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= The Arena (Ahmedabad) =

The Arena by TransStadia or simply The Arena, is a multi-purpose stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, located in Kankaria Lake. The stadium was completed in 2016 and officially opened on 7 October 2016. It has a capacity of over 20,000 people in the outdoor stadium and over 4,000 in the indoor arena and a FIFA standard football pitch. It was constructed under a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Government of Gujarat and SE TransStadia for developing a sports culture in India.

The Arena is considered to be Asia’s biggest and India’s first convertible stadium. It is the first stadium in India that can host more than a dozen sports combined with wellness, leisure and other luxurious facilities. The building includes a Sports Academy, Sports Science and Rehab Facility, a banquet, sports club, dining area and retail space. The stadium uses StadiArena technology for converting the stadium into a multi-purpose indoor arena within a span of 6 minutes at the press of a button. It was the only stadium from India nominated for Stadium of the Year award from StadiumDB.com and will face competition from the likes of Mercedes-Benz Stadium (USA), Wanda Metropolitano (Spain), 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums in Moscow and St. Petersburg and 22 other world-class sporting arenas.

The Arena currently acts as a home ground for Pro Kabaddi club, Gujarat Fortune Giants, and other domestic sides like Gujarat State Football Association and Gujarat State Table Tennis Association. The stadium hosted the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, 2017 Pro Kabaddi and 2017-18 Santosh Trophy alongside various cultural and commercial events.

History
The stadium was established in the year 2017. This was the dream project of Udit Sheth, Narendra Modi and Government of Gujarat since 2009. After eight years of work, the multi-purpose stadium was inaugurated by honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2016. The stadium hosted the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup even before it was inaugurated.

In 2009, Sheth got the idea of using technology from StadiArena U.K. from “stadiologist” and former English footballer Paul Fletcher. Fletcher has spent 40 years in the football business and 20 years as a player. TransStadia realized that there is this prime property at Abad Dairy near Kankaria Lake in the middle of the city which is not utilized except some games are played every week. The company wrote a letter to Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat to seek permission for construction of a multi-purpose stadium with a vision of indulging sports in the culture of Gujarat. The state’s budget for sports increased from 35 crores to ₹350 crores which increased furthermore with the construction of this stadium. The stadium also helps the government in nurturing the talent of young India and develop new athletes for India to shine on the world sports map. Amount of ₹550 crores were put into the construction of this marvelous structure. State government handed over 9.24 acres of land to the company. TransStadia was also committed to not take large profits, unlike other stadiums. The costs will be covered over the span of next 7-9 years.