Hoarding, hyping and cheering for old hero, Sreejesh; Chennai welcomes Junior World Cup

The goalkeeper legend was the cynosure in India’s opening game against Chile; city has feverishly welcomed the tournament.

Lights show ahead of India's tournament opener at JWC 2025. (Express photo / Vinayakk)

As the teams came out to warm up, the proceedings for the night were delayed by a light and song show – with Tamizh pride as the central theme, the political messaging hyping the efforts of the ruling party DMK was hard to miss. But minutes before India’s match against Chile, a group of children, assembled in the East Stand of Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium since early-evening, started chanting ‘Sreejesh, Sreejesh!’

The former Indian goalkeeper, not only a stalwart but also a local favourite, having spent several years playing domestically in Tamil Nadu, was the most recognisable face for the fans. But the Indian junior hockey team, coached by PR Sreejesh, would soon take centre stage in a city that loves its sporting idols, hoping to make a name for themselves.

Chennai has been decked up and ready for the 2025 edition of the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup, with banners across the vast metropolitan. From the international airport to the two key railway stations, hoardings have been put up with the mascot Kangeyan taking a place of prominence. Of course, Chief Minister MK Stalin and his son and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin are also omnipresent; unsurprising, as the state gears up for an election soon, every bit of publicity matters.

A metro train wrapped up in entirety by Hockey World Cup branding. (Special arrangement)

The stadium itself sports a fresh look, just over two years after hosting the Asian Champions Trophy. The East and South galleries were open-to-air back in 2023, and there were no chairs – just concrete benches that trapped all the summer heat and proved a challenging experience for fans. But now, both stands have comfortable seats installed and roofs put in place. “Before the Asian Champions Trophy, since there was less time, we couldn’t do anything about it. Now we are aware of the fact that there might be some disruption. So, particularly from a spectator comfort perspective and being a World Cup, we didn’t want people to watch matches sitting on a concrete surface. So, Deputy CM Udhayanidhi sir said two things were a must. We’ll first cover those stands, and we’ll also provide chairs. Our engineering team ensured that there is tensile roofing on both sides and also proper seating,” J Meghanatha Reddy, IAS – CEO and Member Secretary of Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu – tells The Indian Express.

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With ACT, the city welcomed back international hockey after a gap of 16 years. It hasn’t taken that long this time. “The Asian Champions Trophy was a big eye-opener for us. Almost every match, it was a packed house. We didn’t expect that,” Reddy says. “Chennai has a strong sporting culture across multiple sports. Hosting this World Cup was a fantastic opportunity. We understood what Odisha was doing. Hockey India came up with a proposal as to why you don’t try something like this.”

Hoarding for the Junior World Cup in Chennai. (Express / Vinayakk)

To their credit, the organisers haven’t held back with the marketing. “Other than IPL, it is not easy to get people to notice other events sometimes, especially in a cosmopolitan city. We wanted to ensure greater visibility across all available media. We have had continuous campaigns on FM radio across channels, and we have released TV commercials. We went with hoardings in a big way. On the metro line, there is one full train which has been wrapped with tournament branding.” Chennai, after all, knows how to put up a show.