STADIUM STORIES: Very limited blocks for a good sighting of Roberto Carlos

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE 28th July of 2012 which gave Indian football fans a rare occasion to be cheerful about? For many of the fans, this is puzzling question. Because the birth of Indian football, we have been relentlessly told, took place in October 2014 when the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League kicked off. 

But there was an Indian football before that, believe it or not. And during one of those pre-historic days, India overcame Cameroon (their "local lions" side, basically B team) in the Nehru Cup final in a breathtaking penalty shootout after a fierce 120 minute fight which saw both teams score two goals each. The win got the Blue Tigers their third Nehru Cup title in a row.

Sounds implausible? Here's video evidence.

The encounter remains one of India's finest footballing moments in the last decade. And the beautiful stadium which hosted this match got its name from the same person after whom the tournament it was hosting was named.

Yes, we're talking about the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. And in this same hallowed arena an ISL franchise will play all their home games, starting October.

If you still can't put a finger on which exact stadium we are talking about, you can perhaps be excused. Because there are literally dozens of stadiums in this country which are named after Jawaharlal Nehru. In fact, four ISL franchises play their home games in stadiums named after the first prime minister of India. That's 50% of the teams.

Well, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium we are talking about today is situated in New Delhi. It's the same stadium that was constructed in 1982 to host the 9th Asian Games. The same stadium where Sting and Bruce Springsteen played in that concert. The same stadium where Michael Jackson was supposed to have a show in 1993. The same stadium that got renovated to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

So this is where the Delhi Dynamos played their games last year, and will play this year again. The capacity of this all-seater ground is just over 60,000. It has a nice natural turf, and all the modern facilities a professional sporting event can ask for. The only downside is the massive athletic track that surrounds its all-natural grass pitch, putting a huge distance between the action and the spectators. 

One reason this ground is special for Indian football fans is that it has proven to be quite a happy hunting ground for our national team. Since the renovation, it has become the first-choice venue for the Blue Tigers' home matches. Although India's World Cup qualifier game in November will not be able to take place here, because Delhi Dynamos are unwilling to let something paltry like the national team interfere with their good vibes during the ISL. So it's off to Ambedkar Stadium for the Blue Tigers, which is not a bad stadium either. During the previous matches it has hosted, it has been praised by the media for its first-rate drainage facility. 

Back to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The good news is, if you want to go ahead and catch some ISL games in the come October, there's a good chance you won't have a hard time getting hold of tickets. Last season, the average home crowd for Delhi Dynamos was 15,713. Which means they usually filled about 25% of the seats. 

But while there will be enough seats to go around, it will be important to get yourself into the right stands in order to get a good view of the game. Being a multi-purpose stadium, the stands aren't exacltly optimized for a football pitch. Some sections of the gallery are so far from the pitch that you could have another football pitch in between.

So, in order to make sure you get a decent view of the game, try to make sure you sit on the East or West Stand rather than the North or the South. All of these stands are double-tiered, and the lower tier is closer to the action. The VIP section, for comfortable viewing coupled with hospitality and celebrity sightings, is on the West Stand, lower tier. But the East Stand lower tier, while not a VIP zone, has a good view of the game for a much lesser price. The upper tier will, of course, be even cheaper and you can still get a good eyefull of the football game if you land yourself on the right sections.

To make it easier for you, we are going to tell you exactly which seats you should be looking for. You see, the entire gallery is divided into these little blocks. The ticket prices can vary block to block. Last year Delhi Dynamos priced their tickets between Rs 200 and Rs 18,000; so we've given up trying to make sense of it. Anyway, the blocks objectively best suited for viewing a football game in this arena are:

East Stand, Lower tier: Blocks A-24 to A-30
East Stand, Upper tier: Blocks B-33 to B-40
West Stand, Lower tier: Blocks A-3 to A-10 (VIP)
West Stand, Upper tier: Blocks B-5 to B-12

That's it. Don't go for the others. They are at bad angles to the pitch that offer views as scammy as the Rs 308 crore amount they said the renovations of this stadium cost.

The stadium's footfall traffic is evenly distributed among its 14 entrances, so getting in and out isn't much of a hassle. As far as travelling to the stadium is concerned, there is a metro station on the purple line a stone's throw away from the stadium; and to make it easier for you to recognize it, the station is named after the stadium. 

So, maybe you'll go down there and catch some of the ISL games. The upcoming season promises to be exciting. And the Delhi Dynamos squad is quite good as well. And there is the added prospect of seeing Roberto Carlos yell at Robin Singh for being caught offside for the 15th time in the game. That in itself will be quite a glorious moment to witness. But it will come nowehere close to the most glorious moment that ever occured in this stadium: the crowd booing Suresh Kalmadi during his speech at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.