Kolkata , December 18 : Eden Gardens is all set to be rechristened Eden Gardens Reliance Arena . Considered as the Mecca of Indian cricket, the Eden Gardens stadium could be expected to be renamed along with Reliance if the association decides to join hands with these telecom corporate giants for a sponsorship deal, which was proposed by the president of the association Sourav Ganguly on Friday in a meeting with all it’s affiliated units.
Reliance is believed to tie up with the stadium and have their name attached to the Eden Gardens. It is believed that the deal could fill CAB coffers by a whopping 16 crore . Reliance will also provide WiFi faicilities all across the stadium . The newly renovated stadium will also have a museum like the Lords wherein all the landmark replicas of the city to be displayed .
Eden Gardens holds great sentimental value in the eyes of cricketing fans. The Mecca of Indian cricket has seen many famous matches in the past and the fans relate quite a lot it. Asked about those sentimental beliefs of fans when the name of the stadium collaborates with a sponsor just for said amount of money, there was a mixed reaction from the top CAB officials . According to the treasurer Biswarup Dey ,“ Eden has a special place in the hearts of Indians and more than anything, it has a heritage value. So, we need to be very cautious before taking any such step .” Another top official pointed out ,“ Eden Gardens was not a property of CAB but belonged to the Indian Army. It is all good to make lofty plans, but one has to understand that one cannot enter into sponsorship deals with a third party when the property in question is given to you on the lease.”
Top stadiums across the world have been rechristened after being associated with the sponsors so as to meet the huge expenses of maintenance . Arsenal football club have it’s stadium named after Emirates , while another top Premier League club Manchester City stadium is named after Etihaad airways . English county side Surrey have renamed The Oval as The Kia Oval after signing a sponsorship deal.
Eden Gardens is all set to have a facelift ahead of the ICC World Twenty 20 . The old electronic scoreboard will be replaced by a new one . At least two companies have shown interest in installing the new giant electronic scoreboard that will cost around 3.5 crore .