Exclusive turf for fiveaside hockey set to become operational
It looked uncertain nearly a year ago that junior men’s hockey world cup would be held in the state capital for the state government as well as the Uttar Pradesh Hockey was required to make assiduous efforts to make it a reality.
It became a reality in December last when not only the state capital played hosts of the second World Cup on the Indian soil but also helped hockey fans of the country celebrate India’s maiden win in a fascinating manner, at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium here.
The other turf for training for the world cup at the Vijayantkhand Stadium, which is now known as Padma Shri Mohd Shahid Stadium, came up in a record time and became the part of rich hockey tradition of Uttar Pradesh that owns the pride of producing many greats, including Major Dhyanchand, KD Singh ‘Babu’ and Mohd Shahid to name a few.
Continuing its support to the game, the state government has now come up with an exclusive hockey Astroturf for five-a-side hockey, latest on the list of International Hockey Federation, at the Eklavya Stadium in Agra.
The venue, which has been constructed with over Rs five crore, is all set to become operational soon.
In terms of the hockey Astroturf, the state already has fullsize venues at Lucknow Sports College, Rae Bareli, Padma Shri Mohd Shahid Stadium in Lucknow, Jhansi, Etawah, Saifai and Varanasi. Besides this, two turfs have also been laid by the Sports Authority of India at Lucknow and Ghazipur. Next in the line is at Gorakhpur where the construction is going on at full swing.
The Agra turf (77mX46m size), based on ‘Make in India’ drive, has been laid by the Indian installers by using the high end machinery by Inslox Sports and Infratech Pvt Ltd, is the first venue for the explosive short format for field hockey.
“The five-a-side hockey is seen as one of the key developments for the sport worldwide. The objective of Hockey 5’s is to allow flexibility so that it can be played on any surface and on different sized pitches,” said former India player Rajneesh Mishra.
He, however, added that the three-layer system of the turf at Agra has an additional reinforcement backing to dimensional stability, a unique feature. “Now, we can plan to conduct nationals at the new venue soon,” said Mishra, who also happens to be one of the coaches of UP junior teams.
(77MX46M SIZE), BASED ON ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ DRIVE, HAS BEEN LAID BY THE INDIAN INSTALLERS BY USING THE HIGH END MACHINERY BY INSLOX SPORTS AND INFRATECH PVT LTD, IS THE FIRST VENUE FOR THE EXPLOSIVE SHORT FORMAT FOR FIELD HOCKEY THE AGRA TURF