Hockey turf to be laid in six months, reveals SAG

Panaji: Terming it a milestone, a high-ranking Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) official revealed that an artificial

hockey

turf will be laid at the

Peddem

Sports Complex within six months.

“Once the hockey facility is ready, we can say Goa will be self-sufficient as far as hosting the

National Games

scheduled for November this year,” the official told TOI on Wednesday.

A tender will be published within a week and contractors finalized by the end of the month.

“We expect work to start in the first week of May,” the official said.

Goa is scheduled to host the 36th edition of National Games from November 4 later this year.

Tenders have already been floated for projects at Sawalwada, Pernem, where a multipurpose indoor complex is being developed, Campal where refurbishment promises to produce a spanking venue and Ponda where another multipurpose facility is due to get a facelift.

An extension of a squash facility, already existent at Chicalim, is set to be carried out. A road cycling event will most likely replace the need for a velodrome and, with all other disciplines taken care of, the birth of an international standard hockey facility would seal and endorse Goa’s readiness to host the Games according to the official.

On a profound note, the surface promises to be an answer to the hockey fraternity’s prayers lasting decades. The game has sunk into obscurity with the absence of a synthetic

pitch

with results at the national level portraying Goan hockey caught in a time warp.

At a cost of approximately Rs 12 crore, tender requirements will call for an FIH-approved surface for which around Rs 4.5 crore has been earmarked. Two pitches, one for practice, would be laid. The match surface admeasures 91.4m x 55m and the one for practice 55m x 45.7m.

The essential sub-base, comprising mainly asphalt, will cost an estimated Rs 1.82 crore. The rubber base to absorb shock that sits above the sub-base accounts for a further Rs 1.66 crore.

Irrigation and drainage systems crucial to a hockey pitch along with a sump and fencing around the pitch would cost Rs 2 crore.

Additional charges including consultancy and GST takes the total cost to around Rs 12 crore.

The budget excludes 2000 lux floodlights (expected to cost Rs 70 lakh) and plans for a building housing stands for spectators have not been included in the first phase.

Instead, temporary stands will be installed for the National Games. An adjacent facility would provide dressing rooms and a temporary medical room would be built for the Games, according to the SAG.

If all goes well, hockey in the state is poised for a positive result. And that, in regulation time!