Vincent Dias Stadium – a big mess

By V.T. Rajah

Closure of the Badulla Vincent Dias Stadium during the Holidays and the days of Salaries to the Municipal Council is reported to be causing severe difficulties to the Sportsmen and women young and old in Badulla.

Badulla Race Course has the facilities to accommodate three to four Sports games simultaneously. However in the recent past a section of the ground had been leased out the Sri Lanka Cricket for the purpose of Cricket only, leaving behind the Old Football grounds and the Vincent Dias Stadium. If the Vincent Dias Stadium is closed the only ground available is the old Football grounds. Thousands of Men, Women and Children throng daily for practices and fitness. The crowd is more on Holidays. This is causing severe inconvenience to the sportsmen and women young and old.

Recently an incident occurred during a “B” division football encounter where a player broke his leg at the Vincent Dias Stadium. None of the ground boys were available to open the main gate to make way for a vehicle to enter the Stadium to take the injured to the hospital. The player was later tied on to a bench and was carried to the road to be taken to the Hospital.

It is time the Badulla Municipal Council, which is administering the Stadium, take stern action against the authorities who are allegedly talking the law into their own hands.