New turf, renewed dreams: Ashwini Nachappa switches track to promote hockey in the heartland

BENGALURU: They say hockey runs in the blood of Kodavas. It is perhaps only fitting, then, that former athletics queen Ashwini Nachappa chose to commemorate 100 years of Indian hockey last year by laying a new artificial turf under the banner of the Ashwini Sports Foundation, a non-profit organisation she founded.The lush green turf, situated within the Karaumbiah Academy for Learning and Sports (KALS), in Gonikoppal, is designed to revive the fading fortunes of a region once regarded as the cradle of Indian hockey.

For Ashwini and her husband, Datha Karaumbiah, a former Indian junior hockey player, the project has been more than a decade in the making.“We really wanted to build something meaningful as part of our foundation’s infrastructure.

We already had a synthetic track and a shooting range, among other facilities. But in a district that has produced so many hockey players — where almost every household has a connection to the sport — it was important to have a state-of-the-art facility that is accessible,” the Arjuna Awardee told TOI.“It was a dream that took shape long ago, and we are happy to see it become a reality finally,” added Datha.

Nearly 12 years ago, Ashwini had explored partnering with the government to develop the facility.

However, the plan fell through at the last minute due to political hurdles. Determined not to abandon the vision, she pushed ahead with support from sports philanthropists and personal funding.“Most of what we do — including free education for children who excel — is subsidised. The land was already earmarked. So in 2024, we took it as a challenge and decided to begin work,” she explained.Built at a cost of just over Rs. 5 crore, the facility includes a full-sized turf, a warm-up area, advanced drainage systems and spectator galleries, which are under construction.“It could have cost us more, but we chose not to import the turf. Instead, we opted for an Indian-made surface from Maverick, the same provider that installed our synthetic athletics track,” Ashwini said. For the sporting couple, the turf is not merely infrastructure — it is an investment in grassroots development.“This is not something done for the sake of it. We’ve built it with a purpose — to develop grassroots hockey players at the base of the pyramid,” Ashwini emphasised. The inauguration in December last year was a star-studded affair during the Masters Cup invitational inter-school tournament. Olympic gold medallist MM Somaya, former India captains Dhanraj Pillay and Dilip Tirkey, along with internationals BK Subramani, AB Subbaiah, VR Raghunath and CS Poonacha, were among those in attendance.“We are very grateful to the legends for coming. We plan to involve them in future programmes as well.

If youngsters can hear from and interact with such icons, it can be a tremendous source of inspiration,” Ashwini said.The larger goal is to ensure the facility evolves into a feeder system for higher levels of the sport.“We want more players to emerge from here and go on to represent Karnataka and India. Over the past few years, representation from this region in the national team has declined. We hope to help change that,” she asserted, who has approached Hockey India to host age-group tournaments.

Although the turf is located within a school campus, Datha clarified that access will not be restricted.“We want youngsters to come and use the facility. All they need to do is seek prior permission and experience what’s available,” he said.For a region where hockey is woven into its cultural fabric, the new turf represents more than concrete and synthetic grass — it is a revival of legacy, ambition and belief.