A Fitting Finale

The Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, has pulled off an excellent tournament in the first edition of the Hero Super Cup.

EVER SINCE BHUBANESWAR hosted its first Indian Super League football match between Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC in February, the stage was set for a great season of football. The magnificent Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, has consistently proved to be a world-class venue.

The Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, has brought tremendous sporting action to the State in recent times, including global events such as the Asian Athletics Championships 2017 and the Hockey World League Finals Bhubaneswar 2017, and the Indian Super League game was a step in the same positive direction. TATA Steel has a significant presence in the state of Odisha, so it was fitting that Jamshedpur FC played a ‘home’ game in Bhubaneswar.

Setting up an entirely new venue in a short span of time was no mean feat. The ground had to be revamped to meet ISL standards in around two months, while the stadium itself underwent significant infrastructural changes to meet the unwavering standards set by ISL for its venues across the country. Specifically, the playing surface, the stands and the hospitality areas needed to undergo significant refurbishment in preparation for the match.

The playing surface was initially quite hard and undulated, and it was made significantly softer and more even to provide adequate traction for the players’ footing. Some of the best groundsmen in the country, along with state-of-the-art machinery, worked day and night on the playing surface to bring about this transformation in so short a time. On the infrastructure front, new player locker rooms were created, a temporary medical room was set up, thousands of new bucket seats were installed to significantly improve the spectator experience, and top-notch facilities were set up for the media and the broadcast team. Also, six different hospitality zones were created for the game in anticipation of a strong attendance.