Varanasi, Oct 20 : As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new sports complex in Varanasi on Sunday, it has left the sporting community, including footballers and coaches, excited about the upcoming sporting arena.

A couple of footballers and coaches, speaking to IANS, shared their excitement and joy over the upcoming sports centre and expressed gratitude to PM Modi for providing them a dedicated sports centre, which will enable them to have a level-playing field.

"The sports complex will allow us to engage in long practice sessions and that too in a professional atmosphere," one of the football players told IANS.

"We are Under-20 football players and we have played up to the senior national level. With the creation of this ground, children who play football will now have a good place to practice. They will be prompted to strive more for better performance in the sport. The construction of this stadium will also encourage those, who haven't played football to start playing. We are very thankful to those who made this happen, especially our Prime Minister and our coach," he said.

Bhairav Dutt, a football coach, seconded his opinion and said that this opportunity will prove to be a blessing in disguise.

"Football is a game played worldwide. It is our good fortune that this football facility has been created on our ground. Now, if we go somewhere, we can proudly say that we have an institute. The condition was not like this before, look at it today. This will be a blessing for everyone, as there will be significant competitions in major tournaments, and everyone will get a chance to play. We are very grateful to PM Modi for this," Dutt added.

PM Modi is set to inaugurate Phases 2 and 3 of the redevelopment of Varanasi Sports Complex. The facility, valued at Rs 210 crore will feature a National Centre of Excellence, player accommodations, a sports science center practice fields for various sports, indoor shooting ranges and combat sports arenas among others.

Prior to the inauguration, the Varanasi sports complex was decked up with lights and decorations.

/IANS