Mohun Bagan Ground

Mohun Bagan Ground

Mohun Bagan Ground on a matchday
Former names	Calcutta FC Ground
Location	Kolkata,India
Coordinates	22°33′43″N88°20′32″E
Public transit	Esplanade Bus Terminus Eden Gardens Esplanade
Owner	Eastern Command (India)
Operator	Indian Football Association
Capacity	22,000
Field size	100 x 60 metres
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Yes (manual)
Opened	1872
Tenants
Calcutta FC(1872–present) Mohun Bagan(1963–present)

Mohun Bagan Ground,also known asMohun Bagan–Calcutta FC Ground,is afootballstadium located inMaidan,Kolkata,just oppositeEden Gardens.Due to certain restrictions by theIndian Armed Forces,who own all the land surroundingFort William,the ground is legally leased toMohun Bagan ACfor their operations. The ground is mostly used as training facilities for the senior football team of Mohun Bagan, but also acts as the home ground in regional tournaments likeCalcutta Football Leaguewhere reserve team participates. The stadium has a capacity of 22,000 spectators with separate VIP box and press box. The ground is also a shared home venue ofCalcutta CFC,who were the earliest tenants of the ground.

History

Mohun Bagan Club gallery

The first ground of the club was inside the famous marble palace, owned by Kirti Mitra of the Mitra family and known as Mohun Bagan Villa. It was situated in Fariapukur lane of northKolkata.As a football ground however, this ground was not sufficiently large. It is believed that Mohun Bagan played the first match on this very ground against the students of Eden Hindu hostel. In 1891, with the help of the Maharaja of Shyampukur, Durga Charan Laha, the club ground was relocated to his ground in Shyampukur. That place is now known as Shyampukur Laha Colony. Later, with the help of Mr. Harry Lee, the chairman ofKolkata Municipal Corporation,the ground was again shifted to Shyam Square. The ground was shared with theAryansand Bagbazar Club.

In 1900, Mohun Bagan became the partner of Presidency College and shared the same ground inKolkata maidan.Mohun Bagan continued to play here for 15 years. Then in 1915, Mohun Bagan got the ground of National AC. On this ground, Mohun Bagan played till 1963. In 1915, the ground was expanded east–west, before becoming north–south stretched like the other grounds in Kolkata.

About

The stadium has galleries on three sides and a rampart on the fourth side. The north side gallery is the member's gallery and is the most modern gallery of the stadium, having bucket seats installed.The east side and south side galleries are mainly made of steel & concrete structure and are designated for non-member supporters. The playing pitch is about 100m x 60m in dimension. Just adjacent the stadium, the club tent and main office are located. The club tent consists of a beautiful lawn, with benches known as the Mohun Bagan lawn.

In 1977, Mohun Bagan became the first club in maidan to have floodlights installed in their stadium. The floodlights operated till the mid-1990s, after which they became fully dysfunctional. The lights were later repaired and renovated and were inaugurated on 25 February 2016 with anIFA Shieldmatch between Mohun Bagan U19s and DSK Liverpool academy.

For the2015 ISL season,Kolkata-based clubAtlético de Kolkataused the ground as a training ground. From the2016–17 season,Mohun Bagan has decided to pitch for hostingI-Leaguematches at their home club ground, especially with modern facilities like bucket seats and properly functional floodlight towers.

In July 2019, the interiors of the stadium were renovated for making the stadium well equipped to host I-League matches. The dressing room in particular was given a major upgrade.

In 2022, after the latest rebranding of football division afterRPSG Group,the club renovated the stadium in the lines ofVivekananda Yuba Bharati Kriranganwithartificial turfand upgraded amenities so that it can be used for their future home matches in Indian Super League and other big tournaments when required. Since then, the first match that the team played was a friendly fixture againstChennaiyinin August 2022. The ground is used inDurand Cupand is currently being used as the home ground ofreserve teamand training ground ofsenior team.

Matches

The Mohun Bagan Ground hosted a lot of historic matches. It was witness to the 2–2 draw of Mohun Bagan againstFC Ararat Yerevanin the 1978IFA Shieldfinal. The first ever match underfloodlightsin maidan was held in this ground when Mohun Bagan facedPakhtakor Tashkent FKin an exhibition game on 10 February 1977.In the 1960s and 1970s majority of the matches in Kolkata football were held in the Mohun Bagan Ground.