Tamil Nadu’s plan for a mini sports stadium in every Assembly constituency is still alive, but it is being rebuilt. On 1 September 2026, Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna told the Assembly that the ₹3 crore allotted per stadium under the previous government was not enough, and that the scheme had been paused to be restructured with ₹10 crore to ₹12 crore for each project, DT Next reported. Sites already identified will not be moved, he said.
For Chennai, the scheme so far means two stadiums in its first phase, at Ayanavaram in Kolathur constituency and at Triplicane in Chepauk constituency. Here is how the scheme grew, what was built, and what the new budget means for the other city constituencies.
How the scheme started
In April 2023, the then Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin told the Assembly that mini stadiums would be built in ten constituencies, and that together with existing facilities they would carry the name “Chief Minister Mini-Stadium”, DT Next reported. He said 61 of the state’s 234 constituencies already had stadiums and that the remaining 173 would follow.
The department’s 2023-24 policy note put the standard at playfields for at least five major sports, said 29 constituencies already had such mini stadiums, and proposed ₹3 crore for each new one. In November 2023 the Chief Minister of the day laid foundation stones for mini stadiums by video conference, one of them recorded on the Pudukkottai district website.
The first-phase sites
The 2024-25 policy note listed nine first-phase stadiums as under construction:
| District | Constituency | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai | Kolathur | Ayanavaram |
| Chennai | Chepauk | Triplicane |
| Tirupathur | Vaniyambadi | Nimmiyambattu |
| Tiruppur | Kangeyam | Sivanmalai |
| Madurai | Sholavandan | Chinnailandaikulam |
| Thoothukudi | Srivaikundam | Srimoolakarai |
| Kanyakumari | Padmanabhapuram | Kalladimamudu |
| Pudukkottai | Alangudi | Thiruvarangulam |
| Sivagangai | Karaikudi | Kalanivasal |
Tiruverumbur in Tiruchi, named in 2023, does not appear in the policy note’s table. For the rest of the state, the note said land was being identified and project reports prepared for construction in phases.
The two Chennai stadiums
SDAT designed and built both. Each was estimated at ₹2.5 crore, DT Next reported in January 2025:
- Kolathur (Ayanavaram): a compact site of less than an acre. A swimming pool and a badminton court were added in a later phase with money from the Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam, the North Chennai development programme.
- Chepauk (Triplicane): built inside a school campus, with a gym and a hockey field.
Both were due by the end of February 2025. We could not find an official record of their formal opening or of their current timings and fees. Residents should ask at the SDAT office in Nehru Stadium, Periamet, or at their MLA’s office.
From 75 sites to a new budget
In May 2025, the government announced in the Assembly that Chief Minister’s Mini Stadia would come up in all 234 constituencies, with work under way in 75 of them at ₹3 crore each, according to a state statement reported by ANI. Each was to have facilities for athletics, football, basketball, volleyball and kabaddi.
The change came after the 2026 election. Replying to DMK members Durai Chandrasekaran and Siva V. Meyyanathan during Zero Hour, Aadhav Arjuna cited the Karur mini stadium, where he said the running track was badly damaged because the budget was too thin. About 23 MLAs raised sports facilities in the same session, News Today reported. He also said the government plans an international-standard stadium in each district and one model school per district with sports facilities, and asked MLAs to spend constituency development funds on basics such as school toilets instead of stadiums.
What this means for Chennai’s other constituencies
Kolathur and Chepauk are the only Chennai constituencies in the published first phase, and no other city site has been named on an official page. The minister’s statement means existing site choices stand, but no revised list, budget order or timeline for the ₹10 crore to ₹12 crore projects had been published on an official page by 23 October 2026. Until it is, the best way to track a stadium for your area is the sports department’s next policy note or demand for grants in the Assembly.
If you want a stadium in your constituency, the practical route is the local MLA, who can raise it in the Assembly as members did in September, and the SDAT district sports officer, who handles land identification and project reports for new sites. Larger proposals, such as the district-level international stadiums, will come through the sports department’s budget rather than the mini stadium scheme.
Quick answers
Is the mini stadium scheme continuing under the current government?
Yes, in a restructured form. The Sports Minister told the Assembly on 1 September 2026 that funding would rise to ₹10 crore to ₹12 crore per stadium.
Which Chennai constituencies have a mini stadium under the scheme?
Kolathur (at Ayanavaram) and Chepauk (at Triplicane) were in the first phase.
Which sports do the mini stadiums cover?
The 2025 plan listed athletics, football, basketball, volleyball and kabaddi. Some sites have added pools, gyms or hockey fields.
Information checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department Policy Note 2024-25 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department Policy Note 2023-24 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Foundation stone for mini stadium, 02.11.2023 (Pudukkottai District Administration)
- Funds for stadiums in MLA seats hiked to Rs 10 cr (DT Next)
- Mini stadium funding raised to Rs 10-12 cr (News Today)
- Mini stadia at Kolathur and Chepauk to be ready by Feb end (DT Next)
- 5 major Chennai stadiums to get facelift at Rs 25 crore (DT Next)
- Tamil Nadu announces mini stadia in all 234 constituencies (ANI via The News Mill)
