A metro station near the Salt Lake Stadium has been named after the Indian Football Association…
A Kolkata Metro railway station adjoining the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata has been rebranded as Indian Football Association Salt Lake Stadium station on Thursday.
The Indian Football Association (IFA), which is the governing body of football in West Bengal, was handed the naming and branding rights of the station by the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC).
After the unveiling of the new station, IFA general secretary Joydeep Mukherjee said, “IFA is always thinking about new ways of promoting its brand. IFA has a huge legacy and it has a big brand that we need to carry forward and we feel that this is a very nice way of highlighting the brand."
Mukherjee also mentioned that the association will have a kiosk inside the station to promote the brand of IFA.
“This is a result of many months of planning, follow ups, discussions and meetings. IFA will also have a kiosk inside the metro station.
“We would like to thank KMRC for extending their full support towards West Bengal football.”
Other than the IFA secretary, IFA president Ajit Banerjee, chairman Subrata Dutta and former footballers like Krishnendu Roy, Manas Bhattacharya, Prasanta Banerjee and current West Bengal state football team’s head coach Ranjan Bhattacharya were present at the ceremony.
Interestingly, IFA becomes the first state football association in the country as well as in the world to have a metro station named after them. In England, Arsenal FC have a station named after the club in Highbury, North London.
This yet another feather in IFA secretary Joydeep Mukherjee’s cap. During Mukherjee’s stint as secretary, IFA topped the rankings of All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) ‘Performance Assessment’ for 2019-20 season.
They roped in outdoor advertising firm Accord Sports VDK as their new commercial partner and are now an indelible part of the Kolkata Metro network.