Architecture Feature - Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata

The largest sports stadium in India and the second largest in the world, Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata is undoubtedly the most majestic landmark around the city of joy.

As the name suggests, Salt Lake Stadium is situated in Salt Lake City, which lies at a distance of approximately 10 kilometres away from Kolkata city, towards the east. Opened to the public in the year 1984, this stadium was formerly known as Yuva Bharati Kridangan, and is owned by the Indian Football Association. Salt Lake Stadium was designed as a joint effort by Ballardie Thomson & Mathews Private Limited and H.K. Sen & Associates, both of which are renowned architecture firms which have made significant contributions to the development of property in Kolkata.

The structure of Salt Lake Stadium was constructed using a solid mix of concrete, metal and aluminium. It has a sturdy assembly, which is very much evident in its imposing stance. Inside the oval stadium there is a huge football ground and a jogging track with a total seating capacity of 120000 people, and the stands surrounding the ground have been divided into three tiers.

Photo Credit: Debadri/Flickr

Salt Lake Stadium features an Astroturf (artificial turf) surface, and it is spread out over an expansive area of more than 76 acres, with a field measuring 107*70 metres in size. It is readily equipped with flood lights across the field in order to ensure proper lighting conditions for matches that are held during the night. There are more than 600 lights that brighten up the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. It also features electronically illuminated scoreboards with more than 36000 bulbs, air-conditioned VIP boxes, commentary boxes, restrooms and dressing rooms for players, a dormitory, practice grounds and power backup facility.

Primarily used to play football matches of local, national and sometimes international repute, Salt Lake Stadium also plays host to some cultural and dance events and cultural happenings. The teams which host regular matches here include Mohun Bagan, Pailan Arrows, Mohammedan SC, East Bengal and Prayag United.

Photo Credit: Rameshng/Flickr

Another unique feature of the Salt Lake Stadium is a climbing wall which is located on one side of the stadium. This climbing wall is used by adventure enthusiasts who are members of various adventure foundations in Kolkata, and is sustained by local government bodies.

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