Project Overview

The MIT Campus at Manipal Academy of Higher Education now holds one of the few sports complexes in India with six internationally certified surfaces under one roof. Gallant Sports & Infra Ltd delivered the entire scope as a single turnkey commission, bringing together disciplines that rarely share a build timeline: athletics, hockey, football, cricket, and multi-court games.

The surfaces delivered were:

• World Athletics-certified 8-lane synthetic running track
• FIH Category 2 water-based hockey field
• FIFA Quality football turf
• Natural grass cricket ground
• Outdoor acrylic basketball and volleyball courts
• Cricket practice net facilities

Project Objectives

MAHE’s brief centered on building genuine multi-discipline capability on one campus:

• Deliver a World Athletics-certified track suitable for competitive athletics training and events.
• Build an FIH Category 2 hockey field to the specification used at national and international level.
• Install a FIFA Quality football turf capable of supporting serious training and match play.
• Establish a natural grass cricket ground built to first-class outfield and pitch standards.
• Add outdoor basketball and volleyball courts along with dedicated cricket practice nets.
• Complete all six surfaces under one contract and one delivery team.

Scope of Work

The project was executed on a full turnkey basis across the MIT Campus:

• Technical planning and site assessment for six distinct sporting disciplines.
• Installation of an 8-lane, 400m Full PUR synthetic athletic track, WA Class I certified, complete with field event equipment.
• FIH Category 2 water-based hockey turf installation with elastic shock pad and automated sprinkler irrigation.
• FIFA Quality monofilament football turf with EPDM rubber and silica sand infill.
• Natural grass cricket ground built with Bermuda Tifway 419 outfield and five clay pitches, developed with a KSCA-experienced curator.
• ITF/FIBA classified outdoor acrylic courts for basketball and volleyball, UV-resistant with line marking.
• Cricket practice net facilities with artificial turf pitches and UV-resistant nylon overhead netting.
• Engineered base, drainage, and irrigation systems across all six surfaces.

Key Characteristics and Technical Specifications

• Six internationally certified outdoor sports surfaces on one campus.
• Certifications met: WA Class I (athletics), FIH Category 2 (hockey), FIFA Quality Standard (football).
• Full international standard dimensions on every surface.
• 8-year warranty on the track, hockey field, and football turf.
• Contract duration of eight calendar months for the complete scope.

Getting three separate governing bodies to sign off on three different surface systems inside the same eight-month window is not something most contractors in India attempt in one contract.

Construction Highlights

Athletic Track

• Full PUR synthetic surface, red, laid across 8 lanes at 400m.
• WA Class I certification, the standard used for elite competition tracks.
• Complete field event equipment installed alongside the track.

Hockey Field

• FIH Category 2 water-based turf, blue, with elastic shock pad.
• Automated sprinkler irrigation system, standard for water-based hockey surfaces at this level.

Football Turf

• FIFA Quality monofilament turf, green, with EPDM rubber and silica sand infill.
• Engineered to meet the ball response and durability requirements of the FIFA Quality Programme.

Cricket Ground

• Bermuda Tifway 419 natural grass outfield.
• Five clay pitches developed under the guidance of a KSCA-experienced curator.

Basketball, Volleyball, and Practice Nets

• ITF/FIBA classified outdoor acrylic surface, UV-resistant, for basketball and volleyball courts.
• Artificial turf cricket practice pitches fitted with UV-resistant nylon overhead netting.

Execution Methodology

Coordinating six surface systems, each with its own certification body and installation sequence, meant careful scheduling across the eight-month window:

• Site-wide technical assessment and planning across all six disciplines.
• Base construction and drainage works run in parallel across the track, hockey field, and football turf zones.
• Surface installation phased by discipline, with track, hockey, and football following governing body-specific procedures.
• Cricket ground preparation, including outfield turfing and pitch construction under curator guidance.
• Court surfacing and line marking for basketball and volleyball.
• Installation of cricket practice nets and overhead netting.
• Testing and certification review for the track, hockey field, and football turf before handover.

Timeline and Project Delivery

The full six-surface scope was delivered over eight calendar months under a single turnkey contract, covering procurement, civil works, surfacing, irrigation, and certification across every discipline on site.

Benefits for Players and the Community

For Players

• Professional-grade certified surfaces across six disciplines on one campus, supporting serious training for track and field, hockey, football, cricket, basketball, and volleyball athletes.
• Reduced injury risk through certified surface and shock pad systems.
• Year-round playability across all six surfaces.

For the Community

• MIT Campus becomes a viable venue for inter-university, state, and national-level competitions.
• One of very few campuses in India offering six internationally certified surfaces in a single complex.
• A platform for talent identification, structured coaching, and scholarship programmes across multiple sports.

Strategic Significance

• Demonstrates Gallant Sports’ capability to deliver multi-discipline turnkey projects spanning three governing bodies under one contract.
• Draws on a global supplier network across Europe, Asia, and India, with every surface meeting its respective certification standard.
• Reinforces Gallant Sports’ position as a preferred infrastructure partner for premier academic institutions and sports authorities in India.
• Sets a benchmark for what a genuinely multi-sport university campus can look like when built under one coordinated programme.

What Makes This Project Different

Six disciplines. Three governing body certifications. One turnkey contract, eight months. Most campuses build one certified surface at a time, spread across separate budgets and separate years. MAHE got a WA Class I track, an FIH Category 2 hockey field, and a FIFA Quality football turf, alongside a natural grass cricket ground and multi-court facilities, delivered together by one team.

Conclusion

The MIT Multi Sports Outdoor Facility at MAHE Manipal reflects the scale and precision that defines Gallant Sports & Infra Ltd’s work across India. Six disciplines, three governing body certifications, and one turnkey contract came together in eight calendar months, giving the university a sports complex that few institutions in the country can match.