Nashik Approves National-Standard Football Ground, Floodlights

Nashik's District Planning Committee has approved a national-standard football ground in Panchavati and high-mast floodlights at Hutatma Anant Kanhere Maidan, according to a press release by district sports officer Sunanda Patil on 6 October 2026. The two are separate projects, both approved and neither built, and no completion date has been reported.

This is news about public sports infrastructure, not private turfs. If delivered, it adds a proper pitch and evening lighting to a city where many of us play on small-sided turfs. Below we separate what is confirmed from what is only reported or expected.

What exactly has been approved in Nashik?

• A football ground: a national-standard ground on roughly 8 acres of the district sports officer's land at Survey No. 234, Mane Nagar, Panchavati. Planned features are a quality playing surface, drainage and water-management systems, and standard pitch dimensions.
• Floodlights: high-mast floodlights at Hutatma Anant Kanhere Maidan, for night matches.
• Funding route: the District Planning Committee, on the initiative of Nashik's guardian minister Girish Mahajan, according to the press note as reported.

Status: confirmed as approved, on the record, through a press release by the district sports officer's office. Marathi outlets Nashik Calling (6 October), Pudhari and Prahaar (both 7 October) all carry the same account. The same note says work is expected to start soon, but no date or contractor has been named in the reports we read.

Are the floodlights for football or cricket?

The reports differ here. Nashik Calling, Pudhari and Prahaar describe the Kanhere Maidan floodlights as being for night cricket practice and day-night cricket matches, and treat the football ground as a separate project at Panchavati. The Free Press Journal, in its English report on 7 October, says the floodlights will make day-and-night football matches possible at Kanhere Maidan.

Kanhere Maidan is a cricket ground, and Wikipedia lists the Maharashtra Cricket Association as its operator. That supports the cricket reading. We have no official document to settle it, but the Marathi reports follow the press note closely and the floodlights look cricket-focused. Treat any football use of that lighting as unconfirmed until the district sports office says otherwise.

What did the officials and reports claim about the benefits?

These are stated expectations, not results. The reports say a proper ground should reduce injuries from rough surfaces, let Nashik host state and national football tournaments and professional leagues, and spare local players trips to Mumbai or Pune for quality facilities. They also say evening lighting lets students and working players practise after hours, and that the facilities could draw visitors and help local businesses.

What does this mean for players in Nashik?

• Nothing changes this month. Approval is not construction, so keep booking your usual turf for weekend games.
• If built as described, a standard-size ground would suit full 11-a-side football. It would sit alongside, not replace, the small-sided turfs most of us play on. Access and booking rules for a public ground have not been announced.
• Night lighting at Kanhere Maidan is described for cricket. Do not plan football matches there yet.
• If you want to follow it, watch for updates from the district sports office. We will update this page if a start date or access details are announced.

For where to play now, read our guide to football turfs in Nashik. If you are weighing surfaces, see football on turf versus grass.

Sources