides a fresh coat of paint on the exterior.

'We are making ISL debut and don't wish to risk shortcomings Apartments for our players are being readied in Kadma. We intend to provide all modern amenities. The complex will be christened once it is ready,' Tata Steel's chief of sports excellence Mukul Choudhry told this newspaper.

The apartments were earlier used to accommodate graduate trainees of the steel major.

The Tata Steel franchise will play nine home matches at JRD Tata Sports Complex and as many at away venues across the country till the league stage. The outfit will launch their campaign against Northeast United FC in Guwahati on November 18 and take on defending champions Atletico de Kolkata in their first match in Jamshedpur on December 1. The team will play one more match at home in case they make it to the semi-finals. The players will now stay rooted in the city for over a week en route to Thailand for pre-season preparations.

Eight footballers - Ashim Biswas, Shouvik Ghosh, Mehtab Hossain, Souvik Chakrabarti, Farukh Choudhary, Sumeet Passi, Sanjiban Ghosh and Siddharth Singh - reached from Calcutta and Ranchi on Sunday night.

'Others, including foreign players who have signed for JFC, will reach the city tomorrow (Tuesday). They will be here till October 8 and leave the following day,' Choudhry said.

Chief coach Stephen James Coppell will join the team in Jamshedpur before they fly to Thailand. The players are expected to undergo light practice sessions at the academy greens.

The eight footballers underwent mandatory medical tests at Tata Main Hospital in Bistupur on Monday morning. The exercise for the rest will completed during their stay in the city.

Choudhry said the team jersey would be launched in November. 'We have ample time at our disposal. Our first match is on November 18.'

The footballers were supposed to be part of a grand get-together in the city organised by Jamshedpur Sporting Association (JSA) but, according to Choudhry, the same has been postponed to next month.