Deepankar Sharda
Chandigarh, November 1
Despite having two proper grounds, the Directorate of Sports, Panjab University (PU), has picked GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar Sadhar (Ludhiana), to host the inter-college football tournament for men starting on November 5. Earlier, matches of Punjab Football League, Khelo India Games and even kabaddi were organised on the PU grounds.
Of a total of 23 teams, seven teams from Chandigarh are participating in this championship.
While the authorities picked a college, nearly 25 km from Ludhiana city, to host the inter-college matches, the same championship for women was recently held at Postgraduate Government College, Sector 11, here.
In 2015, the Directorate of Sports had organised an inter-college football championship at Gurusar Sadhar and since then, the event has been organised at outstation venues. The campus grounds are otherwise prepared for hosting other tournaments. Questions are being raised after the PU move to pick an outstation venue instead of a central one.
“The Panjab University Sports Committee (PUSC) should announce the tournament venues at the time of finalising the calendar. The majority of teams are from Chandigarh and despite having proper facilities here, the championship is being conducted at a private college, away from Ludhiana city,” said a senior coach of a local college.
The stadiums (Sector 42 and Sector 46) under the UT Sports Department are provided free of cost to the PU for hosting its tournaments (on a prior approval). “If the authorities think that two grounds are not enough for hosting the event, more grounds can be requisitioned from the Sports Department. The same championship in the women’s category was conducted at the Sector 11 college. Even the Ludhiana-based college had two grounds,” said another coach.
He said, “The teams from other districts of Punjab also participate in this championship and like previous years, it should be organised at a ‘neutral’ venue.” In 2015, one of the football grounds on the PU campus was renovated at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh and recently, the authorities had installed sprinkler systems at the grounds.
Majority of teams from city beautiful
The Panjab University Sports Committee should announce the tournament venues at the time of finalising the calendar. The majority of teams are from Chandigarh and despite having proper facilities here, the championship is being conducted at a private college, away from Ludhiana city. — A senior coach
