There are at least 25 such artificial turfs in the State and about 13 of them are in South Goa. These trufs have suddenly mushroomed during the COVID pandemic.

Reynold Abranches, owner of the King’s Turf Goa in Verna, is one among many such individuals who has invested in this idea. 

"We have invested around Rs 45 lakh for the FIFA full size 5 vs 5 turf," stated Abranches, who started this facility in January this year. However the turf were hit by the second COVID wave. 

When asked about the economy of this facility he mentioned that they charge the hiring of the turf on an hourly basis which ranges from Rs 600-1200 per team, depending on the time. The night cost is higher due to usage of floodlights. 

It is understood that these arenas are open for the public from early 7 am and close their gates at 12 midnight. That’s roughly 16 hours of business considering an hour of lunch break. 

“We have a larger space with more facilities and a lot of Indian Super League (ISL) players including Goan squad come here to practise,” said Abranches.

“We have corporate, wellness workshops events apart from the regular football, soccer and futsal. We have licensed coaches and we do our CSR activities by coaching the local kids for free. Keeping in mind the safety of players the turf is properly cushioned besides we are open all day and are at a convenient location. We allow two teams of seven each to use the turf. I can say that now we do not have slots that go empty and it runs till late night,” said Abranches.

Rahul Rodrigues co-founder and managing director of SquareOut Sports Solutions said that they have been very selective with their projects. “Our turf variants are brands that are ranked at the very top in terms of global sales volumes. These are premium brands and exclusively available through us in the State. We lay a huge emphasis on quality, longevity and customer satisfaction,” he said.

He further added that they have worked on a handful of projects in Goa over the past 12 months, notably at The King's School, São Jose de Areal and the Goa Cricket Association Academy, Porvorim. 

“A majority of our projects are however located pan-India. We are currently seeing an increasing demand for sports infrastructure in tier two cities, which is very encouraging. Turfs by virtue of being all weather and permitting for far more playing hours on a daily basis certainly help players train and keep fit during the off season, particularly during the monsoons when the most natural grass grounds are closed,” added Rodrigues.

Training on natural grass grounds for the professionals is preferred and something most coaches in the ISL opt for. When asked about safety standards on turf, Rodrigues replied that, “Safety of players is paramount and a distinct feature of our projects. There are external items such as fencing that could cause injuries if not installed taking into account all safety measures and precautions but additionally and equally important is also the base layer below the turf which is the foundation and ultimately determines the quality of an installation. Across our projects we ensure that football specific turfs are always installed on a dynamic sub-base as opposed to a concrete base which is best avoided on account of the lack of cushioning available. Even where turfs are required to be installed on concrete, with malls being a good example, we do recommend the usage of a cushioning material, ideally a shock pad to prevent long term injuries, generally related to the knees while simultaneously ensuring a better overall playing experience.”

Twenty-four year old Wrisha Cota, partner in CotaCinQo from Utorda who used to work in Caribbean Islands returned to Goa during the pandemic and along with her parents set up a turf in March this year. “Cinqo basically means 5 in Portuguese. We have a 5-a-side futsal arena but other games can also be played. It is our own land and it is around 500 square meters. For hiring of this play area we charge on an hourly basis Rs 500 in the morning and Rs 800 after 4 pm. We do have floodlights but since it is a residential area we close down by 10 pm.”

She further added that the bookings can be done on the ground on a payment through various apps or it can be done over the phone or one can pay online. “Weekends are always full. We open at 7 am and people do use it for even zumba classes, yoga etc.”  

Mandar Rao Dessai, Mumbai city FC player told Herald that, “I see many locals setting up 5v5 football pitches providing the best playing atmosphere. But not all are at top level, some turfs are really poorly laid and the quality of the surface is not good. There are few FIFA standards turfs in Goa and as a professional player it is advisable to train on such turfs for the top players. I have been told that if the turfs are not proper, it can cause injuries and as a professional player you cannot risk it. An injury and you could miss important time at the club.”

He further added that many of these turfs are for commercial purposes and are not ideal for professional footballers. It might look like a good commercial set up for leisure purposes and for youth to experience some good football, but overall bad turfs could affect the professional players.

Eusebio Jason Fernandes, Physiotherapist at Dempo Sports Club explained that the advantage of turf is that it is a more uniform playing field with a very low maintenance cost. “We can play in any season as there is no water logging or puddle formation even during the rains. However, high ground reaction force due to the decreased shock absorption of the surface thus increasing the risk of injuries to over 50 per cent. Additionally, friction burns after a fall or slide due the material used in the surface. Muscles of the players feel more stiff, the following day as a result of this,” said Fernandes.

He went on to add that the ball movement on the ground is unpredictable when compared to that of natural grass as there is less resistance for the ball this in turn, challenges the players in terms of reaction time hence predisposing them to muscle strains.

Hendrick Fernandes, Manager at Den Goa in Ribandar which opened in April this year said that, “You can play futsal, cricket, badminton, hockey and also tennis. We are now offering a discount rate on a per hour basis for each team of six which is Rs 900 during the day time and Rs 1100 during the night when we use flood lights. Twelve players can play football in the full ground. But with seven-a-side it becomes crowded so we only allow six-a-side for the one hour game. Booking is simple if you do it in advance but you may be also lucky if you come to the ground without prior booking.”

An official of a leading ISL club stated on condition of anonymity said that most of these turfs are low quality. “It is not good for the ISL players to train on such grounds. But then there are few top standard turfs in Goa on which they could play and train,” he added.