Former Kurunegala rugby promoter and Minister Johnston Fernando ensured a cattle paddock was turned into a people and sports-friendly venue:
A redeveloped Maligapitiya ground in Kurunegala was declared open on a grand scale on Tuesday in the presence of a large gathering of sports lovers from the area that also coincided with the opening match of the 75th Independence Trophy Inter Provincial football tournament.
The match was between Eastern Province and Central Province while the following game was between Uva Province and Rajarata which is a combination of the North Central and North Western provinces.
The venue at Maligapitiya in Kurunegala has come of age from a mere neglected park to a standardized stadium that caters to both football and rugby besides reigniting sports enthusiasm in the North Western Province.
“All credit should go to the present Chief Government Whip and Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando and Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa for playing a leading role to develop this complex to international level to benefit rugby and football.
“Years ago this ground was completely dilapidated and our sportsmen and women never had the opportunity to make good use of it to improve their standards in whatever they were engaged in.
“Even the clubs in the Kurunaegala district found it difficult to conduct their annual activities as planned due to the hardships with the lack of good ground conditions,” said the Mayor of the Kurunegala Urban Council Thushara Sanjeewa Vitharana.
The Maligapitiya ground in the past appeared to resemble a venue that was beyond redemption until its pathetic state was brought to the notice of Minister Johnston Fernando, a former rugby promoter from Kurunegala who set the ball rolling for its revamping into what the venue has become today.
Minister Fernando entrusted work in the hands of the Kurunegala Urban Council that prepared the blueprint to move forward and the rest fell into place according to Mayor Vitharana.
“It was discussed at length at the Council meetings and we unanimously decide go ahead with the development project of this ground which has become a reality today.
“The most concerning part was the finances that were needed and when we forwarded the project plan to Minister Fernando without any doubt he gave us the thumbs up and got us Rs.500 million from funds allocated for development projects in Kurunegala.
“If not for this kind gesture (on the part of Minister Fernando) the revamping of this ground would never have happened and the people of the district will never forget what he did in giving us something unforgettable,” said Mayor Vitharana.
He said plans are also underway to lay a synthetic 400-metre track at a cost of Rs.500 million to cater to track and field sports and paid a tribute to Football Sri Lanka president Jaswar Umar for selecting the Maligapitiya ground as the venue to kick-start the 75th Independence Trophy inter provincial tourney.
The opening match between the Eastern Province and Central Province ended in a scoreless draw while in the second game Uva Province beat Rajarata 1-0.
Strikers of the Eastern Province team Mohamed Mustaq and Mohamed Munsir played an outstanding game while Central Province’s 19-year old goal keeper Gihan Kurukulasuriya won the admiration of the crowd for some super saves.
Uva Province’s winning goal was knocked in by Firaz Zaheer.
The Rajarata team fought back gallantly but suffered a terrible blow when one of their best players MML Weerasinghe was sent off the field for foul-play.
According to officials of Football Sri Lanka, the championship will provide the ground for talented players in rural areas to showcase their prowess for selection to the national pool. Teams will be allowed to deploy players only from their respective provinces making the tournament meaningful in keeping with the notion of football being the most national of all sports.
All provinces are contesting the tourney that includes the North Western and North Central provinces combining as Rajarata.