Sigh - Will Someone Help?

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by Oldhand, Nov 23, 2005.

  1. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    Hi friends,
    Earlier this month, my friends and I returned to India after a long stint in Singapore. Hoping to continue playing (about 16 of us were advanced regulars from 1987 to 2001 in India and from 2001 to 2005 in Sinagpore), we went around our hometown (Trivandrum, Kerala, South India) searching for an available court.
    There are nearly 500 intermediate to advanced players here but the town has only 3 locations where indoor courts are available :eek:!
    The first is a private club where nearly every 'player' can be described as an immobile old gentleman incapable of even stretching for a shot! Worse, it has only 2 concrete courts and, except for a privileged few, they are members-only :(!
    The second is a government building where the floorboards are so loose that one could disappear underground between points! The 4 courts here double up as basketball, handball, volleyball and gymnastic floors (and also, quite frequently, as an auditorium for political rallies) :eek:.
    The third is a beachside building with 3 courts. The floorboards have nails protruding dangerously... and also, one better keep all possessions strapped to the body for fear of getting stolen! (A friend who took a break to mop his face found his MP99 suddenly missing.) :mad:
    We decided we would pool our resources and build our own badminton facility in the suburbs. Sadly, we won't be able to make it on our own :confused:.
    Since the government's building rules allow for only 40% built-up space, we will need to buy 1.5 times the land required for 4 courts. This alone will cost $50,000. The shell building (Kirby-type) will cost another $50,000 as well. Since artificial playing surfaces are about $7,000 per court, we will have to settle for wooden or tiled floors.
    We are not looking to build an international-tournament-class facility but just a 30-foot-high hangar with 4 well-lit, well-designed badminton courts where the game could be played at the advanced level. Anyone who loves the game and can play it with skill would be free to join play. (Of course, with artificial flooring, we would be able to host tournaments if need be. :))
    Would you know someone willing to fund the setting up of such a badminton facility?
    Anyone who contributes would be acknowledged with gratitude. Of course, they would also be entitled to play for free whenever they're in town (and this is a world-famous tourist destination - check out www.keralatourism.org) and serious players would be able to take a relaxing break from their usual environments for a week or so of high-level practice while on holiday :).
    If you know any sports (or sporting :)) philanthropists willing to help a well-intentioned effort, please do reply.
    The help we're asking isn't much but it would mean a lot to a large group of dedicated and passionate players.
    Desperately,
    Oldhand
     
  2. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    Oldhand, I suggest you contact the Badminton Association of India or the Padukone Academy. With your group's talents and unusual plight, I am sure your own government or countrymen will be only too glad to extend a helping hand.
     
  3. SandeepD

    SandeepD Regular Member

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    Sorry I can't help out, but wouldn't you need to buy 2.5 times the land requred if you can only build on 40% of it? If so you should reconsider your estimated cost for this venture.
     
  4. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    Sighhhhhhhhh................

    Further:

    The irony is that most of our young (advanced) players are forced to go abroad and train in unfamiliar environments. (Selfishly, I would also add that this completely reveals their game to their potential rivals. Remember what happened after Padukone began training with the North European players?)

    Even the climatic conditions abroad are vastly different. On a personal note, I found it extremely difficult to maintain a warmed-up physical condition when playing in Amsterdam for a while.

    If our project were to get off the ground, it would be more than just a boon to many upcoming players. A few minutes ago, I was watching the local University team train for the national championships ahead. To see them stumble and slip on the loose and uneven floorboards in the JImmy George Indoor Multipurpose Stadium in Trivandrum makes for painful and embarrassing watching.

    Someone please help....
     
  5. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    Ahem

    Oops, I should have inserted the word 'additionally'.
    Apologies.
    Please re-read it as "...we will need to additionally buy 1.5 times..."
    The estimated cost remains true.


     
  6. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    Errrrrrrrrrrr............

    Thanks to the love for the game, we are already equipped with a lot of helping hands. Unfortunately, these are rather small hands, vastly ill-equipped to take on a project of this size :(.

    Seeking help from the government (both the state and federal entities) is like expecting a player at the backline to reach out and kill a net-drop :eek:. It simply doesn't happen and won't happen in India.

    The usual practice here is for government assistance to be provided (and that too, in beggarly doses) to people who have already made it big. If Rudy Hartono were Indian, he would've been given his first 'assistance' after winning the All England... not before :mad:!

    The less said about other establishments, the better. To be fair to you, we could have sought (and maybe obtained) help had we been 12-20 year olds starting out as tournament hopefuls. We are not. We are players who've been on the circuit for 10-20 years... and we're looking to play, enable play and encourage play.

    Any help would be welcome :(.



     
    #6 Oldhand, Nov 25, 2005
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2005
  7. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    I still think self-help is your best way out. Try this and you will eventually get your plot of land, from the fruits of your own effort. :D
     
  8. badmad

    badmad Regular Member

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    in such situations where land cost plays a major role, I would want to shift away from a costly place. I hope that trivendram being the capital of kerala would have unreasonably high land cost. I would move atleast 30-40kms off of the city and try building the courts over there.

    moving to another place would also reduce the cost of infrastructure. For transportation, you can use the public transport. Or if you want to be more comfortable, then u can buy a second hand cab. in my opinion, this wud reasonably bring the cost down.

    i am afraid that i won't be able to help monetarily. i'm not sure about others. Also, contacting the Padukone Academy in bangalore & Gopichand's academy in Hyderabad would certainly yield some positive results. I have an advise again here. When you are going to talk to these people and represent yourself for help, make sure that you present it properly to these big shots. Since they won't have much time and you also have to impress them.

    good luck for ur pursuit and keep us posted.
     
  9. badmad

    badmad Regular Member

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    prolly u might be wrong over here. have you approached a big badminton player in india? if not, then you might be very well mistaken.

    i know there are many sports enthusiast in india. more specifically, in southern india. prolly you got to reach out and contact them.
     
  10. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    Clarification

    Quoting badmad
    "in such situations where land cost plays a major role, I would want to shift away from a costly place. I hope that trivendram being the capital of kerala would have unreasonably high land cost. I would move atleast 30-40kms off of the city and try building the courts over there.

    moving to another place would also reduce the cost of infrastructure. For transportation, you can use the public transport. Or if you want to be more comfortable, then u can buy a second hand cab. in my opinion, this wud reasonably bring the cost down."

    My comments
    In fact, I have calculated our infrastructure costs based on acquiring land outside the town, not within! Else, it would be prohibitively expensive :mad:. Inside the town area, the land alone would cost upward of $200,000!

    I have not included any transportation costs at all :confused:. The players will, of course, use their own modes of transport to reach the courts. The only exception will be for tourists or patrons, who will be ferried to and fro.
     
    #10 Oldhand, Dec 1, 2005
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2005
  11. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

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    I have an idea that you may want to consider. How about starting a corporation and get public funds-more than you can ever dream of-through some smart investment banks and turn the tap on with a massive IPO? :D
     
  12. bmsupport

    bmsupport Regular Member

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    Place to play

    Oldhand,

    It was nice to red through the thread, there is a couple of courts in the technopark campus have not played there but I did plan at the indoor place near the beach last time when I was in Trivandrum.

    I will be going there soon, where and when do you play?

    Is it possible to join you I am looking for doubles game.

    Cheers
     
  13. malayali

    malayali Regular Member

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    Is the See Moolam Club open for public to play or is it just for memebers ????
     
  14. bmsupport

    bmsupport Regular Member

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    It is a members only place AFAIK, you might be able to go in as guest probably
     
  15. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    The Wait Continues

    In fact, there are a few indoor courts in Trivandrum where one can find badminton players of rather good skill.

    The indoor courts at the beach (at Shankumukham) and at the Jimmy George Stadium (at Vellayambalam) are in poor shape - they are hazardous for the fast-moving players and have resulted in quite a few injuries. The latter facility is scheduled to be closed for re-laying the wooden floors.

    The other indoor courts within the city are at the Trivandrum Club and the Sri Mulam Club. Both have quite a few serious players - and the overall level of play is good. But then, these facilities are for the club's members, although a non-member may play as a guest (accompanying a member) but only on a couple of days a month.

    The Technopark courts are a good distance away from the city, and in any case, are not accessible to all.

    Drop me a PM if you'd like to join the doubles game at Sri Mulam Club (we play from around 6.30pm to 9.30pm) but please be warned that members would not take kindly to amateur play. Also, you'd have to wait for an opening on those days when there are many waiting their turn (there are only 2 courts).

    I reiterate my earlier position (and the important point here) that playing facilities of competitive standard are still unavailable here, although we do have several players of international calibre.

    Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :(

     
  16. bmsupport

    bmsupport Regular Member

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    Hi Oldhand thanks for your reply and inviting me to join you at Sri Mulam Club, It was not clear if you play every day during that time or on specific days?

    My suggestion on your, plan in building a place for badminton consider it as a long term project set a goal to achieve in the next 5 year if it happens earlier sure it is a bonus, your first objective should be to build a solid badminton club and try to gather together the 500 plus enthusiasts there that you feel are there is the city. In the beginning say for three days a week adopt the Shankumukham indoor complex as the home for the club approach kerala sports council and book that slot for the rest of the year, suggest you will also contribute to maintain the facility, keep memberships, you say there are 16 of your friends who came back from Singapore so there are enough and more people to manage the club, keep a membership fees and also invite guests and make it a environment that is inviting for new people to come and try the game. Since you are all advanced players you can take some coaching sessions or camps, tournaments as additional activities, to boost memberships. This will generate revenue as well as get more people working together for a cause of improving awareness of the game in the city, and you will be progressing towards the goal of building a facility on your own.

    I came across a good article about reviving club badminton by dev http://www.badmintonmania.com/column_club.html

    Also on the same website under player diaries you will find an article from vimal kumar http://www.badmintonmania.com/01_childhood_vimal.html he is from Trivandrum and talks about club badminton, I am sure will love to assist once you get a club going and become active, many avenues will open up.

    You might also want to consider contacting Dev of badminton mania he seems to be pretty active in the badminton scene in Bangalore and get introduced to other clubs in India and form a league then you can look for sponsors.

    So to conclude if you have not thought of in this direction of forming a club maybe you should look into it as for a start, if you have already please let me know your thoughts. Finally I have PM’ed you please check and reply.

    tc…bye
     
  17. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    The Road Travelled

    There's quite a lot I could set down here but I'll condense it in just one line: we've been through it all. :eek:

     
  18. anilsreedhar

    anilsreedhar Regular Member

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    hi guys, it is interesting to read the comments, I have a small plot of land near kudappanakunnu, a court case is going on. it comes to around 48 cents of land. i think it comes to 1 cent = 435.60 sq.feet (ft[SUP]2[/SUP]). I would like to know how much it would cost to build an indoor court there. the case is nearly over and i was thinking of selling that land, but since i am an enthusiast of this beautiful game, i would like to invest some money into it. Also i would like to know the cost-benefit ration, becoz i am not a rich man, working in a BPO which pays pretty poorly.
     

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