Noida: The district administration has cleared a proposal to reopen Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik sports complex in Greater Noida for public use after nine years. A formal approval from Greater Noida Authority, which owns the complex, is awaited. The annual membership fee has been fixed at Rs 210 for players below 18.The plan was cleared at a meeting of the district sports development and promotion committee, chaired by district magistrate Medha Roopam, where the state of sports activities in the district, proposals to strengthen infrastructure, upgrading facilities for players and encouraging sporting talent were discussed.The stadium was built by GNIDA in 2013 as an international-standard cricket and multisport facility spread over roughly 40 acres, and it hosted Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Afghanistan-Ireland international matches. However, Board of Control for Cricket in India withdrew the ground’s recognition in Sept 2017 after an unauthorised private league was staged there. The venue has since remained largely inaccessible to local athletes and the public but occasional high-profile matches such as an Afghanistan-New Zealand Test in 2024 have been held.Roopam said under the committee’s plan, coaches will be appointed to run training camps in football, basketball, volleyball, squash, table tennis, cricket, skating and chess at the complex. “The fee for players above 18 has been set at Rs 310 for the first month and Rs 200 every month thereafter, mirroring the rate structure at the district’s Malakpur Sports Stadium,” she said. The district-level competitions currently held elsewhere will also be shifted to the complex, giving athletes from both urban and rural parts of the district access to a large, well-equipped venue and a better shot at progressing to state and national levels.Officials said the district administration’s coaching arrangement will remain in place only until GNIDA is ready to resume full-scale operations and management of the stadium on its own. The administration described the initiative as an effort to reach talented young players, particularly from economically weaker families who cannot afford private coaching academies.The district school inspector has been asked to prepare a roster of govt school students and physical education instructors for giving them fixed, regular training slots at the complex. The committee has also asked officials to periodically arrange visits by well-known athletes to interact with young players training at the complex.District panchayat administrator Amit Kumar has backed the move, noting that the low fee structure would give underprivileged but talented players a genuine platform to progress in their sport and eventually bring recognition to the district and state.
