Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (locally known as Kaloor International Stadium) is an international stadium in Kochi, Kerala, India. With a capacity to hold 60,000 spectators, the stadium was built in 1996 during the tenure of K. Karunakaran as Chief Minister of Kerala. The stadium in Kochi is considered to be the fifth largest in India and the third largest cricket stadium in India after the Eden gardens and the stadium in New Delhi.

Originally constructed as a football stadium, it has played host to a number of international cricket and football matches. The extensive grounds of the stadium serve as venue for important exhibitions, cinema events and political rallies in the city. The stadium is quipped with floodlights for night play. The architecture of the stadium is unique compared to other stadia in India.[citation needed].The Most Innovative aspect of the stadium is its unique Lighting Towers of 2 kW Floodlights which when switched on fully can provide Lighting levels for HDTV telecast.The Structure of the tower is itself one of a kind in India.The four Lighting towers stand like the Vivaldi's Four Season Quartet,in silent symphony during the day. The major cricket teams here include the Kerala cricket team. The football teams Viva Kerala and FC Kochin play here.



Established in 1996 - 97
Capacity - 75,000
Ground type - Grass
Flood Lights - Yes 388 2KW Metal Halide Floodlights
Home team - Viva Kerala and FC Kochin

History
The first tournament conducted was the Nehru Cup International Football Tournament in 1997. The highest attendance of audience was recorded in this tournament for India v/s Iraq match (nearly one lakh people attended, thus overcrowding the stadium). But the highest money grosser was made in a cricket ODI match between India and Pakistan on April 2005. The first ODI played on the ground was between India and Australia on April 1, 1998. And the last being on October 2, 2007 between India and Australia. The second ODI between India and Australia of the Future cup was played in Kochi on October 2,2007. Australia won the match by 84 runs. The rain was thought to play spoilsport but it didn't create any problem. An attendance of over 85,000 is being reported though not confirmed,thus it gives a clear idea that Kochi is indeed the cricket capital of Kerala. And to support the statement the Kerala cricket association(KCA)have decided to build a new stadium exclusively for cricket,and it will come up in Ernakulam district where the city of Cochin lies. KCA is looking forward to acquire around 30 acres of land in Kochi and the stadium will be built to include crowd of 50,000. As per KCA's decision the stadium will come up by 2010 and thus Kochi will set to host day and night matches and will also become a test venue.

In 2006, the stadium is to undergo a major renovation, including a new PVDF coated fabric roof. Another recent development has been a new four-lane road from the south of the stadium which has made access easier from that side.

Ambedkar Stadium,New Delhi

Ambedkar Stadium is a multi-use stadium in New Delhi, India. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 20,000 people.

It is named after India's most famous dalits (untouchables), B. R. Ambedkar.

In 2007, the stadium was renovated and floodlights were installed. In August 2007 the stadium hosted its first tournament under floodlights, the Nehru Cup International Football Tournament 2007.

Salt Lake Stadium Kolkata

Salt Lake Stadium, officially Stadium of the Indian Youth (in Bengali যুব ভারতী ক্রীড়াঙ্গন, Yuva Bharati Krirangan), is a multi-use stadium in Salt Lake City, Kolkata, India.

The stadium has the second largest capacity in the world & largest in Indian Sub-Continent. It is currently used for football matches and athletics. The stadium was built in 1984 and holds 120,000[1] in a three-tier configuration.

It is situated approximately 7 km from the heart of the city. It is elliptical in shape. The roof is made of strong tubes and aluminum sheets and concrete. There are two electronic score boards and control rooms. The lighting is uniformly distributed to facilitate nocturnal sports. There are special arrangements for TV broadcasting.

The total covered area of 76.40 acres, Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated in January, 1984. The salient features of the stadium are unique Synthetic track for athletic meet, electronic scoreboard, main football arena measuring 105M x 70M, elevators for dignitaries along with VIP/VVIP enclosure, peripheral floodlighting arrangement from the roof-top, A.C. VIP rest room and Conference Hall. Other features of the stadium are also commentary boxes for A.I.R. and T.V. along with several platforms for T.V. Cameras, Press Boxes, dormitories and A.C. rooms, player's changing rooms, practice grounds for football, cricket and khokho, volleyball field and an ultra-medium gymnasium. The Stadium has its own water arrangements and standby diesel generation sets.

The excellent arrangement of floodlight which illumines the stadium has 624 bulbs of 2 k.wt. each and two electronic scoreboards consists 36,000 bulbs of 25 watt each. The four underground reservoirs have unique fire-fighting arrangements with a capacity of 10,000 gallons. The architectural and structural design of the stadium had been done by the Joint Consultants viz., M/S. Ballardie, Thompson & Matthews Pvt. Ltd. and M/S. H.K. Sen & Associates- both from Kolkata, West Bengal. The track was prepared by Reckortan Tartan Track, Germany. The electronic scoreboards were supplied by Electro Impex of Hungary.

As its inauguration in January, 1984 with the Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup Soccer Tournament, the Salt Lake Stadium has hosted several important international tournaments or matches such as The Pre-World Cup Tournament in 1985, Super-Soccers in 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1994, 3rd S.A.F. games in 1987, U.S.S.R. Festival in 1988, Charminar Challenger Trophy in 1992, Jawaharlal Nehru International Gold Cup in 1995.

This Stadium also hosts different kind of cultural programs [Dance, Music Concerts etc.].




Football (Soccer)
Football is the main sport in this stadium.

The Salt Lake stadium hosts the home games of local clubs East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan AC and Mohammedan SC, three of the big clubs in Indian football. The traditional Kolkata derbies between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan AC take place in this stadium accompanied by much fanfare, feverish emotions (and on a few occasions, outbreaks of violence). Most of these matches are attended by capacity crowds of vociferous, partisan supporters of both teams (traditionally East Bengal Fans celebrates their win by eating Hilsa fish and Mohun Bagan fans celebrate wins by eating prawns).

Many of the home games of the India national football team are also played in Salt Lake, as are many important games in major stages of national tournaments as well as cricket.

Athletics
The stadium also hosts important athletic events. It has hosted the SAF Games in 1987and various national athletics events in India.

DY Patil Stadium

DY Patil Stadium is a cricket stadium at DY Patil Vidyanagar campus, Nerul, Navi Mumbai, India. The stadium has all the facilities of an international cricket stadium, and has been designed by Hafeez Contractor, one of India's premier architects.

The stadium was officially inaugurated on the 4th of March 2008, and is one of the home ground's for IPL team Mumbai Indians. It hosted 3 IPL matches for the Mumbai Indians and has also hosted the 2008 IPL Final. The stadium also has other facilities including 9 tennis hard courts, 4 indoor badminton courts and an Olympic sized swimming pool.

A unique feature of the stadium is the cantilever roof which eliminates the need for any supports thus providing the spectators with an unobstructed view of the match from any place within the stand. It will also host some India-England Series matches.It will also host 2 All India Football Federation cup matches

2011 Asian Cup Qualifying Revised

The AFC Asian Cup 2011 second round qualifying Group C has been recast following the recent victory of India in the AFC Challenge Cup 2008 which made them eligible for a direct bye to the Finals of the AFC Asian Cup 2011.

Two berths are reserved for the winners of the AFC Challenge Cup editions in 2008 and 2010 in the AFC Asian Cup 2011, according to a decision by the AFC Competitions Committee in order to provide maximum encouragement to AFC Challenge Cup teams and create a level playing field.

Following India’s exclusion, Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualifying will now comprise only Uzbekistan (C1), UAE (C2) and Malaysia (C3). The top two teams qualify for the Finals.

SECOND ROUND GROUPINGS
Group A
A1 - Japan
A2 - Bahrain
A3 - Hong Kong
A4 - Yemen

Group B
B1 - Australia
B2 - Indonesia
B3 - Oman
B4 - Kuwait

Group C*
C1 - Uzbekistan
C2 - UAE
C3 - Malaysia

Group D
D1 - Vietnam
D2 - China
D3 - Syria
D4 - Lebanon

Group E
E1 - Iran
E2 - Thailand
E3 - Jordan
E4 - Singapore

*Revised group following India’s exclusion

Interview With MB Coach Karim Bencherifa

After leading Mohun Bagan to their first title this season by winning the local Kolkata league, Coach Karim Bencherifa speaks on the same and the upcoming I-League.

How would you summarize your time with Mohun Bagan so far?

Karim: It has been a wonderful time, things were smooth; healthy environment and working atmosphere is based on respect and professionalism and that is exactly what’s happening around the club. Also I enjoy my working time on daily basis with the wonderful players not only as professionals but as good human being.

Did you expect at the start of your new tenure to win the Kolkata League? Or has it surprised you?

Karim: From the start I had no doubt that we will be among the top sides and we will compete for the championship. On the other hand when I accepted the challenge to coach Mohun Bagan, I knew I am in a result orientated club which mean all is done to be number one and anything below that isn’t accepted.

As a foreigner, what do you make of the passion surrounding the Kolkata derby against East Bengal, or what they call as the 'BIG Match'?

Karim: It is simply amazing! The passion, the love of the game, the build up day before the match... its unique, its 'tasty' and ‘spicy’! I was involved in two derbies and I enjoyed both of them especially that we won the first one and we got the league in the second.

How different has your time been so far from the one spent at Churchill Brothers?

Karim: Football is the same everywhere but the working environment is different, each club has its own culture so it is very much different in the sense of set up and functioning. But from my position as a coach I enjoyed my work in both clubs; both set of players are wonderful and quality, both club's officials did support me and took care of me so no complain what so ever.

If I ask you to pick some of the best teams you had to face from the Kolkata League they would be…

Karim: We had many tough games; East Bengal with the top quality players they have, Mohammedan with their attacking fire power. The team that impressed me most is George Telegraph; very fit, organized and play quality football.

Last year too Mohun Bagan won the Kolkata League but when on to perform poorly at the start of the I-League. What are your plans to avoid the tumble?

Karim: We cant compare as there is a different set of players with different ambitions, we have a lot of youngsters who are hungry to prove and the likes of Bhaichung and Baretto are more exited than ever for success, so we have enough ingredients to perform. The team will have two days rest following which we head to Jamshedpur for a camp till September 21st. We will do the final preparation in our home ground at Mohun Bagan club.

Injuries have enshrouded the big teams in Kolkata this summer. Any Players crocked right now?

Karim: Kolkata league took its toll on the players - the harsh weather, heavy grounds and tight schedule of games did harm badly many players, and we paid also the price for that by having many players suffering different kind of injuries. One of the objectives of the camp that I schedule next week is to recover all the injured players to be fully fit at the start of the I-league.

It seems that you have been able to use the 'magic wand' at Mohun Bagan as well as you did at Churchill Brothers. What's the secret?

Karim: You know only hard work make the 'magic wand' and only hard work give more luck... but as I always repeat that there no secret, only good communication between all parties involved in a club, respect, professionalism and hard work. But most credit should go to the players of both teams for the honest effort to help the clubs to glory.

Kolkata is known to have a history of officials who interfere in the team selection. Did you encounter this?

Karim: During my career, I built a reputation based on respect of the official’s good working relationship with players and a professional collaboration with the media. My contract with Churchill Brothers as well as Mohun Bagan was based on the sense that I took full responsibility of the team on the field (selection, tactics, choices, scheduling...). My job is based on principals. I know where my responsibilities start and where it ends. This does not mean that I have a closed mind minded as I am always open to discussions with my staff and any idea that I see beneficial for the team is incorporated. I take it and the final decisions in the technical area of the club are mine.

Any advice for the Kolkata fans who have recently indulged in violence...

Karim: All what I have to say is the Kolkata fans, in general, are wonderful as they support their team with style. Of course as everywhere there is a small section that goes over the limit sometimes and it has to stop. Indian football is improving on and off the field and the fans have to follow, for this you need volunteers to start organizing and educating the fans through fan associations and meetings so the cheer will be more colourful and united. It would also avoid any nonsense activity.