Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga hockey stadium will mark another milestone in its brief but illustrious history when its turns to the domestic hockey this month. The iconic stadium, which hosted top FIH tournaments in the recent past, will host first ever Hockey India Academy National Championship midway through March. The two events that are all set to start midway through the month, are put on board for the first time by the parent body of Indian field hockey. The stadium, located centrally in the capital city, will host  a couple of them. The events and their dates are as below:

1st Hockey India Junior Women Academy National Championship: 17 to 26 March 2021

1st Hockey India Sub-Junior Women Academy National Championship: 17 to 25 March 2021.

Both competition will see six days of pool matches before moving into the knock-out phase (Quarterfinals, semifinals and final).  While 15 teams make up for the Jr event, its mere 10 for the lesser age-group category.

“We are very excited to host the 1st Hockey India Junior and Sub Junior Women Academy National Championship 2021,  here at the Kalinga Stadium, said Vishal K. Dev, Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha.

“The competitions will provide a brilliant platform to the academy players to test their skills and evolve into better hockey players.”

The success of the event will decide the future course of the new venture, namely the Academy National Championship.