Realty builders see big play in sports cities

“We have created an 18-acre multi-sports complex and have tied up with Saina Nehwal, Madan Lal (cricket), and Yuki Bhambri (tennis), apart from roping in foreign coaches for football,” Manoj Gaur, MD, Gaursons India, said.

Supertech is setting up a boxing academy with an over 1 lakh sq ft built-up area in consultation with Olympic medallist Mary Kom, for approximately Rs. 35 crore. “It will be completed by the year-end. It will come up in a 500-acre township on the Yamuna Expressway,” RK Arora, Chairman, Supertech Ltd, told BusinessLine . The company is also working on a 175-acre township, called Sports Republik, in Greater Noida, at a project cost of about Rs. 4,000 crore.

Santhosh Kumar, CEO–Operations & International Director, JLL India, says the trend is not widespread yet. “There are a few sports cities planned in Kolkata and Pune but the trend, in general, seems to be mostly in Delhi NCR,” he said.

Homestead India, which builds only sports-based branded homes, has a Michael Schumacher World Tower under construction and a Ballet by Sharapova in early stages of development. Manoj Srivastava, COO, Homestead, said: “We are now in talks with an international golfer for a 5-acre project with a vertical golf course with 18 holes revolving around the tower. For this, the company is looking for land in Gurgaon or Bangalore.” Indications are that the golfer could be Tiger Woods. Business Line