Salt Lake Stadium

Last updated

Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan
Salt Lake Stadium
Salt Lake Stadium during FIFA U17 World Cup 2017 ....jpg
Salt Lake Stadium on a matchday of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup
Salt Lake Stadium
Location Bidhannagar, Greater Kolkata [1]
Public transit Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Logo.svg Salt Lake Stadium Green Line
Owner Government of West Bengal
Operator Department of Youth Services & Sports
Capacity 68,000 [2]
List
  • 77,269 [3] (2017–2020)
    85,000 (2011–2017)
    120,000 (1984–2011)
Record attendance131,781 (1997 Federation Cup semi-final)
Field size110 m × 72 m (361 ft × 236 ft)
Surface Grass (1984–2011)
Astro-turf (2011–2015)
Bermuda grass (2015–present) [4] [5]
ScoreboardYes (manual & digital)
Construction
Opened25 January 1984;40 years ago (1984-01-25)
Renovated2011, 2014, [6] 2016–2017
ArchitectM. S. Ballardie, Thompson & Matthews Pvt. Ltd.
H. K. Sen & Associates
Tenants
India national football team (1984–present)
West Bengal football team (1984–present)
East Bengal (1984–present)
Mohun Bagan (1984–present)
Mohammedan (1984–present)

The Salt Lake Stadium, officially known as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), [7] is a Football stadium [7] located in Salt Lake city, Greater Kolkata, [8] with a capacity of 85,000 spectators. [2] Named after Swami Vivekananda, the stadium is the home ground of East Bengal FC, and Mohun Bagan SG The stadium hosted the final match of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, alongside other matches of the tournament. [9] [10]

Contents

The stadium switched back to natural grass from artificial turf as part of the preparations for hosting the U-17 World Cup. The new turf was unveiled in a Kolkata Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan during the 2016 Calcutta Premier Division match. [11]

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. [12]

The stadium before renovation, an aerial view. Kolkata Aerial view Salt Lake Stadium view 1.jpg
The stadium before renovation, an aerial view.

The stadium is situated approximately 10 kilometers to the east of the Greater 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. [13]

The 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. 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. [14]

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 generatiorsets. [13]

Renovation

An installation of a personal seating and a reducement of capacity for safety reasons down to 85,000 was a long-term project meant to "give enough elbow room to the spectators and also facilitate smooth passage during the breaks". [15]

While some changes to modernize the stadium started in 2014, [15] the 1 billion (US$12 million) renovation project began earnestly in February 2015. The artificial turf at the stadium has been replaced by an all-natural grass pitch. The new grass is from Riviera Bermuda seeds and below it there are two layers of sand and gravel. The next layer is fitted with perforated pipes to prevent water-logging. 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.

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 has been shifted to a 19x8.5-metre space. A spacious broadcast room of similar dimensions has been built.

Two full-sized practice grounds and eight floodlight towers have come up at the Hyatt end of the stadium, as recommended by FIFA. The referees rooms have been built alongside the practice grounds. The number of gates to the stadium has been increased to nine. Some of the existing gates has been widened, as were the paths connecting the ring road. [4] [5] [16] [14]

Location

The stadium is located in the satellite township of Salt Lake in North 24 Parganas and it also lies beside 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 Kolkata Metro is passing near the stadium, therefore the stadium has its own station, opened on 13 February 2020. [17] The stadium is approx 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) away from N.S.C. Bose International Airport.

Football matches

Indian crowd during the match between FC Bayern Munich and Mohun Bagan, May 27, 2008 Salt Lake Stadium ( Yuba Bharati Krirangan ) Kolkata India - FC Bayern Munich Mohun Bagan Oliver Kahn 1.jpg
Indian crowd during the match between FC Bayern Munich and Mohun Bagan, May 27, 2008

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 East Bengal and Mohun Bagan who played in the I-League and now play in the ISL as East Bengal and Mohun Bagan SG, respectively. It also hosts the games of Mohammedan, who currently play in the 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) had made the stadium their home ground. Later ATK club was dissolved and stakes of their parent club was bought in Mohun Bagan in 2020 and became ATK Mohun Bagan or later being called Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

On 5 June 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. [18] [19] 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. [20] 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. [21]

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. [22] 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. The stadium also hosted the FIFA world cup qualification match between Bangladesh and India.

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. [23] [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohun Bagan AC</span> Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest multi-sports clubs in Asia. The club has various sports departments like football, cricket, hockey, tennis, athletics, eSports etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bengal Club</span> Indian multi-sports club based in Kolkata

East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal, is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top flight of the Indian football. It is one of the most successful football clubs in the country. The club has other departments for women's football, men's and women's cricket, field hockey, athletics and eSports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohun Bagan Ground</span> Football stadium in Kolkata, India

Mohun Bagan Ground, also known as Mohun Bagan–Calcutta FC Ground, is a football stadium located in Maidan, Kolkata, just opposite Eden Gardens. Due to certain restrictions by the Indian Armed Forces, who own all the land surrounding Fort William, the ground is legally leased to Mohun Bagan AC for their operations. The ground is mostly used as training facilities for the senior football team of Mohun Bagan, but also acts as the home ground in regional tournaments like Calcutta Football League where reserve team participates. The stadium has a capacity of 22,000 spectators with separate VIP box and press box. The ground is also a shared home venue of Calcutta CFC, who were the earliest tenants of the ground.

The 2011 IFA shield was held in Kolkata starting from 11 March, with a total of 10 teams including a Chinese super league team participating. Teams were divided into 2 groups and played each other with the top 2 advancing to the semifinals. This was the 115th edition of the tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Bengal football team</span> State football team representing West Bengal of India

The West Bengal football team, also known as IFA Bengal football team or earlier the Bengal football team, is an Indian football team representing West Bengal in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. They were the second Indian team to participate in the continental top tier tournament – Asian Champion Club Tournament, by playing in the 1970 edition following Mysore in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Super League</span> Top division mens association football league in India

The Indian Super League (ISL) is the men's highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the league is currently contested by 13 clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ATK (football club)</span> Former Indian association football club based in Kolkata

ATK FC was an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. The club competed in the ISL, the top flight of Indian football. They were the league champions during the inaugural 2014 seasom, 2016 and 2019–20 seasons respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Kolkata</span> Overview of football in Kolkata

Football is one of the most popular sports in Kolkata, West Bengal. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of Kolkata football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, originating from the Calcutta Football League as the Kolkata derby, is one of the fiercest in the world and considered among the flagship events in the Indian footballing calendar. Kolkata is known to be the Mecca of Indian football, with the two most supported teams in the city of Kolkata – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, whereas Mohammedan Sporting having a pan India fan base. The city is also home to the biggest football stadium in India, the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, which as of 2015 has a capacity of 85,000. The record attendance of 131,781 came in a match between the said two teams in the semifinal of the 1997 Federation Cup.

The 2019 Durand Cup was the 129th edition of the Durand Cup, oldest football tournament in Asia, since the tournament's founding in 1888. 16 teams competed in the tournament. The matches were played across three locations in West Bengal, namely Kolkata, Howrah and Kalyani from 2 August 2019. The final took place at the Salt Lake Stadium on 24 August 2019.

The 2019 Calcutta Football League Premier Division was the 122nd season of the top state-level football league within the Indian state of West Bengal. The season kicked off on 26 July 2019. It had two sub-divisions: CFL Premier Division A and CFL Premier Division B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohun Bagan Super Giant</span> Indian association football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal

Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of Indian football league system. The club is most notable for its victory over the East Yorkshire Regiment in the 1911 IFA Shield final. This victory made Mohun Bagan the first all-Indian club to win a championship over a British club and was a major moment during India's push for independence.

The 2003 Indian Federation Cup, also known as 2003 Tata Federation Cup due to sponsorship reasons, was the 25th season of the Indian Federation Cup. It was held between 26 July and 9 August 2003. Defending champions Mohun Bagan were eliminated by Mohammedan Sporting in the semi-final, who faced Mahindra United in the final. Mahindra United went on to win their maiden title with Shanmugam Venkatesh scoring the winner for them in the 78th minute. Raphaël Patron Akakpo of Mahindra United finished the tournament as the top-scorer with three goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Durand Cup</span> 131st edition of the Durand Cup

The 2022 Durand Cup, also known as IndianOil Durand Cup due to sponsorship ties with Indian Oil Corporation, was the 131st edition of the Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia, and also the first edition since it was supported by the Asian Football Confederation. This year for the first time the tournament was played in more than one venue. The tournament is hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society in co-operation with the AIFF, Eastern Command of the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of West Bengal, supported by the governments Assam and Manipur.

The 2022 IndianOil Durand Cup group stage was played from 16 August to 5 September 2022. A total of 20 teams, consisting 11 ISL clubs, 5 I-League clubs and 4 Indian Armed Forces teams, competed in the group stage to decide the 8 places in the knockout stage.

The 2022–23 Indian Super League playoffs was the ninth playoffs series of the Indian Super League. The playoffs began on 3 March 2023 and concluded with the final on 18 March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Durand Cup</span> 132nd edition of the Durand Cup

The 2023 Durand Cup was the 132nd edition of Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia, and the second edition since it was supported by the Asian Football Confederation. The tournament is hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society in co-operation with the AIFF, Eastern Command of the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of West Bengal, supported by the Government of Assam.

The 2023 IndianOil Durand Cup group stage will be played from 3 August to 22 August 2023. A total of 24 teams, consisting 12 ISL clubs, 5 I-League clubs, 1 I-League 2 club, 1 regional league team, 3 Indian Armed Forces teams and 2 Foreign armed force teams, compete in the group stage to decide the 8 places in the knockout stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Indian Super League final</span> Football match

The 2024 Indian Super League final was the 10th Indian Super League final match played to determine the 2023–24 ISL Cup winners. The match was played on 4 May 2024 between Mohun Bagan SG and Mumbai City at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. It marked the conclusion of the 2023–24 Indian Super League playoffs.

The 2024 IndianOil Durand Cup group stage will be played from July to 31 August 2024. A total of 24 teams, consisting 13 ISL clubs, 2 I-League clubs, 2 regional league team, 6 Indian Armed Forces teams and 1 Foreign armed force teams, compete in the group stage to decide the 8 places in the knockout stage.

References

  1. "North 24 Parganas district". West Bengal Tourism, Experience Bengal, Dept. of Tourism, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 AFC Asian Cup 2027 Bidding Nation India. All India Football Federation. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  3. "Salient Features of VYBK Infrastutature CIVIL". West Bengal Youth and Sports Department. September 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Salt Lake stadium goes Cup class". Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Renovated, Salt Lake all decked up to welcome future stars at City of Joy". The New Indian Express. 15 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  6. "Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium)". StadiumDB.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016..
  7. 1 2 "FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: Salt Lake Stadium registers highest footfall in each match". The Indian Express. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  8. "FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: Salt Lake Stadium registers highest footfall in each match". The Indian Express. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  9. "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.
  10. "Kolkata possible host for U-17 World Cup Final: FIFA". The Statesman. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  11. "Salt lake stadium to get natural turf". goal.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  12. "Stadium stories for the VYBK". thefangarage.com. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  13. 1 2 "Yuva Bharati Krirangan: West Bengal Sports Department". wbsports.in. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Fifa 2017". Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  15. 1 2 "India: It was the largest, now it's only large". StadiumDB.com. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  16. "Refurbished at over Rs 100 crore, Salt Lake stadium handed over to Fifa on Sunday". 10 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  17. "Kolkata East-West Metro trial run in Dec". @businessline. 24 July 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  18. "Lionel Messi arrives in Kolkata for friendly match against Venezuela". indiatoday.intoday.in. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  19. "Venezuela vs Argentina match report". goal.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  20. "Bayern wins 3–0 against Mohun Bagan". mohunbaganclub.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  21. "Brazil masters win 3–1 against IFA All Stars". Archived from the original on 20 July 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  22. "Atletico de Kolkata beat Mumbai City FC 3–0 in ISL opener | Football News – Times of India". The Times of India. 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  23. "SRK, Katrina and Pitbull to perform at IPL opening ceremony". @businessline. 24 March 2013. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  24. "SRK, Deepika and Pitbull take Salt Lake stadium by storm at IPL opening ceremony". India Today. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2017.

Further reading

Preceded by Largest football stadium in the world
January 1984 – May 1989
Succeeded by

22°34′08″N88°24′33″E / 22.56899°N 88.40907°E / 22.56899; 88.40907