Sheikh Kamal Stadium, Nilphamari

25°55′55″N 88°50′44″E / 25.93194°N 88.84556°E / 25.93194; 88.84556OwnerNational Sports Council^[1]OperatorDistrict Sports Association, NilphamariCapacity20,000Record attendance21,359Field size145 × 125 metres (476 × 410 feet)SurfaceMini Astro Turf (2018–present)
Natural Grass (1984–present)TenantsBangladesh national football team
Bashundhara Kings

Sheikh Kamal Stadium (Bengali: শেখ কামাল স্টেডিয়াম) is a football stadium in Nilphamari, Bangladesh. It is located on the opposite of Nilphamari Government College and is occasionally used for national day parade and handball games. The stadium, built in 1984, took on a new look after huge renovation works were completed in 2018 with approximately Taka 14 crore being spent on building up nearly 750 square-feet of gallery, a new VIP stand, earth filling, and planting fresh grass among other tasks. The seating capacity of the stadium has been subsequently increased to 20,000.^[2] Like other public stadiums, this venue is also owned by National Sports Council (NSC) of Bangladesh, and managed by District Sports Association of Nilphamari. On 12 November 2017 National Sports Council has renamed this stadium from Nilphamari District Stadium to Sheikh Kamal Stadium after Sheikh Kamal.^[3] This is the 14th venue used for Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches.^[2]

Hosting international events

The Bangladesh national football team played a FIFA international friendly on 29 August 2018 against Sri Lanka national football team in front of a packed stadium. It was the first ever international friendly hosted by this stadium.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]
On 21 September 2018, The venue hosted the international club friendly match between Bashundhara Kings and New Radiant SC of Maldives.^[2]^[8]

Current status (2018–present)

The stadium served as the home ground of Bashundhara Kings, a football team which plays in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2018.

Attendance record

Although the stadium has the capacity for 20,000; but 21,359 tickets were sold for Bangladesh versus Sri Lanka international friendly match. As of 2021^[update] it remains the highest capacity crowd in the stadium's history.^[6]

References

^ স্টেডিয়াম সমূহের তালিকা ৪- [List of Stadiums 4-]. National Sports Council Bangladesh (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2013-06-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Nilphamari set for stunning debut". The Daily Star. 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
^ নীলফামারী জেলা স্টেডিয়াম এখন শেখ কামাল স্টেডিয়াম. SportsOnly (in Bengali). 2017-11-15. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
^ Hoque, Shishir (29 August 2018). "Nilphamari coloured with football craze". Dhaka Tribune.
^ "Nilphamari ready for international football debut". Bangladesh Football Federation. 28 August 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019.
^ ^a ^b ১ ঘণ্টায় শেষ বাংলাদেশ-শ্রীলঙ্কা ম্যাচের টিকিট. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-05-24.
^ "Nilphamari ready for FIFA friendly". The Daily Star. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
^ "FIFA Friendly: Bashundhara Kings play New Radiant in Nilphamari Friday". UNB. Retrieved 2019-05-25.