The 2017 I-League season has begun and football fans in India are in for another exciting competition after the recently concluded Indian Super League which saw Kolkata-based franchise, Atletico de Kolkata lift their second trophy in two years. In spite of the I-League’s diminishing popularity because of the ISL, it is still the official top-tier football league in India which will see ten clubs competing against each other to win this year’s honours.
Any football competition is incomplete without their fans. The fans who fill the grounds to cheer and shout for their clubs are a major motivator and act as the twelfth man for the football game.
Some clubs have a long-standing fanbase united by their roots as is the case with Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, while some other teams like Bengaluru FC and Shillong Lajong, have accumulated a huge fan base in recent times due to the immense popularity of the game in the region.
The ten teams in this year’s completion will play in ten different stadiums. While we will miss the big guns like the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and the Fatorda Stadium in Goa this year, there are some other spectacular stadiums with a great atmosphere where the I-League teams will walk out of the tunnel.
Here is a list of all the ten host stadiums for this year’s I-league:
#1 Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Mizoram (Aizawl FC)
Aizawl FC’s introduction to the I-league in 2015-16 meant that Indian football fans would get a view of the picturesque Rajiv Gandhi Stadium located in Mualpui in Aizawl, Mizoram. Named after former Prime Minister of India, the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium is still under construction; the empty the eastern part of the ground overlooks the beautiful Himalayan mountainscape.
Once completed, the stadium will be able to hold 20,000 fans. Aizawl FC came into the I-league scene in 2015-16 after winning the 2015 I-League Second Division and have made the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium their home ground since. The surface of the stadium is a revolutionary artificial turf which is gaining popularity all over India in recent times.
The club has a strong fanbase from all over Mizoram and they flock in huge numbers when Aizawl play in their red home colours at the beautiful stadium.
#2 Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru (Bengaluru FC)
What makes Bengaluru FC so special is that in just over three years, they have managed to build a fan base so strong and loyal, that it sometimes bothers fans of the grand olc clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan who had previously boasted of having die-hard fans. All roads lead to Sree Kanteerava Stadium when Bengaluru FC play, the home ground the two-time I-League champions.
The Sree Kanteerava Stadium is a multipurpose stadium located in Bengaluru with a capacity of 24,000. The stadium was completed in 1997 and has hosted Bengaluru FC’s matches since 2014. The ground boasts of a lush green surface and is one of the best playing surfaces in India.
History was made at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium when Bengaluru FC became the first Indian team to reach the finals of the AFC Cup after defeating Malaysia’s Johor Darul Tazim in the semi-finals. The ‘West Block Blues’, fans from the loyal blue army who occupy the west block at the stadium, often serves as the twelfth man for the club, a club which has gained so much love and support in the little time they have been here.
#3 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai (Chennai City FC)
Also called the Marina Arena, the 40,000 capacity stadium named after India’s first Prime Minister is home to the newest entrants in the I-League, Chennai City. Built in 1993, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is mainly used for football and athletics, with the Tamil Nadu team and ISL team, Chennaiyin FC also using it as their home ground.
The stadium complex houses an 8,000 seater multipurpose indoor stadium which hosts volleyball, basketball and table tennis games. The stadium came under criticism in the first edition of the Indian Super League with away teams complaining that the surface was too hard to play on.
Chennai City, who make their debut in this season of the I-League will surely look to take some inspiration from Chennaiyin FC, the champions of the second season of the ISL who used the same ground as their home turf.
#4 Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco (Churchill Brothers SC)
The only Goan team this season in the I-League, Churchill Brothers FC will play at Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco. Churchill did not play in the last two seasons of the I-League after having failed to fulfil the mandatory club licensing criteria.
It is believed that the returning giants of Goan football, who have won the national league twice chose Tilak Maidan grounds instead of the Fatorda Stadium where they used to play earlier because of financial reasons and diminishing crowds in the I-League.
The Tilak Maidan regularly hosts matches of the I-League as well as the Goan League and can accommodate up to 6,000 supporters for the matches. It is maintained by the Sports Authority of Goa.
#5 Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium (DSK Shivajians FC)
The Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium or better known as the Balewadi Stadium is the home of DSK Shivajians FC. Located in Pune, the Balewadi Stadium has a seating capacity of 12,000 and also hosts Indian Super League Games for the Pune City FC franchise.
The stadium was built in 1994 for the National Games which was hosted in Pune. It has also been host to the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. The Balewadi Stadium is a part of the Sree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex which houses outdoor and indoor games like tennis, badminton, boxing, shooting and wrestling. The football and athletics stadium has a capacity of 20,000 but saw crowds of less than 10,000 in the previous editions of the ISL.
DSK Shivajians finished last in last season’s I-League and they will be hoping that their fortunes turn for the better this season.
#6 Barasat District Sports Stadium (East Bengal)
The Barasat District Sports Stadium, also called the Vidyasagar Krirangan is the home to East Bengal in this season of the I-League. East Bengal's usual home, the Salt Lake Stadium is under renovation for the Under-17 World Cup to be held in 2017, and therefore, all of the Red and Gold's matches will be played in this suburban stadium, located in the outskirts of Kolkata.
The Barasat stadium was earlier used for Calcutta Football League matches and several other district and state level competitions. A much smaller ground than what East Bengal supporters are used to seeing their team play, the Barasat Stadium boasts of an astroturf as the playing surface.
The stadium has been seeing some I-League action in the past couple of seasons with some matches being hosted here, but East Bengal will look to win the I-League this time with numerous die-hard fans flocking the stadium on gameday as they look for I-League glory.
#7 Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana (Minerva Punjab FC)
I-League is back in Punjab this season with the inclusion of Minerva Punjab FC, who are competing in the top tier of Indian football for the first time. Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana, which was earlier the home of JCT Mills FC, is now the home of Punjab’s new team Minerva Punjab FC.
The Guru Nanak Stadium has a capacity of 15,000 and has a provision of an 8-lane synthetic track along with the field. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2001 National Games and has also hosted matches of the Kabbadi World Cup.
Minerva Punjab FC is fairly new to the football scene in India having been established in 2005 as Minerva Academy. After finishing second in last year's I-League 2 behind Dempo SC, Minerva Punjab FC gained direct entry to the I-League this season after Dempo SC’s withdrawal from the completion.
#8 Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, Kolkata (Mohun Bagan)
Since the usual home ground, the Salt Lake Stadium is under renovation for the Under-17 World Cup later this year, Mohun Bagan chose Rabindra Sarobar Stadium in South Kolkata as their home ground for the I-League. The Rabindra Sarobar Stadium was witness to Atletico de Kolkata’s winning journey in the ISL this season as they were home to the Kolkata-based franchise.
The stadium was opened in 1961 and named after the adjacent artificial lake in the green residential area. It has a seating capacity of 22,000 and served as a good alternative venue for Atletico this season.
However, there are severe doubts as to whether Mohun Bagan will be able to play at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium this season because of a recently issued court order preventing night matches to be played in the venue because of the threat to the rich diversity of the flora and fauna in the nearby lake area. This might see Mohun Bagan’s night matches be shifted to Barasat Stadium while the day matches are held here.
Mohun Bagan have assembled a solid team on paper and are one of the favourites, along with Bengaluru FC, to win this year’s I-League under head coach Sanjoy Sen.
#9 Cooperage Football Stadium, Mumbai (Mumbai FC)
The Cooperage Ground hosts the home matches of one of the two Maharashtra based teams, Mumbai FC. The Cooperage was mostly unused until 2007 when the I-League was introduced and has been used by Air India and Mumbai FC since. The Cooperage is the smallest stadium in the I-League with a capacity of 5,000.
The stadium was under renovation for a couple of years from 2011-2013, when Mumbai FC moved to the Balewadi Stadium in Pune. However, football returned to Mumbai in 2014 and the renovated Cooperage Ground boasts of new stands, artificial turf, renovated dressing rooms among other facilities.
Mumbai FC finished 5th last season in the I-league behind Sporting Clube de Goa and will be hoping to better their performance this season.
#10 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong (Shillong Lajong FC)
When Shillong Lajong came into the I-League in 2009, the Jawaharlal Stadium, which was previously used for football and running at an amateur level, came into use as the home ground for the club. Since then, the stadium has consistently attracted 30,000 supporters for its matches, in a city where football is the most popular game.
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium has two-tier stands with a roof over the main stand. After drawing some criticism over the quality of the playing surface, the authorities laid astroturf in 2012 which is being used till date. The stadium is one of the few stadiums which is packed for every game with a loud and vociferous fan base from the north-east backing the team.
