Fatorda Stadium

Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium

Fatorda Stadium
South side of the stadium
Location	Don Bosco Road, Fatorda, Margao, Goa
Coordinates
Owner	Sports Authority of Goa
Capacity	19,000 (all seater)
Field size	106m x 70m
Surface	Grass
Construction
Opened	1989
Renovated	2014
Tenants
Churchill Brothers (2006-2014) Dempo (2006-present) Salgaocar (2006-present) Sporting Clube de Goa (2009-present) FC Goa (2014-present)

The Fatorda Stadium, officially known as the Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium situated in Margao, Goa. The venue has been used to host both international football as well as cricket matches. It is Goa's only international stadium and has a seating capacity of 19,000 people. The venue was established in 1989 and is owned and operated by the Sports Authority of Goa.It is the current home of FC Goa, Dempo S.C., Salgaocar S.C., and Sporting Clube de Goa.

History

Beginning

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda was built in a record 6 months time by the then Sports Minister Monte (D') Cruz. It was opened in 1989 as a football only stadium but in less than a year was redeveloped to include cricket. On 25 October 1989 the first cricket ODI was played between Australia and Sri Lanka.

Football clubs using the stadium

In 2006, before the 2007–08 I-League, all four Goan clubs (Dempo S.C., Churchill Brothers S.C., Salgaocar S.C., and Sporting Clube de Goa) announced that the Fatorda Stadium would be used as the home for all four teams' I-League matches. In 2014 Indian Super League club FC Goa announced it as their home ground.

Facilities

File:Fatorda Stadium Goa.jpg

Fatorda Stadium, Goa.

In 2014 it was upgraded according to the latest FIFA specifications. It is designed with a 19,000 seating capacity. With a roof covering 100 percent of the seating area, fans enjoy wide, comfortable seats with ample spacing between them. The stadium complex provides two levels of fans seating arrangement along with a VVIP area, which provides the ultimate setting for interacting with guests and enjoying football while indulging in the comfort of this private environment. Facilities include HD compliant arena lighting, natural turf, Broadcast room, TV Studio, Player Dressing rooms, Match Delegates area, Dope control rooms, Medical rooms for players and spectators, VIP Lounge, Corporate boxes, Media Tribune and Media working stations,Press Conference area, Mixed zone area, CCTV camera, swimming pool, multipurpose gymnasium and parking facilities. It is regarded as one of the most well maintained football grounds in the Indian subcontinent.

Football

This venue has long been a mainstay of Indian football, having played host to many international games, including India's qualifiers for both the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup. The stadium is also used as a home venue for the major Goan clubs FC Goa, Dempo S.C., Churchill Brothers S.C., Salgaocar S.C. and Sporting Clube de Goa.

Cricket

File:Fatorda new.jpg

250 px

Even though the stadium was originally built to be a football venue, over the past few years it has been increasingly used to host international cricket matches. Since hosting its first ever international in 1989 between Australia and Sri Lanka, it has played host to seven further One Day Internationals, the most recent being between India and Sri Lanka in 2007. The allocation of cricket matches to the stadium has often upset the Goan football community as it renders them unable to use the venue for hosting football.

Lusofonia Games

The Stadium was renovated for the 2014 Lusofonia Games which were conducted in Goa. The opening and closing ceremony of these Games was held at this venue. Football matches of the Lusofonia Games were also held here.