AMN
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today virtually inaugurated two football pitches developed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) at the Centre of Excellence in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. These pitches will be used by the teams, which will be competing in the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup beginning January 20.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Thackeray expressed confidence that Kharghar will soon evolve as a sports city, while Maharashtra will be the first state in the country to provide facilities for all sports.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) President and Chairman, LOC, AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 Praful Patel thanked CIDCO for taking up the initiative for developing world class infrastructure. He said, it is very good to see the first world-class FIFA stadium coming up in Navi Mumbai which also played host to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017 and will continue to do so for the Women’s Asian Cup 2022 and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in October.
The Centre of Excellence is being developed over 10.5 hectares and the stadiums and pitches are being built in compliance with FIFA standards. The stadiums will have a seating capacity of 40,000 visitors. Work is also underway for a golf course and rugby stadium at the Centre of Excellence.
Of the four pitches for international football matches, three will be of natural grass and one will have an artificial turf. Along with professional sports training, there will also be an independent space for clubhouse.
The stadium is well-connected via the upcoming international airport, metro, highways and suburban railways.
The total estimate of the project is 1,750 crore rupees of which the high-performance centre and clubhouse will cost 150 crore rupees and the stadium will cost approximately 1,500 crore rupees. The two pitches have been built at a cost of 85 crore rupees.