Dempo Inaugurate New Club House
PANAJI: Dempo Sports Club provided more proof why they are considered India's leading light when it comes to football professionalism. They have built their own club house which houses an impressive gymnasium.
Interestingly though, this is just a baby step to their dreams. In the next couple of months, Dempo are almost certain to take giant strides and leave most of their competitors—and there are not too many of them—behind by building a state of the art stadium, a first by any Indian football club. The feeling at the house of the Dempos is euphoric. Forget the number of trophies they have accumulated since 2004 when they won the Federation Cup for the first time, or the players they have contributed to the national team, or even the best-paid stars on their rolls.
When Dempo took a steady step towards being an entirely professional football club with the opening of a luxurious club house in the heart of the city, it was a moment to cherish for club chairman Shrinivas Dempo. "The bonding was always there but having the team in the same building brings the team much closer to us," said Dempo, who occupies a fourth floor glasswalled office in the same building on the banks of the Mandovi river.
The club house, on the ground floor of the building that houses the company's headquarters, will now be a beehive of activity. Physical training will be conducted at the gym apart from physiotherapy sessions and meetings. "Like I've always maintained, we plan to build a stadium of our own ideally in the city, where we are based, but since there has been an inordinate delay in land acquisition, we are thinking of alternatives," said Dempo told TOI. The alternative site for the stadium will be Corlim—12 km away from the city—where the company owns around 60,000 sq mt of land.
Dempo have identified 76,000 sq mt land at St Cruz, bordering Panaji, for the construction of a state-of-the-art international stadium, but for almost two years now the government has been unable to complete the formalities of handing over the land to the club.
"The file is pending with the Town and Country Planning ( TCP) department for change of zone. They might put it up at the next meeting," said a source within the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (DSYA) who had acquired the land and agreed to hand it over to Dempo for the construction of a stadium.
The DSYA has handed over the Trinity ground in Benaulim to Churchill Brothers Sports Club as part of a scheme that enables professional clubs build stadiums of their own. "It is imperative that we have a stadium of our own but such delays has not helped our cause. I expect the government will revert to us in the next couple of months and we will then have a clear picture," said the Dempo chairman.
Dempo, in the meanwhile, have signed an agreement with sports infrastructure company, Trans Stadia, and will entrust them with the responsibility of constructing the stadium, which is expected to have a 30,000 capacity. "Trans Stadia will be using a unique technology. We will have a natural turf stadium and not an artificial one, as is the latest trend," said Dempo.
Source :- <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Dempo-set-to-break-new-ground/articleshow/7498702.cms">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 498702.cms</a><!-- m -->
Interestingly though, this is just a baby step to their dreams. In the next couple of months, Dempo are almost certain to take giant strides and leave most of their competitors—and there are not too many of them—behind by building a state of the art stadium, a first by any Indian football club. The feeling at the house of the Dempos is euphoric. Forget the number of trophies they have accumulated since 2004 when they won the Federation Cup for the first time, or the players they have contributed to the national team, or even the best-paid stars on their rolls.
When Dempo took a steady step towards being an entirely professional football club with the opening of a luxurious club house in the heart of the city, it was a moment to cherish for club chairman Shrinivas Dempo. "The bonding was always there but having the team in the same building brings the team much closer to us," said Dempo, who occupies a fourth floor glasswalled office in the same building on the banks of the Mandovi river.
The club house, on the ground floor of the building that houses the company's headquarters, will now be a beehive of activity. Physical training will be conducted at the gym apart from physiotherapy sessions and meetings. "Like I've always maintained, we plan to build a stadium of our own ideally in the city, where we are based, but since there has been an inordinate delay in land acquisition, we are thinking of alternatives," said Dempo told TOI. The alternative site for the stadium will be Corlim—12 km away from the city—where the company owns around 60,000 sq mt of land.
Dempo have identified 76,000 sq mt land at St Cruz, bordering Panaji, for the construction of a state-of-the-art international stadium, but for almost two years now the government has been unable to complete the formalities of handing over the land to the club.
"The file is pending with the Town and Country Planning ( TCP) department for change of zone. They might put it up at the next meeting," said a source within the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (DSYA) who had acquired the land and agreed to hand it over to Dempo for the construction of a stadium.
The DSYA has handed over the Trinity ground in Benaulim to Churchill Brothers Sports Club as part of a scheme that enables professional clubs build stadiums of their own. "It is imperative that we have a stadium of our own but such delays has not helped our cause. I expect the government will revert to us in the next couple of months and we will then have a clear picture," said the Dempo chairman.
Dempo, in the meanwhile, have signed an agreement with sports infrastructure company, Trans Stadia, and will entrust them with the responsibility of constructing the stadium, which is expected to have a 30,000 capacity. "Trans Stadia will be using a unique technology. We will have a natural turf stadium and not an artificial one, as is the latest trend," said Dempo.
Source :- <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Dempo-set-to-break-new-ground/articleshow/7498702.cms">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 498702.cms</a><!-- m -->
Comments
I just hope they qualify for the ACL. Would boost their morale.
<br><div><br></div><div>I think they have postponed it. That is just a guess though because sense they announced they announced other things as well so they maybe rethinking for the future.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>What about the stadium any update on it,they even tied up with a company for that.</div>