KARACHI: Work on laying a mini synthetic astro turf for six-a-side competitions at Abdul Sattar Edhi hockey stadium is in full swing and is likely to be completed by the end of this month.

The green turf has been donated by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Moham­mad Zakaullah at the prize distribution ceremony of the inaugural CNS hockey championship that was held at the same venue last year.

The turf is being laid behind the goalpost and in front of the Athletic Fitness School (AFS) which is run by veteran athletic coach Mohammad Talib free of cost for the last four decades.

Pakistan Navy has borne all the cost including its import from abroad. The naval officers are supervising its early completion, a visit to the site by this correspondent on Monday reveals.

The stadium is getting a face lift as the CNS Admiral Zakaullah is expected to inaugurate the facility on Feb 4.

It is the first mini turf that is being laid in the country.

“When laid, the facility will be used for six-a-side hockey and will go a long way in improving techniques including dribbling, dodging, stopping, goal-keeping of the players,” former player Waseeq Ahmed, who is director administration of the stadium, told Dawn.

Published in Dawn January 24th, 2017