SAI coach building volleyball stadium

KOZHIKODE: One of the biggest buildings in the far-flung village of Pulikkayam, just 5km away from the tourist spot of Thusharagiri, is an under-construction volley stadium. One would be forgiven for thinking that the central or state government had something to do with it, but the stadium is actually the culmination of a veteran SAI volley coach’s 30-year-long dream.Fifty-eight-year-old T T Joseph has been saving up for the duration of his career to build the stadium which has been his dream since he first saw his wards struggle without a place to practice on. The stadium has so far cost him Rs 25 lakhs.  “I had estimated a cost of only Rs 10 lakh. But after work started costs spiraled out of control and I have spent more than Rs 25 lakh in direct costs,” he said. The indirect costs are much more as the nearly half-an-acre land on which the stadium and an adjacent outdoor practice court stand was once filled with coconut trees. “I faced a lot of resistance from my own family when I was going to cut down those trees as they were a very high source of income. But in the end, my stubbornness won through,” he said.Now Joseph is facing a financial crunch as he is looking for funds to complete the work on the stadium. “A lot of work still needs to be done but I have run out of money. We have to close off the windows, install lights to enable athletes to play at night and do a lot of finishing work. Overall I have estimated that I will need at least five more lakhs to finish off the work. I have decided that the floors of the court will be of natural soil as a wooden surface will take the costs way beyond my ability,” said Joseph.Help is on the way though, with Sports Minister K B Ganesh Kumar scheduled to arrive later this month to formally inaugurate the stadium. The minister’s visit is expected to provide some mileage for Joseph’s strenuous efforts. But the man himself has just one wish. “I have two more years to retire and before I do so, I want to conduct a coaching camp for my students at this stadium,” he said