KMC Football Stadium
Football stadium in Karachi, Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The KMC Football Stadium is an association football stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, with a capacity of around 15,000.[2] The stadium is owned by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. The stadium's name has changed in step with Karachi's civic administration. It was originally named after the Karachi Municipal Corporation, became the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Stadium in 1976, was known as the CDGK Stadium during the City District Government Karachi era (2001–2010), and reverted to KMC Football Stadium after the KMC was restored in 2011.
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An upper view of KMC Football Ground | |
 Interactive map of KMC Football Stadium | |
| Location | Saddar Town, Karachi, Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 24°51′3″N 66°59′29″E |
| Owner | Karachi Metropolitan Corporation |
| Capacity | 15,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1956[1] |
| Tenants | |
| Karachi Metropolitan Corporation FC (1956–2004) | |
It is one of the oldest stadiums in the country, and has hosted several international matches. The Pakistan national team has played here against visiting teams from the Soviet Union, Iran, China, Turkey, Kuwait, Korea, Japan, Germany and USA.[3][4][5]
History
Early years
The stadium was built before the partition of India, as a piece of barren land surrounded by a 12 ft wall.[4] In 1956, in a match featuring Keamari Union against Baloch XI, the pavilion collapsed with close to 100 people getting injured.[6]
The then commissioner of Karachi, Ghulam Ahmed Madni, visited the ground after the tragedy, being instructed by the president of Pakistan Ayub Khan, to start the renovation work in 1962.[4] The stadium also had their own club called KMC FC, which was formed in the same decade in which the venue was established.[6]
1968–2000
During the 1960s, the stadium hosted several friendly matches for the Pakistan national football team against touring sides such as Saudi Arabia in 1967,[7] FC Kairat in 1968,[8] and CSKA Moscow in 1969.[9] In 1968, the stadium hosted its first tournament, which featured teams from former East Pakistan.[4] The stadium, originally named after the Karachi Municipal Corporation, was renamed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Football Stadium following administrative restructuring in 1976. On 8 January 1983, the stadium hosted a match between Pakistan and the German South-West Region team.[10] In 1989, former KMC football team player Ahmed Jan was appointed caretaker of the stadium, and continued in that role even after his official retirement from the KMC department in 2011.[11][12][13][14] On 26 August 1999, Jan survived an assassination attempt when two gunmen, in an attempt to take control of the KMC ground, fired several shots at him.[11]
CDGK era (2001–2010)
From 2001 to 2011, during the City District Government Karachi period, it was known as the CDGK Stadium. The venue hosted the 2009 Karachi Football League final between Shahzad Mohammadan and Nazimabad FC, with 15,000 people in attendance.[15][16]
2011–present
After the restoration of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation in 2011, the stadium once again came under KMC's management, and reverted its name to KMC Stadium. KMC Stadium was one of the two venues for the 2021 National Women Football Championship.