Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium was inaugurated on December 17, 1956, by the then Governor of Kerala Dr. B Ramakrishna Rao. Its inauguration came just over a month after the birth of the Kerala state and was meant to be a prominent venue for football matches in the country. The stadium was named after N Chandrasekharan Nair, who was the first Inspector General of the newly formed Kerala Police. In 1962, the stadium hosted the All India Police Meet.

Chandrasekaran Nair stadium became one of the few stadiums in the country to boast of flood light facility when the then Home Minister Vayalar Ravi switched on the lights on September 3, 1984. The stadium got its second tier gallery in 1986, which was completed in a record time of 125 days and inaugurated by the then Chief Minister K Karunakaran.

With a total capacity of over 20,000, it used to be placed in the list of important stadiums in India. But over the years, this historic stadium has been on a downward spiral, and now finds itself misplaced in the midst of the bustling city that has grown all around it.

At present, the District Football Association is in dire straits and is desperately trying to hold enough matches to stay on the national league. One of the main reasons (for what?) that the officials point out is the lack of a stadium to hold the football matches. Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium does not get listed as a venue even for conducting the minor league amateur matches. Evenings at the stadium still do see players practicing football, but to an area restricted to a small portion, as the rest of the place would be reserved for holding mass events of all kinds.

The stadium belongs to the Kerala Police and is most commonly referred to as the 'Police Stadium'. But the concerned officials seem more interested in making money through renting out the stadium and grounds to conduct food fests, exhibitions, award nights, religious gatherings and even to commando trainings, but never to hold sporting events. Renting out the ground for carrying out sporting events would only bring in a nominal fee. Public programs and live events bring in an amount many times that.