Kozhikode Corporation EMS Stadium

Multi-purpose stadium in Kozhikode, Kerala

EMS Stadium

Address| India
Location| Rajaji Road, Kozhikode, Kerala
Owner| Kozhikode Corporation
Operator| Kerala Football Association
Capacity|

* 50,000[citation needed]

Record attendance| 100,000
Surface| Grass
Construction
Opened| 1977; 48 years ago (1977)
Architect| RK Remesh
Tenants

* India national football team (1987–present)
* Kerala football team (1960–present)
* Kerala Premier League
* Gokulam Kerala FC (2017–present)
* Gokulam Kerala FC (women) (2018–present)
* Calicut FC (2024–present)
* Super League Kerala

The EMS Stadium, located in Kozhikode, Kerala, India,[1] is a multi-purpose stadium primarily used for football matches.[2][3] The stadium is home to the I-League club Gokulam Kerala FC. With a capacity of 50,000, it is the third largest football stadium in India.

Built in 1977, It is named after the first Chief Minister of Kerala E. M. S. Namboodiripad.[4] Gokulam Kerala has been playing their home matches at the Stadium since 2017 and has had a successful run at the stadium winning their first I-League home match against East Bengal with a score of 2–1.

The stadium has played host to several important football tournaments, such as Super Cup, Santosh Trophy, and Sait Nagjee Football Tournament. The stadium is considered a historic and important venue for football in the region.

## Renovations

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The Corporation Stadium has undergone significant renovations over the years to improve its infrastructure and facilities. In 2005, the stadium underwent a renovation to host State Bank of Travancore National Football League matches. Another renovation was done in 2011 in preparation for the National Games in 2012, with the Corporation of Kozhikode and the government investing around 18 Crore for the upgrade.

The new design of the stadium by RK Ramesh, includes state-of-the-art amenities such as a VVIP lounge with a seating capacity of 200, dressing rooms, media center, and other facilities. The grandstand pavilion was also upgraded for the National Games in 2012, and the stadium was fitted with improved floodlights to ensure high-quality matches. The EMS Stadium has been renovated to be an international standard stadium for both football and cricket.

The stadium is also equipped with modern facilities like VIP seating arrangements, food courts, and washrooms. The stadium has also installed CCTV cameras for security and safety measures. The stadium is easily accessible to public transport.[5]

The EMS Stadium is a premier sports venue in Kerala and continues to host a wide range of events, such as concerts and festivals.[6]

## Images

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## Football

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It was the home ground of Viva Kerala FC in the I-league. It was also the home ground of Gokulam Kerala, and its women's team.[7] Currently the home of Calicut FC.[8]

This stadium is famous for the football crazy fans of Kozhikode. Santosh Trophy and Sait Nagjee Football Tournament were held at the stadium.

The stadium hosted matches of 2023 Indian Super Cup.[9][10][11]

### Major football matches hosted

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#### AFC Women's Championship

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1980 AFC Women's Championship, where the Indian team won silver, was held here.

#### 1987 Nehru Cup

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The Kozhikode Corporation EMS stadium hosted the 1987 Nehru Cup, which was won by the Soviet Union. National teams of Bulgaria, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Nigeria, Soviet Union and Syria participated in the tournament.

#### Sait Nagjee Football Tournament

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2016 Sait Nagjee Trophy Teams

Team | Location | Confederation

|
|

FC Dnipro Reserves | Ukraine | UEFA
1860 München II | Munich | UEFA
Argentina U-23 | Argentina | CONMEBOL
Atlético Paranaense Reserves | Curitiba | CONMEBOL
Volyn Lutsk | Ukraine | UEFA
Rapid București | Bucharest | UEFA
Shamrock Rovers | Dublin | UEFA
Watford Reserves | Watford | UEFA

### National Games

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The stadium hosted football matches for the 35th National Games.[12]

## Other uses

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### Cricket

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It also hosted the veterans of India and Pakistan cricket match in which legends like Ijaz Ahmed, Syed Kirmani and others played. In 1994, touring West Indies had taken Mumbai in a three-day encounter. West Indies were dismissed for 176 and Bombay ended the day at 53/2. The match, however, had to be called off after the opening day owing to law and order problems in the wake of a bandh.

### Other Event

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It also hosted many cultural events held at Kozhikode like malabar mahotsavam. It also hosted the inaugural performance of world tour of A. R. Rahman, the Academy Award–winning musician.

## Accessibility

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The Kozhikode EMS Stadium is located in the heart of the city. It lies beside the Pavamani Road between Rajaji road and New Bus stand, a common stretch among many city bus routes. The Stadium Mavoor Road from the Western side allows access from Mananchira and Arayadathupalam, although there is no public transport along this route. The stadium is situated at 2.5 km from the Kozhikode railway station and railway stations respectively. The stadium is 26 km (16 mi) from Calicut International Airport, and 30 km (19 mi) from Thamarassery.

## See also

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* Lists of stadiums
* List of association football stadiums by capacity
* Football in India
* Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi)
* Gokulam Kerala FC
* Viva Kerala Football Club

## References

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1. ^ Sayak Dipta Dey (17 November 2017). "I-League 2017/18 : What does the season have in store?". sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
2. ^ "football in Calicut". Kozhikode.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
3. ^ PS, Sreerag (7 April 2023). "'Stepmotherly treatment to I-League clubs': Gokulam Kerala fans irate over no Super Cup qualifiers live telecast". thesouthfirst.com. Kochi: The South First News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
4. ^ "EMS Stadium: Our home". Gokulam Kerala FC. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021.
5. ^ "E.M.S. Stadium Famous Stadium in Kerala". www.indiamapped.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
6. ^ "EMS Stadium Gets Ready for Some Cricketing Action". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
7. ^ s.pai, vinayak. "I League 2017/18: Gokulam Kerala FC 1-1 Mohun Bagan: 5 talking points from the game". Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
8. ^ Rayan, Stan (21 October 2024). "Super League Kerala table-toppers Calicut FC aspires to reach pinnacle of Indian football ecosystem". Sportstar. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
9. ^ "Super Cup: Sreenidi Deccan beat Kerala Blasters". onmanorama.com. Kozhikode: Onmanorama News. 12 April 2023. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
10. ^ "Kerala Blasters vs Sreenidi Deccan HIGHLIGHTS, Super Cup 2023: Hassan, Castaneda goals help SDEC stun KBFC 2–0". sportstar.thehindu.com. Kozhikode: Sportstar. 12 April 2023. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
11. ^ Rawat, Akhil (25 April 2023). "Odisha FC bask in Kozhikode rain; beat Bengaluru FC to claim Hero Super Cup crown". the-aiff.com. Kozhikode: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
12. ^ "Kerala to host 35th National Games from January 31". 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.

## Further reading

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* Mathew, Alen Philip (29 May 2023). "Kozhikode Corporation decides not to renew contract of Gokulam Kerala home stadium". KhelNow.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
* Chatterjee, Triyasha (28 May 2023). "No Way HOME, Gokulam Kerala ousted from EMS Corporation Stadium, left in lurch without a ground". insidesport.in. Inside Sport India. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to EMS Stadium.

* EMS Stadium at CrickInfo

* v
* t
* e

Stadiums in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram|

* Central Stadium
* Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium
* Greenfield International Stadium
* University Stadium

| Indoor Stadiums|

* Jimmy George Indoor Stadium

|

Kollam|

* International Hockey Stadium
* Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium

| Indoor Stadiums|

* Olympian Suresh Babu Multipurpose Indoor Stadium

|

Kottayam|

* Nehru Stadium

| Indoor Stadiums|

* Kottayam Indoor Stadium

|

Kochi|

* FACT Stadium
* Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
* Maharaja's College Stadium

| Indoor Stadiums|

* Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium

|

Thrissur|

* Municipal Corporation Stadium

| Indoor Stadiums|

* Triprayar Sports and Games Association Indoor Stadium
* V.K.N. Menon Indoor Stadium

|

Malappuram|

* Kottappadi Football Stadium
* Malappuram Sports Complex Stadium

Kozhikode|

* EMS Stadium
* Medical College Stadium

Wayanad|

* Krishnagiri Stadium

Kannur|

* Jawahar Municipal Stadium
* Thalassery Stadium

Kasargod|

Mannamkuzhi Stadium

* v
* t
* e

Football stadiums in India

FIFA and AFC approved stadiums:|

* DY Patil Stadium
* EKA Arena
* EMS Stadium
* Fatorda Stadium
* Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
* J.N. Stadium, Chennai
* J.N. Stadium, Kochi
* J.N. Stadium, New Delhi
* Kalinga Stadium
* Mumbai Football Arena
* New Bangalore Football Stadium (†)
* Salt Lake Stadium
* Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex
* Sree Kanteerava Stadium
* Trivandrum International Stadium

Major national stadiums:|

* Ambedkar Stadium

Other major stadiums:|

* B.P.T. Ground
* Bakhshi Stadium
* Bangalore Football Stadium
* Barabati Stadium
* Barasat Stadium
* Bhaichung Stadium
* Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium
* Birsa Munda Football Stadium
* CAFVD Sports Stadium
* Calicut Medical College Stadium
* Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium
* Chhatrasal Stadium
* Chowgule Sports Centre
* Cooperage Ground
* Dadaji Kondadev Stadium
* Dr. Rajendra Prasad Football Stadium
* Duler Stadium
* East Bengal Ground
* Faizabad Sports Complex (†)
* Fr. Agnel Stadium
* G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium
* Gachibowli Athletic Stadium
* Gandhi Ground
* Golden Jubilee Stadium
* Guru Gobind Singh Stadium
* Guru Nanak Stadium
* Howrah Municipal Corporation Stadium
* Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima
* Jadavpur Stadium
* J.N. Stadium, Coimbatore
* J.N. Stadium, Shillong
* Jaipal Singh Stadium
* Jawahar Municipal Stadium
* Jorethang Ground
* Jorhat Stadium
* JRD Tata Sports Complex
* Judges Field
* Kalyani Stadium
* Kanchenjunga Stadium
* KASA Stadium
* Khuman Lampak Main Stadium
* Kottappadi Football Stadium
* Lajwanti Stadium
* L.B.S. Stadium, Hyderabad
* L.B.S. Stadium, Kollam
* Lammual Stadium
* Madan Mohan Malviya Stadium
* Mahabir Stadium
* Maharaja College Stadium
* Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium
* Maulana Azad Stadium
* Mohammedan Sporting Ground
* Mohun Bagan Ground
* Mulna Stadium
* Naihati Stadium
* Netaji Stadium
* Nehru Stadium, Durgapur
* Nehru Stadium, Guwahati
* Nurul Amin Stadium
* Oil India Ground
* Paljor Stadium
* Patliputra Sports Complex
* Pune District Football Association Stadium
* Pune FC Training Ground
* Punjab Agricultural University Stadium
* Rabindra Sarobar Stadium
* Chhatrapati Shahu Stadium
* Rajendra Stadium
* Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl
* Ravishankar Shukla Stadium
* Sailen Manna Stadium
* SAI Stadium
* Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium
* Silli Stadium
* Sri Venkateswara University Ground
* SSB Ranidanga Stadium
* Sumant Moolgaokar Stadium
* Tau Devi Lal Stadium
* Thangmeiband Athletic Union Ground
* Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium
* Tilak Maidan
* TRC Turf Ground
* University Stadium
* VO Chidambaram Park Stadium
* Victory Playground
* Yashwant Stadium

Note: (†) denotes stadiums under construction.

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* StadiumDB

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