The future is here

The Greenfield Stadium in Trivandrum is a place for the future. Perched on a hillock in the suburb called Karyavattom, some 17 kilometres from the city-centre, Greenfield is the epicentre of a sporting hub, which belies its location and the meagre importance of Kerala in India's sporting map.

Even though the hub is a work-in-progress, with many indoor and outdoor facilities for various sports along with practice grounds still being developed, the stadium itself is up and running. Officially opened in January 2015, the 55,000-seater is now at the centre of attention of South Asian football.

Designed to fit both football and cricket in its main venue and other indoor sports in the adjacent establishments, this build-design-operate-transport project over an area of 37 acres is already competing with its more established northern brother, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Cochin, and will soon host high-profile international cricket and football matches.

The only problem that this stadium currently faces is its inability to attract a big crowd, owing largely to its awkward location. The long and winding road from the city leading up to this venue could sometimes be a testing experience, especially if you are preoccupied with meeting tight deadlines.

But the private company, which is financing the whole project, has already considered a remedy as they look to finance a new road to cut down on the distance from the main city.

In any case, if you are not too concerned about the distance and want to enjoy a leisurely day of sporting extravaganza, then this is just the place you would want to be.

Just take a taxi from the town and immerse yourself in a ride through the tree-lined streets leading up to the Greenfield. Even if the game fails to live up to your expectation, the journey itself and the discovery of this gem in the middle of the nowhere will surely live with you for long.