World’s largest cricket stadium officially inaugurated

Motera Stadium in India has been inaugurated by world leaders including Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and President of the United States, Donald Trump, during today’s ‘Namaste Trump’ gala.

Designed by Populous in collaboration with India’s top construction contractor, Larsen & Toubro, the world-class stadium can host up to 110,000 passionate cricket fans, creating an iconic stadium for India.

Located in India’s western state of Gujarat in the city of Ahmedabad, the stadium was designed and constructed within three years at a cost of US$100m. Officially named Sardar Patel Stadium and home to the Gujarat Cricket Association, the venue is the largest capacity cricket stadium in the world.

Lead Architect and Senior Principal, Andrew James, spoke about the vision for the design during the inauguration, with the scale of the project creating the greatest challenge:

Cricket is the biggest sport in India and this stadium has been designed to bring together as many fans as possible, creating an incredible atmosphere for international cricket, IPL matches through to regional and community games.

 

Every one of the 110,000 seats has uninterrupted sightlines of the field and pitch and with a deliberate round, open stadium providing 360-degree views, you feel you’re a part of what’s happening.

 

Drawing on our expertise with cricket and major sports venues around the world, the bowl design consists of two large seating tiers, each with approximately 50,000 general admission seats, designed to fill the lower levels for smaller events and still bring that sense of occasion, the sight and the sound to make every experience a special one.

Populous’ masterplan includes a community indoor cricket academy housed under the stadium, with a dormitory for up to 40 athletes, six indoor practice pitches and three outdoor practice fields.

The stadium design features four-team dressing rooms and facilities, state-of-the-art club facilities and a VIP pavilion, three practice grounds, an indoor cricket academy, an Olympic-size swimming pool, 76 corporate boxes and a media lounge with press rooms.

Andrew said:

The stadium will become an iconic sports venue for both aspiring and elite players. It will become one of the world’s great cricket stadiums, putting the Gujarat Cricket Association on the global sporting map.

The official inauguration of Motera Stadium highlights another successful year for Populous’ Asia Pacific team after receiving the Australian Government’s 2019 Exporter of the Year Award; an endorsement of 20 years’ delivering innovative, high profile projects in Asia, including Philippine Arena, Changwon NC Dinos Park in South Korea and Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong.

Images courtesy: Populous

The 2020 edition of ALSD International – Europe’s leading event for the Premium Seat & Hospitality sector – is being held at Liverpool Football Club’s iconic Anfield stadium this October 12-13. The event will include a high level conference focused on how to increase revenue through new builds, renovations and service expansions, as well as behind-the-scenes venue tours, networking events and an exhibition showcasing the latest products, services & solutions.

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