Atletico de Kolkata considering Siliguri as alternate venue amidst YBK uncertainty

ATLETICO DE KOLKATA may play a few of their matches in the upcoming 3rd edition of the Indian Super League in Siliguri instead of the Salt Lake Stadium due to the renovation project going on over there.

The YBK, which has been the home ground for ATK during the 2014 and 2015 editions of the private tournament. But for the past few months the iconic arena has been undergoing major renovations in order to host some of the U-17 World Cup matches to be held next year.

The original plan was to finish the renovations before the ISL begins, but turns out the process may take a bit longer, forcing ATK to think of alternatives at least for a few matches.

Since the Barasat Stadium has less-developed facilities and a smaller capacity, it's not the ground of choice. So the franchise officials are considering taking their matches out of the city to Siliguri's Kanchenjunga Stadium.

Recently a few high-profile I-League matches have taken place at the North Bengal town, and the crowd turnout has been decent. A Kolkata Derby match in early April saw a sellout crowd. 

There is however a lot of details to be ironed out; the stadium needs a facelift in order to host an ISL game. The pitch quality has also come under criticism. The stadium has been going through some renovations over the last few weeks and the organizers are hopeful that all the arrangements will be done by October, in time for the ISL.