Growing cityscape has been constantly eating into the play area of city folks. And one more such instance is the loss of the MAC Spin Foundation in Kotturpuram.
It is learnt that the foundation, one of Chennai’s oldest cricket academies, has been sold to real estate developers by the promoters, MAC group.
A new residential-cum-building complex is likely to come up in the sprawling 10-ground property soon and the office premises of the academy have already been vacated, say informed sources.
Launched in 1997, the academy was considered a boon for many budding cricketers across the country.
The foundation, was being run by the M.A. Chidambaram group of companies, with Mr Ashwin C. Muthiah, st its helm.
The activities of the foundation were being coordinated by Mr Peter Fernandez, Former Tamil Nadu Ranji player and level III coach from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Cricket coaching apart, the academy also offered swimming and yoga classes at its premises.
Though many questions were raised why such a foundation in the land of spin, the academy was set up when spin bowling was on the downward curve and Indian cricket needed to impart specialised coaching to budding spin bowlers.
“It was a very useful arm for cricket in training spinners and there was a time when we had only one spinner and the foundation helped coach many folks from not just India but across the globe,” recalls a senior cricket journalist.
It is gleaned from top sources that the academy has submitted an application to the Tamil Nadu government for being allocated some area in Central Polytechnic campus in Taramani.