EKA Arena

EKA Arena

Panoramic view of the stadium
Full name	EKA Arena by TransStadia
Address	India
Location	Kankaria Lake, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Coordinates	23°00′39.7″N72°35′56.8″E / 23.011028°N 72.599111°E / 23.011028; 72.599111
Public transit	Janmarg AMTS
Owner	Trans Stadia
Capacity	20,000 (10,000 more with temporary seats on the pitch area) (outdoor) [1]
Field size	105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
Surface	Bermuda Grass
Construction
Opened	7 October 2016
Construction cost	US$ 82.15 million
Architect	Holmes Miller & DSP Design Associates
Tenants
India national football team (2019–present) ARA F.C. Gujarat football team Gujarat Giants Atlético de Gujarat
Website
transstadia.com

EKA Arena (formerly The Arena/TransStadia Arena) is a multi-purpose stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, located near Kankaria Lake. The stadium was officially opened on 7 October 2016. It was built in a public-private partnership between the Government of Gujarat and SE TransStadia, a company led by entrepreneur Udit Sheth.

The stadium seats 20,000 spectators in its main football configuration. It is capable of being partitioned into an indoor arena, allowing it to host other sporting events (such as kabaddi and table tennis).

History

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration ceremony of the stadium in Ahmedabad, June 30, 2017.

Interior of the stadium

TransStadia was established by entrepreneur Udit Sheth after being introduced to British footballer and stadium consultant Paul Fletcher. Sheth sought to build a multi-purpose stadium on an otherwise-unused property in Gujarat, ^[2] licensing technology from Fletcher's company StadiArena to allow part of the facility to be converted into an indoor arena to maximise its utilisation. ^{[3] [4]}

Sheth stated that the design of the stadium and its facilities were intended to meet the needs of players, spectators, and broadcasters, including training facilities, ensuring there were no obstructed views and adequate fibreoptic connections for Wi-Fi, and working with Star Sports officials to plan the necessary infrastructure for broadcasting. ^[3] He cited Amsterdam Arena, the Tokyo Dome, and Wembley Stadium as influences on its overall design. ^[5]

Lonestar Kashmir FC players lining up during an I-League 2nd Division match at the stadium in 2019

The facility cost ₹550 crore to construct, as part of a public-private partnership with the state government; Sheth explained that "the project would not have been viable if we decided to charge commercial market value rent and still expected sports to develop. A regular project will recover money in around five years while we will do it in seven to nine years." ^[2]

Its indoor arena hosted its facility's first sporting event — the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup—in November 2016. ^[6] A formal inauguration ceremony was held 30 June 2017, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other political and sporting dignitaries. During a speech at the ceremony, Sheth referred to The Arena as "the most modern stadium in the world". ^{[7] [8]}

Major events

Kabaddi

The Arena hosted the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016. ^[6] It has hosted legs of the Pro Kabaddi League, serving as designated home arena of the Gujarat Giants.

Football

In July 2019, the stadium hosted the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, marking the first international football matches held at The Arena. ^[9]

It was to host matches during the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, ^[10] but the tournament was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[11] India were awarded the 2022 tournament, but Ahmedabad was not named a host city. ^[12]

It hosted football during the 2022 National Games of India. ^{[13] [14]}

See also

• List of football stadiums in India

References

1. "TransStadia Pitch". transstadia.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
2. "TransStadia, the Rs 550 crore sports complex that may put Gujarat on the global sporting map". Firstpost. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
3. Raje, Aparna Piramal (24 January 2019). "The entrepreneur who built a stadium". mint. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
4. "StadiArena targets US, UK expansion". The Stadium Business. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
5. Pathak, Maulik (10 October 2016). "Arena by TransStadia: A sneak peek into India's first convertible stadium". Mint. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
6. "Kabaddi World Cup 2016, India vs South Korea Highlights: South Korea stun India in opener". Firstpost. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
7. "Narendra Modi Gujarat visit: PM inaugurates Asia's biggest multi-purpose stadium TransStadia Arena; take a look". The Financial Express. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
8. "'The Arena' by TransStadia inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi". The Indian Express. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
9. Vasudevan, Shyam. "Intercontinental Cup: Ahmedabad's EKA Arena's first tryst with international football". Sportstar. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
10. Subramanian, Vishal (18 February 2020). "FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2020 schedule revealed - Navi Mumbai to host the final". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
11. "Update on FIFA Club World Cup 2020 and women's youth tournaments". FIFA.com. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
12. "Bhubaneswar, Margao in Goa and Navi Mumbai confirmed as Host Cities for tournament". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
13. "National Games: W Bengal hammer Kerala 5–0 to clinch gold in men's football". wap.business-standard.com. Ahmedabad: Business Standard India. IANS. 12 October 2022. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
14. Sarangi, Y. B. (11 October 2022). "National Games: West Bengal routs Kerala 5–0, wins men's football gold medal after 11 years". sportstar.thehindu.com. Ahmedabad: Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.

External links

• EKA Arena on Twitter