To bring about a positive change and development among its young students through sports, the Yuvabharathi Public School has come up with a multi-sport artificial turf at its campus here.
Claimed to be the first of its kind facility among schools in South India, the turf was thrown open to its students on Wednesday to showcase their skills in athletics, cricket and football.
It was nice of Yuvabharathi to have chosen a young cricketer in N. Jagadeesan to inaugurate the event, which had the right degree of pomp for the visiting guests.
The ever-reliable cricketer, who has proved his worth in both the Ranji Trophy and the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), was equally pleased to be part of the show.
Lots of students surrounded him for autographs and selfies. And, Jagadeesan obliged them all.
About the turf, it took a little over four months for Yuvabharathi to convert its muddy-looking ground into a brilliant all-weather multi-sport facility, which looked fresh and green on a hot sunny morning.
The school could have well gone for a natural surface and, with it, saved lots of money. “Rightly said, but lack of water forced us to look for an alternative. So after doing a bit of research we went in for the artificial surface,” said C. Anand, its Correspondent.
Tiger Turf (New Zealand), the synthetic surface specialists, have made made sure that it is designed to replicate natural grass fields. The turf, which has soft, non-abrasive fibres, is approved by FIFA (international governing body for football). The surface allows the players to have a better control of the ball roll and gives them the freedom to perform sliding tackles and a full section of skills.
It was not an easy task though to get the turf ready. “Though the work was completed in four months, it took a lot of sweat and toil as well. The machines came into play and those involved in it worked day and night to get it done on time,” said Geetha Jayachandran, its Principal.
“We have always looked for quality in our infrastructure. Be it the synthetic badminton courts or the multi-turf facility, we only wanted the best for the children. It is certainly going to increase the sports performance of our children at various levels,” she added.
“Even a bad weather may keep the play going as this is an all-weather turf,” quickly added Mr. Anand. Necessary lighting facility has also been provided to make it operational for night matches.
But Yuvabharathi does not want to commercialise it. “At the moment, we want to make the best use of this turf for our students. We want to provide them with the right platform that they may bring more laurels to the school,” added Mr. Anand.
