Long evenings, summer holidays and the need to keep the children busy with activities is keeping the soft turf or the astro turfs and open arenas busy. Astro turfs aren’t new to the city. Hyderabad has a few such spots and each of them are busy with sporting activities thanks to the holiday season. The courts made with superior quality artificial grass are widely used for sports like football, cricket, volleyball and hand ball. Some even use these turfs to play kho-kho and kabaddi.
With the lack of playing grounds and the need to keep parents busy, drive-in and other leisure spots have come up with sports arenas that can be used to play games. While most people drag their feet from one spot to another in the summer heat, these turfs are teeming with young sports enthusiasts. They don't care for afternoon siestas or the latest blockbuster in town; all they need is their game be it 10 am or 2 pm. At hotfut the kids are loving their time with their game of friendly matches. Armed with water sippers, spiked football sneakers and their football jerseys they are ready for their game. As the whistle goes off, the place is filled with the sound of excited screamsm cheers and claps.
“Summer holidays are when we get to meet friends from other schools. We are amateur players who play football together but don't often get the opportunity to chill out. This turf is closer to home and we meet twice a week to play ball and learn from each other,” says Karthik Kumar, a 17-year-old science student at Narayana.
The pre-requisite for soft turf spaces for outdoor sports is space and the tough safety net. These turfs need to be surrounded and secured to prevent accidents and from people getting hurt by a flying ball. “The grass that is used in our turf is natural grade artificial grass. Our pitch is designed in the lines of five-a-side matches,” says Danesh Mistry. Hotfut being the trend-setter is also the most popular, thanks to the amazing view it offers. The night matches here are also pretty popular during summer evening.
Hyderabad at the moment has six astro turf and each of them comes with its set of benefits. The different astro turfs can accommodate different number of players. “When we aren't playing, we love watching the matches here. Everyone plays with a lot of seriousness. Sometimes observing and cheering is a lot of fun. Especially because we don't get to see live matches so easily,” says 15-year-old Rittik Kumar. Does he play often? “Given a chance I would play everyday. Living in Karkhana, Begumpet is closest to what I can access with my friends,” he says.
Summer vacation isn't the only time when kids queue up for a friendly match. These are the go to addresses for a birthday bash which is all about a game treat. “A good match, your core group and then we grab some food on our way. It is about celebrating it differently,” says Pavan Kumar, who is studying at Bhavans, Sainikpuri.
Astro Park, Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills has one of the biggest and the best football artificial turf ground says regulars. The other favourite spot is the turf at The Street Drive in, at Madhapur. The food outlets there gives make this spot a win-win choice for late evening fun.
Some of these turfs provide all accessories like number bib, score cards etc for that professional match feel.
