The document provides details on the requirements and design considerations for a cricket stadium. It begins with definitions of a stadium and the history of stadiums dating back to ancient Greece. It then outlines the primary planning, player/spectator, and operational requirements that stadium designers should consider. These include seating capacity of at least 30,000, accessibility, and safety measures. The document also describes the specific dimensions and facilities needed for the playing field, player areas like dressing rooms, and spectator areas including seating, standing spaces, and accessibility. Additional stadium components covered include parking, drainage, lighting, and fire safety.

1. Literature for Cricket Stadium

2. STADIUM
• A stadium is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor
sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field
or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a
tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or
sit and view the event.

3. HISTORY OF STADIUM
• The oldest known stadium is the Stadium at Olympia in
Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held
from 776 BC. Initially the Games consisted of a single
event, a sprint along the length of the stadium.
• Greek and Roman stadiums have been found in
numerous ancient cities, perhaps the most famous being
the Stadium of Domitian, in Rome.

4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS OF STADIUM
• There are three primary sets of requirements which stadium or arena
designer should clearly define and then keep in proper focus during the
design/planning process.
1. General planning requirement
2. Players, Officials, and Spectators requirement
3. Operation/management requirement
1. General planning requirement:
• Primary stadium should be capable of future conversion to seated areas
without destroying good sight-lines and without requiring major
reconstruction work.
• It should be capable of adding new seating tribunes and premium seat
• In the unroofed stadium, exterior walls and adjacent areas should be
capable to of fitting the roof.
• Stadium with the roof covering in the spectator areas should be capable
of having a retractable roof to cover the whole arena.
• Should be capable of technical improvements, including the introduction
of air conditioning in enclosed areas

5.  Seating capacity :
• The limitations of normal visual acuity make any seating
falling outside a radius of 200ft. from the center of field
increasingly marginal.
• For major international matches a stadium should seat at
least 30,000 people.
 Location:
• Must fit well with local topography.
• Should be designed with the good transport link and supply
facilities like bus, train, tram stations, large parking etc.in
other hand it should be easily accessible by motorways.
• It shouldn’t be in core city area.
• It shouldn’t be sited close to the industrial area where smoke,
odors, and noise might create unpleasant conditions.
• The area should have sufficient provision for the future
expansion

6. Building codes :
• Codes requirement relating to stadium planning will be
primarily concerned with exiting and seating circulation
• It will be found that where they exist, regulations will vary
widely from one locality to another.
Orientation:
• Playing field is oriented north-south to protect from the direct
glare to the players.
• The access gate is mostly situated to the east.
• The angle of the playing field should be done in relation to the
sum and the prevailing weather condition.
• The match participants, spectators and media representatives
must be protected as much as possible form the glare of the
sun.

7. • Now a day’s main axis is usually north-east to south west.
 Other Aspects of Stadium Design are:
 Water
 Waste
 Transport
 Energy

8. Safety requirements :
• Safety should be considered as the prime task.
• All parts of the stadium, including entrance, exits,
stairways, doors, escape routes, roofs and all public and
private areas and rooms must conform safety standards.
• Exit doors and gates in the stadium and all gates leading
from the spectator areas into -the playing are must open
outwards, away from the spectators.
• Well-planning good zoning, good structural
• The zoning should be done considering the four safety
zones. Activity area (Temporary safety zone), Viewing
zone (Spectator zone), Circulation area (Temporary
safety zone) and
• Outside Stadium (Final safety zone).

10. PARKING:
• Types of Parking:
 Surface Parking
 Free standing Parking
 Basement parking
• For a stadium with a capacity of 60,000, parking places
should be provided for 10,000 Cars and approximately 500
buses.
• Where sufficient on-site public parking is not possible, parking
should be provided no further than 1,500 meters from the
stadium.
• There should be sufficient parking space for the buses and
cars of VIP’S. Preferably, these vehicles should be parked
inside the stadium.
• Parking space for at least 2 buses and 8 cars should be
available for teams, match officials and stadium staff.
• At least 10 parking spots including large vehicles should be
provided to the media.

12. Straight Parking :
• Suitable two ways traffic and large no of vehicles.
• Parking bays are perpendicular to circulation road.
Angled Parking:
• Suitable for one way traffic which has separate
entrance/exit.
• It reduces the width of the parking lots as the vehicles
are placed in angle.
• The parking bays are inclined in 300, 450, 600, 900.

13. Oblique Parking
• Suitable for two way traffic and separate entrance/exit

14. Design of circulation routes and areas
Maintaining safe conditions
Design:
Width :
Circulation routes should be minimum of 1.2m wide.
d. Headroom :
Minimum headroom of 2.0m
Should be raised to 2.4m, especially in circulation routes and
viewing areas (particularly the rear of covered seated stands).
e. Signs
f. Lighting

15. Entrance and Entry Routes
The design and management of entrances and entry routes should
take into consideration the following:
• Entrances to each part of the ground should, wherever
practicable, be designed and located so as to allow for the even
distribution of spectators and to prevent local pressure building
up outside the ground.
• Walls, fences and gates should not provide the opportunity for
hand or foot-holds which might assist climbing. They should be
regularly inspected.
• The design of the turnstile and its housing should allow for the
operator to see and communicate clearly with entrants.
• Turnstiles are not suitable for use by wheelchair users, visually
impaired spectators and people with assistance dogs. The most
practical design solution is to provide level access via a gate or
door, with an appropriate vision panel, which is staffed by a
steward. Arrangements must be in place to ensure that all those
entering by such routes are counted among the spectators
attending the event.

16.  Horizontal circulation
 Concourse :
• A concourse is defined as a circulation area that provides
direct access to and from viewing accommodation to which
it may be linked by vormitories, passageways, stairs or
ramps.
• It is recommended that all new sports ground concourses
should be designed to allow at least 0.5m2 per person (a
density of 20 persons/10 m2) expected to occupy the
concourse at peak times.

17.  Vormitories
• A vormitory is an access route built into the gradient of a stand
which directly links spectator accommodation to concourses, and/or
routes for ingress, egress and emergency evacuation. Passage
through a vomitory can be either level, or via stairways, and can flow
either parallel or transverse to the rows of terraces or seats.
• If passage through the vomitory is by steps, the design, dimensions,
barriers and handrails should meet the requirement for stairways
• These barriers should be protected (by infill or screening), to prevent
spectators climbing through and approaching from behind.

18. Vertical Circulation
STAIRWAYS AND GANGWAYS :
a. Stairway
b. Radial gangway
c. Lateral gangway
Design of stairways (Basic Specifications and dimensions)
 The stairway width should be uniform.
 All goings and risers on each stairway should be uniform between floors.
 Open risers should not be used.
 Winders (that is, tapered treads) should not be used.
 Stair treads should be slip-resistant, have durable edgings, and, where
appropriate, have adequate drainage.
 All nosing should be clearly marked.
 Individual flights should consist of no more than 12 risers.
 Recommended minimum width of stairs : 1.2m Maximum width: 1.8m
 Minimum riser height: 150mm and Maximum height:170mm or 180mm

19.  Playing field:
• No fixed dimensions for the field but its diameter usually
varies between 450 feet (137 m) and 500 feet (150 m).
• A cricket pitch is 22 yards long.

20.  Parts of a Field:
• The pitch:
 The pitch measures 10 × 66 feet (3.05 × 20.12 m).Lines
drawn or painted on the pitch are known as creases.
 Pitches are generally classified as:
 Green Pitch: They contain fair amount of grass and are
conducive to bounce and swing.
 Dry Pitch: They contain no grass and are conducive to
spin.
 Concrete Pitch: These are made of concrete and
generally used for practice facilities.
 Mats: These are used for practice facilities as well and
laid over the pitch.

22. • Playing field quality
 The playing field must be absolutely smooth and level.
 It can have natural grass or artificial turf according to the need condition.
 With natural grass, it should have an efficient watering system for use in dry
weather.
 Playing field should be equipped with an underground heating system for cold
climate
 Good playing field should include proper underground and surface drainage to
allow play during rain.
• Advertising Boards around Playing Area
 Advertising boards normally have a height of 90-100cm
 The minimum distances between the boundary lines of the playing field and the
advertising boards should be: 4-5m

23. • Access to Playing Area :
 Vehicles of the emergency services, including ambulance and fire
engines, must be able to gain access to the playing area.
 All types of ground maintenance vehicles and various other kinds of
vehicles should also be able to gain access to the playing area.
• Exclusion of Spectators form Playing Area :
It is essential to protect against attract form the
spectators. This could be accomplished in a number of
ways, including one or more of the following.
 Security personnel

24.  Moats :
Adapted seating
 Screens and fences

25. Drainage:
• For the drainage of stadium there are two methods:
 Drain Cell
 Drain Core
• Drain Cell:

26.  Drain Core:

27. • ROOFING STRUCUTRE:
• TYPES OF ROOF:
 Pitched truss
 King post truss
 Queen post truss
 Post and beam structures
 Goal post structures
 Cantilever structures
 Concrete shell structures
 Compression/ tension ring
Tension structures- catenary cable and cable net
structures.

28. LONG SPAN STRUCTURE:
• Structure with span larger than 20m can be regarded as long
span structure for this span is usually unable to be achieved
by ordinary RC structure.
• Long-span buildings create unobstructed, column-free spaces
greater than 30 meters (100 feet) for a variety of functions.
• Common Structural Forms for Long Span Building
Structures:
• Insitu RC, tensioned
• Precast concrete, tensioned
• Structural steel – erected on spot
• Structural steel – prefabricated
• Portal frame – insitu RC
• Portal frame – precast
• Portal frame – prefabricated steel

29. • MAJOR TYPES OF LONG SPAN STRUCTURE:
• Space truss:
• Cable Structure:

30. Pneumatic Structure:
• Pneumatic structure is a membrane which carries load
developed from the tensile stresses.
• Pneumatic structures have a wide range of possible
materials.
Shell Structure:

31. • There are three main types of shell roof:
 The single barrel shell
 Multi barrel shell
 The continuous barrel
• Umbrella structure:

32. Water supply:
• DOMESTIC USE AND FIRE PROTECTION can be
separate and combined.
Underground water piping
• All piping in the ground from 80 mm dia and above is to
be of class C asbestos cement pressure pipe and where
of less than 80 mm dia is to be of class 16 high density
polyethylene or thin wall hard drawn copper pipe.
Above ground cold water piping
• Cold water pipe work above ground level, but concealed
in roofs and ducts etc. may be of galvanized iron, thin
wall hard drawn copper or stainless steel, for all
diameters.

33. ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING:
• Flood Lighting:
• In 4 cardinal direction (each lamp of 1000-2000W)
• It shouldn’t affect the other nearby building because of
its glare.
• Non-televised match ─ 500 to 700 lux
• Televised match ─ 1400 lux
• Mounting height:
• The mounting height geometry sideline head frames and
poles in 25 degree not exceed 45 degree.
• In other rooms like changing room it should be of 100 to
150 lux.

35. • Players, Officials and Spectators Requirement
• Access to Dressing Rooms
• Dressing Rooms:
• There should be two principal dressing rooms in a
stadium of equal size, style and comfort
• At least two there should be separate team areas, but
preferably four. Minimum size is 150m2.
• Umpires’ Area:
• It’s minimum size should be 24m2.
• It should have clothes hanging facilities or lockers for 4
people.

37. • Coaches’ Offices
• It should be adjacent to the teams’ dressing rooms.
• There should be 2 rooms of minimum 24m2.

38. • Access from Team Areas to Playing Field :
• The tunnel should be 4m-6m wide and a minimum of
2.3m high.
• First Aid and Treatment Room
• This room is used by players, match officials, the media,
VIPs and security Personnel
• Minimum sized 50m2.
• Doping Control Area
• Minimum size is 36m2

39. • Spectator’s requirements:
• Spectator area/Seating:
• Capacity depends upon the use and population.
• The area should be divided into sectors for easy access
and all the required services like entrances, exits,
stairways, doors, passages, toilets etc. should be located
at each sector.
• Blocks or groups of 2500 places should be provided to
avoid overcrowding.
• To give spectator clear view and ensure good acoustics,
Vitruvius recommended a fired gradient of 1:2 for the
both seating and standing areas. Space required for
spectator is 0.5 x 0.4-0.45m per seat (including adjacent
circulation area).

40. • SEATING AREAS:
• The necessary space for seating area is calculated as
follows:
o Width of seat 0.5m
o Overall depth 0.8m
o Seat depth 0.35m
o Circulation 0.45m
• Depending on the arrangement of entrances and exits,
each row can comprise
• On each side of a passage:
o In shallow rising rows 48 places
o In steeply rising rows 36 places.
• Seating and standing areas must be separated by
fences.
• For every 750 seats an escape route (stairway, ramp, flat
surface) with a minimum width of 1.00 must be provided

42. • The formula giving the staircase width necessary to allow a
certain numbers of spectators to leave the stadium in a given
time is:
Number of spectator
• Staircase width (m) =
Emptying time(s) X 1.25
• STANDING AREAS:
• The necessary space for standing space is calculated as
follows:
• Width of standing space 0.5m
• Depth of standing space 0.4m
• Each block should have its own entry/exit points and should
be separated from the others by fences.
• Barrier of 1.10m,between every ten rows of the standing
spaces.

44. • Spectators with Disabilities
• For individual wheelchair:
• Min. width of the stand 3 ft
• Min depth of the stand 4.6 ft

45. • Toilet Facilities:
• Sets of men’s and women’s rest room should be
provided at one or more locations on each public level.
• The required number of toilets per visitor is 0.01 of
which,
• 40% toilets for women.
• 20% toilets for men.
• 40% urinals.
• 10% WC and 5% washbasins for every 500 women’s.
• 2% WC and 4% washbasins for every 1000 men
• First Aid Rooms for the Public
• Stadium should be equipped with a first aid room for
spectators.

46. • Fire Safety :
• Adopt measures designed to minimize the fire risk
• Ensure that measures are taken to restrict the rate of
early fire growth and fire spread
• Provide and protect sufficient emergency evacuation
• Provide appropriate fire detection and warning systems
• Signage:
• a. Safety signs
• b. Information signs
• c. Commercial signs and hoardings

47. • Other Facilities :
• Gift and souvenir shops:
• Ticketing Facility
• Gallery
• Museum
• Gardens

48. • Kitchen/dining
• Space for dining areas is usually
based on the number of square feet
per person seated times the
number of persons seated at one
time.
• Dining room: 60% of total area
• Kitchen (cooking, storage,
preparation): 40-50% of total area
• Seating requirements
• Small children: 8 sq ft
• Adult seating: 12 sqft
• Banquet seating: 10 sqft
• Deluxe seating: 30 sqft
• Place seating for adults: 24 inch
• Place seating for child: 20 inch

49. • Area required for seating
Table 2.4-1: space required for different seating

50. CASE STUDY –(Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia )
INTRODUCTION :
• The Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of
Australia’s greatest assets.
• It is the busy venue accommodating
international cricket, Australian Rules football,
concerts, dinners and other major functions on
its natural turf arena.
• More than three million people visit the ground
annually.
• Melbourne Cricket Club manages the stadium
and has progressively expanded the MCG’s
role as both an entertainment centre and a
world-class tourist destination.
Ground Capacity:
• The total capacity of the MCG is 100,018.
• This includes 95,000 seats and approximately
5000 standing room spaces.

51. Spectator Facilities:
• This marvelous structure, accommodating 44,500 people
and covering 45 per cent of the stadium’s perimeter,
brought state-of-the-art comfort, convenience and
hospitality facilities to all levels of Melbourne’s sporting
society.
• Facilities and finishes are superior throughout. The
male/female toilet ratio has been significantly improved
and, for comfort and ease of access, individual plastic
bucket seats are fixed on broader plats.
• Sightlines from all seats are uninterrupted and, because
the new structure is much closer to the arena than the
stands it replaced, spectators are also closer to the action.
• Seats are approximately 30% bigger than the previous
northern stand and about 80% of seats are under roof
cover.
• Large, deep rooms enable tenant sports and clubs to
accommodate up to 500 guests.
• . Extensive landscaping and a new access road enhance
the sense of arrival for visitors.
• Capping the new stand is a hybrid roof, part metal and
part glass. This considerably increases the brightness of
the seating areas.

52. Dimensions:
• The MCG arena has a total of approximately
20,000 square metres in area and measures
171 x 146 metres in length, from fence to
fence.
• The boundary line measures five metres from
the fence.
• The volume of the MCG is 1,700,000 cubic
metres, or 1.7 million cubic metres.
• The goal posts for AFL matches are 15
metres in height (point posts are 10 metres
high) and the
• length of the cricket pitch is 22 yards, which
in metric terms is 20.12 metres.
Arena Grow Lights:
• As a result, the MCC procured a product
called Stadium Grow Lighting, a mobile
supplementary lighting unit
• The shipment, comprising 11 lighting rigs
each measuring 12m x 2.5m x 2.5m and two
smaller rigs.
• The lighting rigs are placed above the grass
to provide light and heat, which stimulates
turf growth.
• This will enable to achieve year-round
quality turf in all weather conditions.

53. Portable Cricket Pitches:
• The volume and variety of events played at the MCG
requires a versatile surface that enables the stadium to
switch from one sport to another in a short period of
time.
• It has led the field in a range of turf management
techniques designed to develop a playing surface
which can be used efficiently and meets competition
demands.
• The 1992 reconstruction of the oval utilising a
revolutionary sand-based profile boosted drainage
capacity and introduced a more durable turf cover so
that more events could be scheduled at the MCG.
• The absence of cricket pitches from the centre in the
winter months provides a safer playing surface for AFL
players and allows events such as international soccer
and Bledisloe Cup rugby to be played on a world-class
surface.

54. LIGHT TOWERS:
• The light tower system comprises of six light
towers which stand approximately 75 metres high
(equivalent to a 24-story building) with the head
frame a further 10 metres higher (85 metres
overall).
• The foundations for the towers consist of four
reinforced concrete piers which are set down in
depth from seven to 12 metres depending on the
sub surface structure.
• Each of the hollow tubular steel towers contains
about 130 tonnes of steel.
• The diameter reduces from 4.2 metres at the base
to two metres at the top.
• There are between 12 and 14 landings connecting
ladders inside each tower. The head frames of the
towers are angled in at 15 Degrees in order to
provide optimum levels of light.

55. Written press:
• The main press box at the MCG is located on Level 3 of the
Olympic Stand, with unimpeded views of the playing arena
and a capacity for 48 people.
• To cater for larger requirements, the Great Southern Stand
has provision for another 20-30 spaces on the ground level.
• Wireless internet access and power outlets are available at
each seat, while catering facilities are available at the rear of
the room.
Press conference room:
• The press conference room is located in between the team
changerooms on Level B1 of the Ponsford Stand.
• The area has a capacity for 50 people and wireless internet is
available.
• The procedures in this room are at the discretion of the media
liaison officer representing the event promoter.
Radio:
• There are eight radio commentary booths on Level 3 of the
Olympic Stand, located adjacent to thepress box in the Ron
Casey Media Centre. Wireless internet is available in each
booth.
Media facilities:
The MCG is equipped with state-of-the-art media facilities to
accommodate a variety of media personnel.

56. MCG AND THE ENVIRONMENT:
• The MCC is extremely conscious of its social and community
responsibility with regards to the way it operates the MCG and its other
venues.
• Water conservation and waste management, in particular, are issues that
the MCC is working hard with stakeholders and experts to ensure the club
remains a socially responsible stadium manager.
• Environmental initiatives include the installation of timer controlled taps in
the public toilets of the Great Southern Stand and the introduction of hand
dryers to reduce paper towel waste
• The club is also an active participant in the Closed Loop recycling
program.
• Lighting and air conditioning are controlled via a building management
system at the ground and therefore can be controlled to be only on when
required.
Waste Management:
• The MCC adheres to five key guiding principles to continually improve its
performance in waste
• management:
• Reduce unrecyclable waste
• Reuse materials where possible
• Promote recycling by providing appropriate infrastructure
• Educate employees, patrons and contractors
• Use landfill as a last resort.

57. Water Conservation:
• The club, responsible for the maintenance of 20,000
square metres of MCG turf, has operated under a water
conservation plan for some time.
• The sand profile on the ground has helped reduce
water usage by more than one million litres annually
without reducing turf quality.
Commercial Operations:
• The Commercial Operations Department handles
leasing of corporate suites, selling MCC suites and
dining rooms on an event by event basis, marketing
strategies.
Heritage and Tourism:
• The Heritage and Tourism Department has several
responsibilities:
• Operating the National Sports Museum.
• Operating the MCC Museum and Library.
• Operating the MCG Tours.
• Managing the collections of both museums and the
Library.
• Stadium dressing and public art management.

58. A Major Tourist Attraction:
• It is a major tourist attraction, with much of Australia’s
sporting and social history residing within the walls of
the National Sports Museum, which opened in March
2008.
• Tours of this magnificent stadium are undertaken on all
non-event days, taking visitors behind the scenes to get
a glimpse of some of the magic and history within the
walls of the mighty MCG.
Social and Cultural Aspects:
A City’s Heart and Soul
• The MCG always has been a focal point of activity for
Melburnians. If there was an important event in the city
the odds were that the cricket ground would play host.
• There have been several royal pageants and religious
gatherings held at the ground.
• The country’s first major cycling event, the Austral
Wheel Race, was held there and experimental
aeroplane flights used the arena as a runway, not
always successfully.
• School sports were staged at the MCG and the entire
stadium was transformed to host the 1956 Olympic
Games.

59.  The playing field and the pitch:
Literature: A cricket field consists of a large circular or oval-shaped grassy ground on which the
game of cricket is played. There are no fixed dimensions for the field but its diameter usually
varies between 450 feet (137 m) and 500 feet (150 m).. The cricket ground can vary from being
almost a perfect circle, to being an extremely elongated oval. On most grounds,
a rope demarcates the perimeter of the field and is known as the boundary. A cricket pitch is 22
yards long.
Analysis: The playing field is the most important part of the stadium. It must be qualitative and
the meet the standards set by the ICC. To maintain the quality of the playing field ant the
pitches the type of grass to be used in the outfield must be soft type and a sandy layer beneath
that adds to better playing conditions and safety of the players.

60.  Dressing Rooms and Pavilions:
Literature: There should be two principal dressing rooms in a stadium of equal size, style and
comfort. For multi-purpose stadium it is essential to have four changing rooms of equal size and
comfort. It should be in the main stand. They should provide direct, protected access to the
playing area and be inaccessible to the public and the media. At least two there should be
separate team areas, but preferably four. Minimum size is 150m2.
Analysis: The dressing rooms should have an indoor and outdoor area. The outdoor area should
be such that the players can acclimatize to the conditions before going out to play.
The indoor areas should include massage tables, showers etc. so that the players relax and cool
down after the game.

61.  Emergency Exits:
Literature: It is generally recognized that a period of great risk to crowd safety is at the time of
leaving the sports ground. It is important, therefore, to provide exit systems capable of
accommodating safely the passage of people within an acceptable period of time, and to avoid
congestion and psychological stress. Exit systems may comprise gangways, stairways,
passageways, ramps and other means of passage. Management should ensure that exit routes
are planned and managed safely, to provide for spectators a smooth, unimpeded passage
through an exit system until they reach the boundary of the ground, or, in an emergency, a place
of safety.
Analysis: The emergency exits are an important part of a stadium complex. The emergency
evacuation time must be evaluated properly and safety alarms, firefighting equipment if located
in the stadium are preferable.

62. Changing Rooms:
Literature:
 Changing capacity should be calculated to cope with normal, maximum occupancy
when all courts and other activities are operating
 There must be changing accessible to disabled players.
 At least one individual unisex accessible changing room with shower and toilet.
 -It should have an access to the external pitches.
 Changing rooms should be designed with high ceilings
Analysis: Changing rooms should be provided with showers and such facility and also it
should be constructed in such a way that it have high ceilings.

63. Lockers / Storage:
Literature: -Sufficient storage capacity for sports equipment is essential, and this
should be provided in suitably located stores.
-Sufficient storage capacity for sports equipment is essential, and this should be
provided in suitably located stores.
-Lockers are best located behind the courts where they restrict space less than in
changing rooms, are convenient for use by all patrons and are less susceptible to
vandalism
-Allowance needs to be made for the storage of personal cricket equipment.
Analysis: Facility for lockers and storage has to be provided so that players and
coaches can store their possessions during training or matches.