Kochi Corporation to boost sports activities

KOCHI: As part of a drive to promote sports in the city, the Kochi Corporation will take over and develop unused public property for sports activities, said Mayor Tony Chammany, on Friday.He was speaking at the valedictory function of Goal-2012, the state-level intercollegiate football tournament, organised by The New Indian Express  (TNIE) Group in Kochi.The mayor demanded that the State Government should provide infrastructure for setting up an exclusive football stadium in Kochi. The corporation is planning to develop the newly built mini stadium at Thoppumpady into a full-fledged football ground.The stadium has a land area of just about one acre, and cannot be used to conduct major tournaments. “We will be demanding the government to build a better stadium,” he said.Praising the efforts of the The New Indian Express, Chammany said, sports organisations and media houses like TNIE should work to revive football in the state.“At a time when media houses are indulging in a mad pursuit for viewership, TNIE has come forward with an earnest mission to bring back the lost glory of football in the state,” he said. “The New Indian Express has come forward to promote the sport at a time when the State Government is in need of a support. We will now join hands in this mission,” the mayor said.