Tough times await local leagues: Organisers

While the fans and stakeholders continue to fret over the uncertain future of their darlings – European football leagues, Formula One, Grand Slams, National Basketball Association (NBA) and Indian Premier League (IPL) – the organisers of the city’s local leagues are fighting a never-seen-before battle.

The Chennai Hockey Association (CHA) Super Division League Championship, the Chennai District Volleyball Association (CDVA) ‘A’ Division League Championship for Men, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) First Division League and the Thiruvallur District Cricket Association (TDCA) League are some of the competitions that have come to a halt in the city and its neighbourhood.

Having adhered to the guidelines laid out by the state government and suspended the tournaments until further notice, most organising committee members, in an interaction withDT Next, revealed challenging times are ahead of them. CHA President V Baskaran and CDVA Secretary AK Chithraipandian stressed cost would be their major problem once events resume. “Till now, we have had only eight days of action. Our expenses will obviously increase. We will once again have to prepare the playing surfaces from scratch at both our venues – the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadiumand DG Vaishnav College Ground,” said Chithraipandian. Olympic Games gold medallist Baskaran concurred with the CDVA office bearer’s views.

“Had the tournament gone on as per schedule, it would have got over by March 28. Now, matches might be held in April and May, which are the peak summer months. I will have to water the field more number of times than usual to keep the turf in good condition. If I am spending x amount right now, I will have to be ready to splash out 2x,” remarked Baskaran.

However, money doesn’t appear to be a worry for cricket associations, especially TDCA, which predominantly hosts fixtures at a low cost. “Gojan School of Business and Technology has been giving us its ground for free. DRBCCC Hindu College has been extremely supportive, collecting minimum rental on matchdays. So, having games there once the government gives green light won’t be a problem,” said TDCA Secretary RN Baba.

TNCA Secretary RS Ramasaamy was an unperturbed man as only a few matches (semi-finals and title decider) remain in the First Division League. “If normalcy returns by April 15, we should be able to host the contests after that,” he stated. While Ramasaamy was of the opinion the pause wouldn’t affect the calendar for the 2020-21 season, Baba felt the entire chain was disturbed.

“We usually complete our league in June and have our Annual Day after that. Following it, we normally have our inauguration function for the next season. In April every year, we have trials for the district team, which takes part in the tournament conducted by TNCA in July. The break could have a huge effect on the upcoming season,” said Baba.

The organisers also touched upon other problems – form of players and overlapping of competitions. “Right now, the associations have been advised to keep their stadia and grounds shut. So, the athletes have no [safe] place to train. I believe their performances will drop down as they will be out of touch when they get back on court,” added Chithraipandian. “I will have to make sure the hockey tournament concludes before the beginning of any of the National Championships,” signed off Baskaran.