 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 | |
| Website | |
| transstadia | |
EKA Arena (formerlyThe Arena/TransStadia Arena) is amulti-purpose stadium inAhmedabad,Gujarat, located nearKankaria Lake. The stadium was officially opened on 7 October 2016. It was built in apublic-private partnership between theGovernment of Gujarat and SE TransStadia, a company led by entrepreneur Udit Sheth.
The stadium seats 20,000 spectators in its mainfootball configuration. It is capable of being partitioned into anindoor arena, allowing it to host other sporting events (such askabaddi andtable tennis).
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TransStadia was established by entrepreneur Udit Sheth after being introduced to British footballer and stadium consultantPaul 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 adequatefibreoptic connections forWi-Fi, and working withStar Sports officials to plan the necessary infrastructure for broadcasting.[3] He citedAmsterdam Arena, theTokyo Dome, andWembley Stadium as influences on its overall design.[5]
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 — the2016 Kabaddi World Cup—in November 2016.[6] A formal inauguration ceremony was held 30 June 2017, attended byPrime MinisterNarendra 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]
The Arena hosted theKabaddi World Cup in 2016.[6] It has hosted legs of thePro Kabaddi League, serving as designated home arena of theGujarat Giants.
In July 2019, the stadium hosted the2019 Intercontinental Cup, marking the first international football matches held at The Arena.[9]
It was to host matches during the2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup,[10] but the tournament was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[11] India were awarded the2022 tournament, but Ahmedabad was not named a host city.[12]
It hosted football during the2022 National Games of India.[13][14]
