Ludhiana hopes to slide onto Asian hockey fixture.

Ludhiana: Local sports enthusiasts and organisers are lobbying the Punjab govt to secure hosting rights for at least two matches of Oct’s prestigious Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, on a premier new AstroTurf.

Members of the Jagtar Singh Memorial Hockey Committee met with Ludhiana deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain to formally submit a memorandum urging the state administration to include the industrial hub on the tournament fixture list alongside other selected Punjab districts.

Committee members argue that staging elite international competition in Ludhiana would provide an invaluable morale boost to local players while inspiring the next generation of professional athletes.

The committee highlighted the newly upgraded Prithipal Singh Hockey Stadium, located within the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) campus, as a premier venue fully capable of hosting international teams.

“The city deserves at least two matches for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy,” said Gurinderpreet Singh, general secretary of the memorial committee. “We have all the required world-class facilities at the PAU stadium, and its AstroTurf is one of the best venues in the state.”

Gurinderpreet Singh noted that deputy commissioner Jain had received their proposal favorably and expressed optimism that state sports authorities would review the request soon. The committee plans to maintain its lobbying efforts until a final decision on the tournament schedule is announced.