State’s second hockey stadium ready to host games in four months

Tushar Tere, TNN

VADODARA: There is some good news for hockey lovers in the city.

The city may soon be able to host national hockey tourneys and provide modern facilities to players from across the country. The state-of-art hockey stadium that is coming up in Manjalpur will be ready to host tournaments in next four months. The stadium is being constructed by Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) as a part of the outdoor sports complex. Despite producing dozens of international players, the city didn’t have its own hockey stadium for decades.

“Having one’s own stadium, helps in promoting the game in a better way. We will have astro turf of international standards at the new hockey ground. We can now bring in national tournaments in the city. We will also try to pitch for international games in future,” Baroda District Hockey Association (BDHA) president Nilesh Patel said.

Spread on a sprawling land near Durbar Chowkdi, the stadium can house about 6,000 spectators. According to BDHA authorities, the stadium will cost about Rs 5 crore. The civic body has borne construction cost of the stadium that will be only second of its type after a hockey stadium owned by Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Gandhinagar. “VMC will own the stadium and we will look after the technical part and administration. BJP MP Balkrishna Shukla played the most pivotal role in getting this stadium for the city,” BDHA treasurer Vikas Prajapati said.

BDHA has been trying to make improvements in their game over last two years. The association also got a separate affiliation from Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) that has made it eligible for sending its separate team for national tournaments. “If one sees the number of spectators that turn up for hockey games, especially night hockey tournaments, organized in the city they will realize how the game still has large fan following. The stadium will definitely bring in more crowds,” Patel added.