Football turfs (artificial grass) are becoming increasingly popular in India. Not only are football enthusiasts happy, this development is piquing the interests of investors and entrepreneurs in India as well.
Most big playgrounds in cities are inaccessible to the generic public as most are owned by schools and colleges, and the few that are available are perennially crowded.
Thankfully, lot of venues are now coming up in several cities which provide smaller sized grounds with artificial grass (commonly known as turf) that can be used to play football or indoor cricket; these mini-grounds can be booked by the hour.
Futsal (mini-football) is a game of football, where instead of the regular 11-a-side, you have smaller sized teams, such as 5-a-side or 7-a-side.
Opportunity to Play
In the past, Football enthusiasts, often complained the lack of open space to play the beautiful game. However, not any longer. In fact, in the big cities, turfs are mushrooming and now one can find a futsal turf literally in “every nook and corner.”
A futsal turf (or arena) typically measure around 5,000 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft, as against a football pitch that measures upwards of 45,000sq ft. Turfs are made of artificial/synthetic grass that resemble the turf of a football stadium.
Most venues offer multiple mini-grounds (of different sizes), so that multiple teams can play at the same time. It also gives you flexibility, you can choose smaller size for 5-a-side and larger size for 7-a-side. While school and college-going kids use these facilities to practice and to get trained in football, working professionals are use these turfs as an opportunity indulge in some recreational activity and to stay fit.
Opportunity to Stay Fit
Because of lack of opportunities, I used to play cricket in our building compound (we used to play box cricket) with friends over the weekends. However, since the last year, I and a lot of my friends have been playing football.
We find it to be the perfect mix of fun as well as fitness. There are many in their late thirties and forties who also play with us, just to be fit.
So those who have been looking to play some sport to stay fit, find out if there’s a turf nearby and try to play with one of the groups that plays there regularly.
Opportunity for Entrepreneurs
Turfs are also great opportunities for budding entrepreneurs as it requires low-infrastructure. Because of the low-cost involved, and the huge demand, turfs are mushrooming in the metro cities – Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi. Lot of them are located near business parks, IT hubs, commercial properties, malls and rooftops of residential buildings.
These turfs also double up as venues for multi-sports activities and corporate events. “Corporates use these turfs for conducting gatherings after which they might play futsal on the ground.
These turfs are also increasingly used by enthusiasts to play box-cricket, and to conduct other fitness events.
Several football academies and coaches are also using these turfs to train children in football. Of late, children are showing lot of enthusiasm for the game, something that was reserved only for cricket until a few years back.
You need artificial grass turfs with security nets on all sides. While some turfs provide amenities such as drinking water, locker rooms and changing rooms, not all of them offer these amenities.
Compared to other sports ventures, the initial investment is much lower.
“Building an arena costs around Rs 30-35 lakh, depending on the quality of artificial grass and the land. With approximately 35 hours occupancy per week, you can break even in about 16 months,” says a turf owner in Chennai.The arenas require low maintenance as they are made of synthetic grass. “We just need to brush the court to level the rubber granules filled in between the grass. A Chennai-based futsal court that sees occupancy of seven to eight hours per day, on average, earns around Rs 3 lakh per month in revenue. And with occupancy only slated to rise, there’s money to be made here.
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