The Qayyum Papa Stadium, also known as Qayyum Ali Changezi Stadium, is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

stadium in Mari Abad, Quetta, Pakistan. Named after the Pakistan national football team former captain

Qayyum Ali Changezi Qayyum Changezi (born 1932) was a Pakistani Football player, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Considered as one of the earliest legends in Pakistan football history, he was known for his leadership, Free kick (a ...

, it has the capacity to accommodate up to 10,000 spectators. The stadium has also been used on occasion to celebrate the

Hazara culture Hazara culture or Hazaragi culture ( prs, فرهنگ هزاره; haz, فرهنگ آزره) refers to the culture and tradition of the Hazara people, who live primarily in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, the Balochistan province of Pak ...

day.

History

The stadium was initially built by MPA minister Syed Muhammad Agha Raza in 2014, named after footballer

who played for the Pakistan national team in the 1950s and 1960s. It was initially intended to engage local youth in sports and providing a safe environment to deter them from harmful activities like drug use. In 2019, a Ramazan tournament was held at the stadium where the teams from Quetta and specifically from the Hazara community would play in the venue. In 2020, the stadium also was one of the three venues in the All Pakistan Chief Minister Balochistan Gold Cup Football Tournament, which was held after a lapse of 17 years by the provincial minister Abdul Khaliq Hazara, featuring 21 teams.

Renovation

Over time, neglect, mismanagement, and funding issues led to the stadium falling into disrepair. Renovation started in February 2023, led by provincial minister Abdul Khaliq Hazara. In May 2023, the venue was used to hold football matches in the 34th 2023 National Games of Pakistan, which were held after almost 19 years in the province of Balochistan. In July 2023, the stadium became the first-ever synthetic turf football ground in the province of Balochistan, after transitioning from natural grass to

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...

References

Football venues in Pakistan Quetta Stadiums in Pakistan Sport in Balochistan, Pakistan 2014 establishments in Pakistan {{Pakistan-sports-venue-stub

History

Renovation

See also

References