Salt Lake Stadium
বিবেকানন্দ যুবভারতী ক্রীড়াঙ্গন | |
Salt Lake Stadium | |
 Salt Lake Stadium during FIFA U17 World Cup 2017 | |
| Full name | Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan |
|---|---|
| Location | Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Coordinates | 22°34′08″N 88°24′33″E / 22.56889°N 88.40917°E / 22.56889; 88.40917Coordinates: 22°34′08″N 88°24′33″E / 22.56889°N 88.40917°E / 22.56889; 88.40917 |
| Owner | Indian Football Association |
| Capacity | 80,000[1] |
| Record attendance | 131,781[2](Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, 13 July 1997) |
| Field size | 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft) |
| Surface | Grass (1984–2011) Astro-turf (2011–2015) Riviera Bermuda Grass (2015–present)[3][4] |
| Construction | |
| Opened | January 1984 (1984-01) |
| Renovated | 2011, 2014,[5] 2016–2017 |
| Architect | M/S. Ballardie, Thompson & Matthews Pvt. Ltd.; M/S. H.K. Sen & Associates |
| Tenants | |
India national football team (1984–) Mohun Bagan (1984–) East Bengal (1984–) ATK (2014–)[6] | |
Salt Lake Stadium, officially known as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK),[7] is a multipurpose stadium in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, with a current capacity of 80,000.[8]It is the largest stadium in India by seating capacity.[9] Before its renovation in 2011, it was the second largest football stadium in the world, having a seating capacity of 120,000.[10] Prior to the construction and opening of Rungrado May Day Stadium in 1989, it was the largest football stadium in the world. The stadium hosted the final match of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, alongside hosting other matches of the tournament.[11][12] As part of security measures for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the stadium was only open for 66,687 viewers instead of the stadium’s capacity of 85,000[13].
The stadium's record attendance was recorded in 1997 when 131,781 spectators watched the Federation Cup Semifinal between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.[2]
The stadium recently switched back to natural grass from artificial turf as part of the preparations for hosting the U-17 World Cup in 2017. The new turf was unveiled in a Kolkata Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan during the 2015–16 Calcutta Premier Division match.[14]
Contents
1 About
2 Renovation
3 Location
3.1 Transportation
4 Football matches
5 Other uses
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
About
The stadium was established in 1984 because the club grounds in the Maidan area, each with capacity around 20,000, were proving too small for the huge crowd that occupied the grounds on matchdays. And while the Eden Gardens was there to handle some of the bigger games, like the Kolkata Derby, the pressure of handling both cricket and football was proving to be a bit too much for the stadium.[15]
The stadium is situated approximately 10 kilometres to the east of the Kolkata downtown. The roof is made of metal tubes and aluminum sheets and concrete. The stadium was inaugurated in January 1984. There are two electronic scoreboards and control rooms. There is illumination at night . There are special arrangements for TV broadcasting.[16]
The gigantic stadium features three tiers of concrete galleries. The stadium has 9 entry gates and 30 ramps for the spectators to reach the viewing blocks. The nine gates include the VIP gate. The gates 1 and 2 are on kadapara road, gate no.3, 3A, 4, 4A and 4B are on the side of Broadway; gate no 5 and the VIP gate are on the side of EM By pass. The ramps are inside the stadium and link the inner ring road to the different levels of the stadium complex.[17]
The stadium covers an area of 76.40 acres (309,200 m2). The stadium has a unique[citation needed] synthetic track for athletic meets. It has a main football arena measuring 105 by 70 metres (344 ft × 230 ft). It also houses electronics scoreboards, elevators, VIP enclosures, peripheral floodlighting arrangement from the roof-top, air-conditioned VIP rest room, conference hall and much more. The stadium has its own water arrangements and standby diesel generation sets.[16]
Renovation
The ₹1 billion (US$14 million) renovation project started in February 2015. The artificial turf at the stadium has been replaced by an all-natural grass pitch. The new grass is from Reivera Bermuda seeds procured from the USA and below it there are two layers of sand and gravel. The next layer is fitted with perforated pipes so that water-logging won’t be an issue.
German company Porplastic provided the elastic coating for the running track around the pitch which was replaced for the first time since the stadium was built in 1984. The old track has been scooped out and the new surface was laid.
The lobby of the VIP entrance that leads to the player's arena, was air-conditioned. The broadcast rooms and stadium offices were renovated.
Bucket seats replaced the concrete benches in the galleries, which brought down the stadium's capacity from 120,000 to 85,000.
The VIP and press boxes, both in the middle tier, were pulled down and a new press box with a capacity of 240 seats is now on the third tier. The VIP box remained on the second tier, with an added 240 seats. The press conference room that used to be cramped during derbies and matches featuring international teams has been shifted to a 19 x 8.5-metre space under a gallery. A spacious broadcast room of similar dimensions has been
built as well.
Two full-sized practice grounds with perforations on the surface for underground drainage and eight floodlight towers have come up at the Hyatt end of the stadium, as recommended by FIFA. The same imported Reveria Bermuda grass used on the main turf will cover the practice grounds. The drainage network has been designed to ensure that the surface never becomes slushy. The referees rooms have been built alongside the practice grounds.
The number of gates to the stadium has been increased from seven to nine. Some of the existing gates has been widened too, as are the approaches that connect the entrances and exits to the ring road. Each link road is 21 meters wide. The surroundings has been beautified by the forest department.
To the left of the lobby, rooms have been constructed for referees and ball boys.[3][4][18][17]
Location
The stadium is located in the satellite township of Salt Lake and it also lies on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass which makes it easily accessible by road.
Transportation
There are numerous buses which ply around the city to the stadium. The Line 2 of the metro will be passing near the stadium, therefore the stadium will have its own station which is expected to open by Oct 2018.[19] The stadium is approx 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) away from N.S.C.Bose International Airport.
Football matches
Yuva Bharati Krirangan during Atlético de Kolkata vs FC Goa match on 10 December 2014
After its inauguration in January, 1984 with the Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup, the Salt Lake Stadium has hosted several important international tournaments and matches such as matches of the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification in 1985, Super-Soccers in 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1994, 3rd South Asian Games in 1987, USSR Festival Cup in 1988, Charminar Challenger Trophy in 1992 and the Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup in 1995.
The Salt Lake Stadium hosts the home games of the local clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal who play in the I-League. It also hosts the games of Mohammedan, who currently play in the 2nd Division I-League. Many of the home games of the Indian Team are also played in the Salt Lake Stadium. Since 2014 a new tenant team Atlético de Kolkata (playing in the ISL) has made the stadium their home ground.
Aerial view of the Yuva Bharati Krirangan
On June 5, 2011 FIFA scheduled a friendly match[citation needed] to be played at the Salt Lake on 2 September 2011. The match was played between Argentina and Venezuela. This was a historic occasion in the history of Indian football and also for the stadium as the match featured Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
[20][21]
The stadium has also hosted Oliver Kahn's official farewell match for Bayern Munich when they played a friendly match against Mohun Bagan. Bayern Munich won the match 3–0.[22]
In December 2012, a friendly match was played between Brazil Masters and IFA All Stars. Brazil Masters won it 3–1. Beto scored twice and Bebeto scored one goal for Brazil Masters.[23]
Football match during 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
On 12 October 2014, the stadium hosted the first match in the Indian Super League, preceded by an opening ceremony which featured superstars from the footballing world as well as from Bollywood. In the opening match, Atlético de Kolkata defeated Mumbai City FC 3–0.[24] The stadium hosted its last match of the inaugural edition of ISL on 14 December where Atlético de Kolkata played FC Goa in the first leg of the semi-finals. Salt Lake stadium was the only stadium among the eight venues of ISL where matches were allowed to be played on artificial turf. It hosted 11 matches in 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, including the Final.
Other uses
The stadium also hosts important athletic events. It has hosted the SAF Games in 1987 and various national athletics events in India. The stadium also hosts different kinds of cultural programs such as dance and music concerts. The stadium also hosted the opening ceremony of 2013 IPL Season, and it featured live performances of American rapper Pitbull and Indian film stars Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone.[25][26]
See also
- List of association football stadiums by capacity
References
^ https://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/destination/stadiums/stadium/5008920/
^ ab Bhaskaran, K. (19 July 1997). "Beneath the box office lurks hidden danger". rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab "Salt Lake stadium goes Cup class".
^ ab "Renovated, Salt Lake all decked up to welcome future stars at City of Joy".
^ "Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium)". StadiumDB.com. Retrieved 8 May 2016..
^ "Hero Indian Super League 2017-18 to kick off in Kolkata; League's first longer season to feature 95 games".
^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 - Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan - FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
^ https://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/destination/stadiums/stadium/5008920/
^ https://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/destination/stadiums/stadium/5008920/
^ "The 10 largest football stadiums in the world". soccerlens.com. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
^ "Match Schedule – FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
^ "Kolkata possible host for U-17 World Cup Final: FIFA". The Statesman. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
^ FIFA.com. "FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 - Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
^ "Salt lake stadium to get natural turf". goal.com. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
^ "Stadium stories for the VYBK". thefangarage.com. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
^ ab "Yuva Bharati Krirangan: West Bengal Sports Department". wbsports.in. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
^ ab "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ "Refurbished at over Rs 100 crore, Salt Lake stadium handed over to Fifa on Sunday". 10 September 2017.
^ "Kolkata East-West Metro trial run in Dec".
^ "Lionel Messi arrives in Kolkata for friendly match against Venezuela". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
^ "Venezuela vs Argentina match report". goal.com. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
^ "Bayern wins 3–0 against Mohun Bagan". mohunbaganclub.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
^ "Brazil masters win 3–1 against IFA All Stars". Archived from the original on 20 July 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
^ "Ex-Liverpool stars Luis Garcia and Josemi start as Atlético de Kolkata win first ISL clash against Mumbai City". dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
^ "SRK, Katrina and Pitbull to perform at IPL opening ceremony".
^ "SRK, Deepika and Pitbull take Salt Lake stadium by storm at IPL opening ceremony". India Today.
External links
Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kolkata – FIFA
Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata – Profile at indiansuperleague.com
| Preceded by Estadio Azteca | Largest football stadium in the world January 1984 – May 1989 | Succeeded by Rungrado May Day Stadium |
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Estadio Sausalito Viña del Mar | FIFA U-17 World Cup Final Venue 2017 | Succeeded by TBA |
