0
ISLAMABAD: Rawalpindi’s first dedicated hockey stadium, being built on the Muslim School Ground premises at Saidpur Road, will be ready to host its first hockey tournament in March.
“The work of the ground is more than sixty percent complete. The changing rooms in the ground are built and just the boundary wall is under construction which will be complete before March when it is expected to host its first-ever national hockey tournament,” Olympian Shehnaz Shaikh told APP
“I am quite certain that the added playing facility would help revive the national game of in the country,” Sheikh said, adding that Pakistan's Asian Games gold medal was beginning to once again generate interest in hockey among the youth.
While an astro-turf is to be laid at the facility, the stadium will be a multi-purpose complex fit to host various indoor games.
Shaikh said the stadium, provided all needs were met, would be capable of hosting international matches in the future as well and would assist in creating a good pool of players to choose from for the national squad.
“The security issues have kept the youth away from the sports but now once the stadium gets built, I believe a lot of hockey lovers would come here to play,” he said while adding that dependence on the limited-access Army Stadium was also not helping the cause.
“This stadium is like a gift to the Rawalpindi city and I believe this stadium would once again revive hockey in the city.”
The stadium is also likely to receive funds from the government of Punjab.
