Do you long to play football but never make it since you leave office well well after sunset? An artificial turf has come up at AMP Vaisaakkhi mall that allows you to play under floodlights till midnight. It also offers a breathtaking view of the cityscape as the turf lies on the mall’s ninth floor terrace.
Turf Street is the initiative of Aadarsh Choudhary of DL Block and Sanchit Agarwal of BG Block, who were classmates at DPS Megacity (2011 batch). “Terrace turf is a relatively new concept in Calcutta but it’s popular in Japan, Mumbai and Bangalore. We know Salt Lake has many parks but they are used mostly by students in the afternoon. Our target is office-goers who only have free time after dark,” says Sanchit, who would himself play cricket and football for his school and college.
The terrace of the Baisakhi-based mall has been split into two grounds, with dugouts and some free space on the sides to spare. Both grounds get 4,500 sq ft each and have 20-ft high nets around them so the balls don’t fly out. The football ground has received extensive treatment. They fixed imported turf over the cement followed by silica sand and rubber granules. This is to provide good grip to players’ spiked shoes.
“The football field grass is 50mm but the cricket field grass is 25mm grass. This is because the cricket ball is smaller and would not roll easily if the grass is high,” explains Aadarsh. “The fields are fine in rain and shine, although cricket booking takes a dip on rainy days.”
The boys say the mall management had consulted architects to ensure the building could support the infrastructure.
The football games here would be 4-a-side but a fifth player can squeeze in too. The rates for hiring the ground are Rs 1,000 per hour without lights and Rs 1,500 with lights.
The cricket ground follows rules of the 8-a-side indoor cricket format. A direct hit on the net earns six runs and a bounce-and-then-hit earns four. The pitch is a regular 22 yards. The rates are Rs 1,700 per hour without lights and Rs 2,000 with lights. Both the turfs are open from 6am to midnight.
Net worth
Aparup Chakraborty, former national indoor cricket team captain and a resident of BL Block, visited the facility and was especially happy with the high tension net installed. “It is the first such net installed in the city. Since catching a ball deflected by the net is accepted in indoor cricket, a rebound net is of immense importance. None of the other venues where indoor cricket is played in Calcutta has such a net,” he said. Chakraborty has given the organisers some advice on upgrading the pitch.
He pointed out that indoor cricket increases a player’s reflex. “That is why famous Australian players like Steve and Mark Waugh, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting and current Aussie captain Steve Smith played indoor cricket in their inception years.”
There is another terrace turf called VPlay Sportz near City Centre 2 (above New Town Square). The three turfs there allow visitors to play football, cricket, paintball etc for Rs 1,500 per hour. But it is better for football than cricket.
The Baisakhi turfs opened right before the Fifa Under-17 World Cup and have become a sought-after destination for players around town. “I live in Dum Dum but work at a Karunamoyee office. I never finish work before 8pm and by then the fields in my neighbourhood have all blacked out,” said Subhasish Dutta, who had come to play football against a team from Alipore on the rooftop recently. “I would love to come and play here often.”
Corporate bookings and birthday parties have started here and they are also planning a tournament.
“We shall also open food counters soon,” said Aadarsh, who is a partner at the Santa Delivers home delivery joint.
Brinda Sarkar
