Delhi civic body begins overhaul of Ambedkar Stadium

Peeling plaster, rebars exposed to the elements, shattered windows, broken staircase railings and overflowing toilets. Once the host of international football matches and prestigious football tournaments such as the Durand Cup, the Ambedkar Stadium at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in central Delhi is today a shadow of its former self, with no national-level matches being held here for the past three years.

However, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) — the agency in charge of the 25,000-capacity stadium — has begun work on revamping the arena, with plans to restore and improve the facade, develop new dressing rooms, build a new cafeteria, repair the spectator stands, and set up a media centre, among other additions.

Officials aware of the matter said the ₹5 crore project will be undertaken in several phases — in the first phase, the civic body will concentrate on the facade, the spectator stands, and public amenities, with work expected to be completed by December.

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“Ambedkar Stadium last witnessed large scale renovation in 2007 — when floodlights were installed — ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and further repair work was long overdue. The stadium is the largest such stadium under MCD, but we also plan to renovate and undertake repair works at five more smaller arenas across the city,” a senior MCD official said, on condition of anonymity.

The home of Delhi football

Anuj Gupta, president of the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA) — the governing body of football in the city — said Ambedkar Stadium is the home of the sport in the Capital.

“Even DSA’s registered office is located in the stadium. Over the last few decades, the stadium played host to many important football leagues, but its condition has deteriorated. Last year, we moved a request to MCD, asking them to refurbish the stadium so that we can try to bring back domestic matches such as the Durand Cup,” he said.

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Gupta said the association has submitted a set of recommendations to the civic body so that the stadium can be brought up to international standards. “We are very grateful that (former MCD commissioner) Gyanesh Bharti agreed to our demands and a ₹5 crore revamp was cleared. A small ceremony was held in March, but work stopped during the period of the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections. It has properly started now,” he said.

The MCD official quoted above said the civic body will revamp the stadium so that it can host international matches once again. “We will set up a new cafeteria in the stadium, along with an international media centre to facilitate coverage when the stadium is used to host major tournaments,” the official said.

The civic body also plans to modernise the toilet complex and revamp the drainage network at the stadium. “The improvement in drainage will help clear the pitch during rains, allowing us to also use the ground during the monsoons,” the official said.