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News 17 September 2014

All the news for Wednesday 17 September 2014


Marcano rings in hockeywomen changes

Nigel Simon

Anthony Marcano, coach of the T&T senior women’s hockey team has made eight changes to his team for the Second edition of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) World League First Round qualifying tournament carded for Kingston, Jamaica from September 30 to October 5.

For the one-week tournament at the newly-laid synthetic pitch at Mona Campus, New Kingston, T&T will come up against host Jamaica Barbados, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico from which one team will qualify to Round Two in Montevideo, Uruguay from February 28-March 8, next year.

But following a disappointing outing at the recent Commonwealth Games where T&T was crushed 16 -0 by South Africa, 14-0 both by New Zealand and India, 4-1 by Canada and 4-0 in their tenth placed match against Wales, Marcano has recalled Blair Wynne, Krizia Layne, Oire Trotman and Sekayi Liburd while giving first time senior call-ups to goalkeeper Arresia Sandy and Keima Gardiner.

Missing out this time are Avion Ashton due to work commitments, Amanda George, Savannah De Freitas, Stephanie Whiteman (school) and Kwylan Jaggassar, who has been named as a reserve.

Two years, the national women’s team coached by Glen “Fido” Francis reached as far as Round Two in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where they ended in fifth spot in the six-team competition with a 1-4 record.

The “Calypso Stickwomen” lone win came against host Brazil, 3-1 while they were overwhelmed by tournament winners USA (7-0), runner-up Chile (6-0), third placed Scotland (7-0) and Uruguay, 6-1.

In the opening round which was held at the National Hockey Centre, Eastern Regional Sports Complex, Tacarigua, T&T, then coached by Ian Harris was third behind Canada and Uruguay after hammering neighbours Barbados (7-0), Guyana (5-0) and Venezuela (5-1) for a 3-2 record.

The two defeats came against round one winner, Canada (4-0) and runner-up Uruguay, 2-0. (NS)

Squad

T&T women’s team: Petal Derry (GK), Arresia Sandy (GK), Alanna Lewis (C), Patricia Wright-Alexis (C), Blair Wynne, Kayla Brathwaite

Tamia Roach, Dana-Lee De Gannes, Brittney Hingh, Krizia Layne, Zene Henry, Sekayi Liburd, Brianna Govia, Amie Olton, Elise Olton

Kristin Thompson, Oire Trotman, Keima Gardiner.

Technical staff: Anthony Marcano (coach), Stacey Siu Butt (assistant coach), Sharon De Freitas (manager), Natalie Nieves (assistant manager)

The Trinidad Guardian



New hockey format will be an advantage, says Sreejesh

INCHEON: The new format of hockey will add a lot of zing to the sport as players will be able to re-energise themselves during the break between the quarters which will be an advantage for teams, including India, goalkeeper and vice-captain PR Sreejesh said Tuesday.

The Asian Games will be the first tournament where the new format of four quarters - each quarter comprising 15 minutes - barring the goal-celebration time and penalty corner execution time, will be applicable.

"The new format of the game is actually going to act as an added advantage in the field, as it will not only make the game much faster, but will also offer time to the players to re-energise during every quarter to fight more efficiently on the field," Sreejesh said.

The Indian team has already arrived in Incheon and is preparing to face Sri Lanka in their first pool game.

"The practice sessions have picked up pace and the whole team is training really hard to be ready to take on every challenge that is coming our way," Sreejesh said.

He also expects speedy forward S.V. Sunil to continue his good work at the Asiad.

"Standing on the other side of the field during the Commonwealth Games, I saw Sunil giving a tough time to the opponents whenever he used to enter their D."

"It used to create a furore of tension whenever Sunil was successful in penetrating through the opponents' defence. I look up to him to continue his Commonwealth Games form during the Asian Games and help us keep the opponents on their toes," the custodian from Kerala said.

Meanwhile, recently adjudged as the "Junior Male Player of the Year" by the Asian Hockey Federation, midfielder Manpreet Singh credited midfield general Sardar Singh for his success.

"The midfield position is a very important place as we have to keep the speed intact and ensure that we support both the defence as well as the forwards and personally, if I am successful as a midfielder, it is because of captain Sardar Singh," said the 22-year-old.

"He plays a pivotal role in the team as well as in the midfield position and he is the inspiration for Danish, Dharamvir, Chinglensana and myself," added Manpreet, who is also a former captain of the India U-21 squad which played the junior World Cup in 2013.

The Times of India



New format will work in our favour: Sreejesh

Incheon - With new rules set to be introduced in the upcoming Asian Games, India’s vice captain P R Sreejesh feels the change in format will work in their favour in Incheon as they have hands-on experience of playing a game of four quarters, courtesy Hockey India League.

To make the game more fast-paced and exciting, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is set to transform the game from a 70-minute affair that was divided into two halves, to four quarters with a total playing time of 60 minutes in the Incheon Games to be held from September 19 to October 4.

And Sreejesh gave a thumbs-up to the new format.”The new format of the game is actually going to act as an added advantage for us in the field. It will not affect us as we already have experience of playing in four quarters in the Hockey India League,” Sreejesh said ahead of Indian men’s opening game against Sri Lanka on September 21.

“It will not only make the game much faster, but will also offer time to the players to re-energise during every quarter,” India’s ace goalkeeper added.

Elaborating on the team’s preparation for the continental extravaganza, Sreejesh said: “The practice sessions have picked up pace and the whole team is training really hard to be ready to take on every challenge that is coming our way.” He was of the view that with his electric pace down the flanks and incisive runs, striker SV Sunil will pose a serious threat to India’s opponents in the Games.

“I hope he will carry on his Commonwealth Games form in the Asian Games and help us keep the opponents on the toes.”

The Tribune



Pakistan determined to win hockey gold at Incheon


Imran says his team has trained with the aim of winning gold medal again. — File photo/AFP

INCHEON: Captain Mohammad Imran doesn't consider a lack of international competition recently to be any barrier to Pakistan's Asian Games title defense.

Imran tells The Associated Press on Wednesday his team has trained “with the aim of winning the gold medal again” and that the eight-time Asian Games champions have made up for lack of big matches with a lot of practice.

Pakistan failed to qualify for this year's World Cup in the Netherlands, and did not field a team at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow due to a split in its national Olympic association.

Also read: We have the potential to confront India, South Korea at Asiad, says Imran

The 34-year-old Imran says it is difficult to gauge the disadvantage of not playing in those tournaments, but being the unknown commodity might just help in Incheon.

Earlier in August, while lamenting lack of international exposure for Pakistan team during the last year, national Imran had picked India and South Korea as tough opponents for Asian Games and said his men had the ability to tackle both of them.

Sounding optimistic, Imran, who scored 163 goals in 265 international matches, had vowed that his men will deliver their best at Incheon Games.

The captain was satisfied with the squad selected for the continental extravaganza.

Dawn



India-Pakistan in Asian Games Hockey

by B.G.Joshi (Sehore-Bhopal, India)

Total 12 matches played, India wins 3, Pakistan wins 7, drawn-2.

Most memorable matches are:

1- Bangkok Final (1966), full time score was 0-0, 3 minutes remaining on clock of extra time, right winger Balbir Singh (Railways) collected through pass in D, side stepped defenders, from goal line on acute angle scored the title winning goal.

2- Bussan Semifinal (2002), Gagan Ajit Singh scored the 4th goal, 69 seconds remaining, he scored the winning goal(4-3) in trajectory projection on the pass of Dhanraj by bemusing all the Pakistanis, India stormed into  the final on 11th occasions, since then India have not entered in final.

Details of all the 12 matches are (read- year; venue; stage; score; Indian scorers; Pakistani scorers):

1958  Tokyo  Final  0-0 (Pakistan claimed the Gold Medal by virtue of goal difference of 19-0 as India's 16-1.
1962  Jakarta  Final  0-2  -  Atif; Waheed
1966  Bangkok Final  1-0 Balbir Singh (Railways)
1970 Bangkok  Final  0-1 – Rashid Junior
1974 Tehran  League  1-1  Ajitpal Singh/ Akhtar Rasool
1974  Tehran  Final  0-2 – Manzoor Sr.; Munnawar
1978 Bangkok  Final 0-1 – Munnawar
1982 New Delhi Final 1-7 Zafar/ Kalim(2); Hanif (2); Hasan Sardar; Manzoor Sr.; Manzoor Jr.
1986 Seoul Semi final 1-3  MP Singh/ Farhat; Waseem; Shahbaz
1990 Beijing Final 2-3  Dhanraj; Jagdev / Qamar; Mussadiq; Tahir Zaman
2002  Bussan Semi final 4-3 Dhanraj (2); Baljit Dhillon; Gagan Agit/ Sohail (2); Shabbir
2010 Guangzhou Pool 3-2 Sandeep(2); Dharamvir/ Shakeel Abbasi; Rehan Butt.

Fieldhockey.com



Coach Arul hopes his boys will rock steady in Incheon

By Ashreena Pillai


National hockey coach A. Arulselvaraj (left) and team captain Azlan Misron (right) posing with the new jersey that will be worn at the Incheon Asian Games starting on Friday.

KUALA LUMPUR: National hockey coach A. Arulselvaraj’s unorthodox ways may just be what Malaysia need to get back on track at the Incheon Asian Games.

For one, the Pink Floyd fan has got music blaring from the loudspeakers when the boys suit up and do their warm-ups.

“There were certain things that I wanted to do but, being only the assistant coach then, I couldn’t carry them out. So, when I took charge of the team, I knew this was my chance to do things a little differently ... and the players have responded well to it,” he said at the Asian Games jersey handing-over ceremony at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

“I’ve always liked music. It helps to release tension and gets you in the right frame of mind. As you listen to the beat while you’re getting ready or doing your stretching, it helps you get into a rhythm. And when it’s a very technical and tactical training, the music helps you get into it a lot better.”

Unlike the car radio, there is no hogging of the song selection.

Arul even asked some of the players to come up with 10 to 15 songs each that they could incorporate into the playlist. Even the physios got to hook up their Ipods.

“There is no set playlist. Some of them don’t really like my choices, so we got the boys to come up with some songs they liked. We got a mix of 80s rock songs, including those by Search and Wings because I’m a big fan of Awie, and also some of the current hits ... something with a good beat and tempo to get the boys going,” said Arul, adding that they will bring along a portable stereo to keep the music playing in Incheon.

Malaysia will take to the field against Singapore in their opening Group A match on Sept 20 at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium. The others in the group are South Korea, Japan and Bangladesh.

“When I took over, I wanted to form a team who could play as a unit. They are the best 16 in the country and I want them to carry the flag with pride,” said Arul.

“I want them to peak at the right time and come back with a medal. I’ve told the boys that getting a very good result is important but equally important is to give your best because whatever the outcome, you can hold your head up high if you have done your best.”

The Star of Malaysia



Zeller double sees Rot-Weiss keep perfect run

Rot-Weiss Köln are the sole side with a perfect record left in the German league following their impressive 5-0 win over Düsseldorf on the second weekend of the season.

Star man Christopher Zeller netted twice, bringing his total for the season to three, with one goal in each half. In addition to goals from Mats Grambusch, Florian Scholten and Alexander Schöllkopf, it saw them retain their perfect run.

Assistant coach Wolfgang Kluth said afterwards: “The team continued to build in the second half in a  very consistent way despite a heavy defensive effort. With an aggressive pressing, we forced many  Dusseldorf defensive errors."

UHC Hamburg won their first game of the weekend with a 4-2 win over Blau-Weiss Berlin before they were caught late in the game against Berliner on Sunday, drawing 3-3.

Max Kapaun put UHC 3-2 ahead with four minutes to go but an Anton Ebeling goal three minutes later saw the teams tie. The two teams share top spot in the division with ten points from four games so far this season.

EHL champions Harvestehuder THC were not in action as three of their number were playing for Austria in the World League.

Euro Hockey League media release



Dutch EHL trio lead way in Hoofdklasse

The Netherlands’ three EHL qualifiers all banked their second successive wins to open the season to already leave a gap between them and the chasing pack in the Hoofdklasse.

Kampong beat Amsterdam 2-0 with classy goals from Thierry Brinkman and Constantijn Jonker before South African sharp-shooter Justin Reid-Ross got one back but they could not get back on terms.

Oranje Zwart smashed Push 8-1 with Mink van der Weerden scoring a trio of penalty corners while Thomas Briels, Bob de Voogd, Gabriel Dabanch and Joep de Mol were all on the mark.

Tom Boon clipped two goals for Bloemendaal as they saw off Den Bosch 2-1 with all the goals coming in the first half.

HGC and Tilburg are the other unbeaten sides in the competition, drawing 2-2 to stay fourth and seventh in the table respectively.

Euro Hockey League media release



Hayden Shaw to help coach President’s XI



Hockey New Zealand have finalised the coaching staff for the President’s XI Men travelling to Suva in December to compete in the Oceania Pacific Cup – and it includes a legend of the sport.

Hayden Shaw is set to assist head coach Brad Jensen in Suva.

Shaw is well known to all associated with the sport, and will bring with him to Suva 178 caps and 127 International goals – many from his lethal drag-flick.

He competed at two World Cups (2002 and 2006) and two Olympic Games (2004 & 2008). After the 2006 World Cup, Shaw was selected in the World Cup All Star team.

Jensen is a vastly experienced coach, having coached at National Hockey League level along with age group representative sides.

The group is rounded out by team manager Aidan O’Connor, Hockey New Zealand Domestic Tournaments Administrator.

The Oceania Pacific Cup runs from December 6 – 13 in Suva.

The President’s XI team will compete against teams from Australian Country, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.

Teams have been selected after the 2014 Affiliates tournament played in the Hawke’s Bay in April.

Teams competing in this tournament were NZ Maori, NZ Indians, NZ Masters 35+, National Senior Tournament XI, Hawke’s Bay Invitational XI and Australian Country.

CLICK HERE to see the team

Hockey New Zealand Media release



Veteran Pereira extends field hockey career on and off the pitch

Coaching brings 41 year-old full circle before 2015 Indoor World Cup

Shaheed Devji


Ken Pereira   

Standing on the sidelines is not something Ken Pereira is all too familiar with. Whenever he is around a field hockey pitch, he’s typically at the center of the action.

But this past summer in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Ken was watching from a far as manager and coach of the Ontario Under-16 boys team that captured the National Championship for its age group.

And while he wasn’t playing, it should come has no surprise that coaching the sport to which he has dedicated his life – and winning – was a lot of fun.

“For me it’s different being on the outside of the white lines as opposed to being inside,” says the veteran of Canada’s field hockey program.

“It’s a great experience coaching these young guys and hopefully some of them will go on to play for Canada.”

With his tutelage, it wouldn’t be a surprise if many of them did.

Pereira is the all-time leader in games played for the Canadian Senior Men’s National outdoor team with 348 caps to his name. The closest active players are David Jameson (195) and Scott Tupper (183).

Before he amassed all those international fixtures, competed in an Olympic Games, World Cups, and Commonwealth Games, Pereira was once a young field hockey player trying to find his way – much like the young men he now coaches.

“I think when you come through the ranks as a younger player you don’t really know the level of the other teams and other player that you have to get to,” he says.

“I had older guys that pulled me through and told me what to do, and gave me advice,” he remembers. “It’s the same thing for them. It’s just hard work, training, practicing at all times. Every day just doing something that’s going to make you better.”

It’s likely that type of attitude that has allowed Pereira to have such a long and successful career: one that continues into his forty-second year and now has the title “coach” on the lengthy list of accomplishments.

“This is just my rookie season as a coach,” he says. “To compare it to my hockey career which is over twenty years, it’s quite different.”

“I don’t know if I’ll go on to do more elite type coaching but for now I’m kind of happy doing this. It’s fun having these guys around.”

But it’s also fun to play. And despite his new interest in coaching, and his age, Pereira still loves being on the pitch.

“I just turned 41 but I feel 21 when I play.”

Pereira was part of the Canadian Men’s Indoor National team that won gold at the 2014 Indoor Pan Am Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay this past March. As a result of the win, he and the team are headed to the 2015 Indoor World Cup in Leipzig, Germany in February of 2015.

“It’s going to be 6-8 months of hard training,” he says of the World Cup preparation, which has just begun in Toronto, Ontario. “It (field hockey) has been my life and as long as I can extend my career and not get a real 9-to-5 job I’m going to keep doing it.”

And whether it’s playing or coaching, Pereira always has one goal in mind when it comes to field hockey.

“Playing that long, I think I’ll always have that competitive edge and I’m always going to want to win and do our best to help these kids come through.”

Field Hockey Canada media release



Spotlight on Australia's next golden generation


The Australian team on the Men's Hockey podium YOG Nanjing 2014

It seems there is no stopping the green and gold domination of world hockey. FIH talks to the coach of the triumphant Youth Olympic Games male hockey team.

Australia won the male Hockey 5s competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in August this year, beating Canada in a thrilling final. Although the Australian team were taken to the wire and the match was only won after shoot-out, it is yet another sign that Australian hockey player production is going well and that another generation of winners is about to hit the senior stage.

We spoke to David Guest, head coach of the team that travelled to China, about his thoughts on the tournament and the future of the players who returned triumphant.

"The standard of this event was at a very high level," said Guest. "At times I had to remind myself this was an U18 competition. Every team was capable of scoring, which made each match a real contest. 5s is a real leveller, every nation's best few players going head to head made for some outstanding hockey."

In Nanjing there were a number of teams who were relatively new to the international scene, Zambia and Mexico in particular. Bangladesh, who were also in Nanjing, are also working their way up the rankings as a hockey-playing nation, as the senior team's victory in the recent Hockey World League One demonstrated.

Guest says that seeing new teams on the global stage can only be good for the game. "To see some of these relatively unknown nations playing well on the world stage was fantastic and great for our sport."

When it comes to a national programme, no-one it seems can do it better than Australia at the moment. With the men's senior team retaining the World Cup and winning Commonwealth Gold and the women taking gold in the Commonwealth's and silver at the World Cup, these young players have a lot to live up to. But Guest is hopeful that the stars of Nanjing will go on to even greater glory in the senior teams. "I don't want to pick any young players out, I think all our players have the ability to go on and represent Australia at U21 and senior levels if, they work hard and keep improving their game. We teach the kids from an early age what it takes to be a Kookaburra or Hockeyroo and that helps breed our next generation of athletes.”

"It is nice to see that we have some excellent talent coming through our ranks. We lack quality international competition for our junior teams due to the geographical positioning of our country. Unlike European countries who play against each other from the U16 level we don’t usually get any exposure until the U21 level so it is good to see this group is on par with their age group."

FIH site



Indo-Pak series can ensure revival of Asian hockey, says AHF chief

LAHORE: The newly-elected chief exectutive of Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Tayyab Ikram said on Tueday that regular bilateral series between Pakistan and India is vital for the revival of hockey in Asia.

Tayyab, the first ever Pakistani national to head the AHF, was speaking at a grand reception held in his honour by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) here. “Until the two neighbouring countries start playing again on a regular basis, the revival of hockey in Asia cannot be ensured,” he said. “Germany won the London Olympics hockey title in 2012, but they could not provide sufficient funds to its hockey and just two years after that, they could not figure in the World Cup,” he pointed out.

The AHF official also stressed upon the PHF to improve its domestic competition by organizing national level tournaments both at the junior and senior levels. He added that besides revival of international hockey it was his task to uplift the game in Pakistan.

PHF honours Tayyab Ikram at grand reception

Earlier, PHF president Akhtar Rasool while addressing the gathering welcome the appointment of Tayyab Ikram as the AHF chief. “It is a great honour for Pakistan and a moment of pride for the country that a Pakistani has been elected as the first ever chief executive of the AHF, a post which was recently introduced in place of secretary general,” he said.

It may be mentioned here that in the last AHF elections held in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 30, three Pakistanis Tayyab Ikram (chief executive), Akhtar Rasool (member of the Executive Board and senior advisor to AHF president) and PHF secretary Rana Mujahid (vice president) were elected for the first ever time.

The PHF president appealed to the government of Pakistan as well as to the AHF to help the federation in revival of international hockey in Pakistan.

“We need a helping hand from the government to provide us with sufficient funds to the PHF for the promotion of the game which requires extra efforts from all quarters in order to regain its status,” Akhtar said.

“The government is considering allocating funds amounting to Rs. 480 million for the PHF, but I will say the amount is still a meager one. Not even 48 billion will be enough to meet tough goals such as promotion the game at the schools, college and club levels and to meet the international commitments,” he said.

“I would also like to appeal to Tayyab Ikram Rabbani to help Pakistan in organizing international competitions as our grounds have been lying barren for a long time now,” he said.

PHF secretary Rana Mujahid in his speech also welcomed Tayyab and said Pakistan was ready to pay its contribution for the promotion of the game in the sub-continent. He said the PHF had decided to complete all its international commitments, but it was looking towards the government of Pakistan for financial help. “Without money it is hard to run the game of hockey which is our national sport.”

It may be mentioned that Tayyab hails from Lahore and he has been associated with the AHF for the last 15 years and played a pivotal role in setting up hockey federations in many countries of Asia.

Former president PHF Qasim Zia, ex-secretaries Brig (retd) Mussarratullah Khan, Asif Bajwa, former Olympians Khawaja Junaid, Tahir Zaman, national selectors Arshad Chaudhary and Khalid Bashir and a number of hockey lovers also attended the reception.

Dawn



Ben Hawes named Chair of BOA Athletes’ Commission


Ben Hawes GB

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced three time Olympian and former Team GB hockey captain Ben Hawes as the new Chair of its Athletes’ Commission.

Ben first competed for Team GB at Athens 2004 before captaining the side four years later in Beijing. His final Olympic outing was at London 2012 before retiring last year with 99 GB caps to his name, in addition to 128 caps for England.

The 34-year-old, who’s been part of the commission since its inception four years ago, will replace outgoing Chair Sarah Winckless in January 2015 for the start of his four-year term.

Sarah, a three-time Olympic rower and bronze medallist at Athens 2004, has served in the role since 2010 and recently acted as Chef de Mission for Team GB at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

The Athletes’ Commission is an advisory group set up to ensure the viewpoint and interests of all Team GB competitors are at the heart of everything the BOA does.

It looks to represent the interests of past, present and future Olympians by helping the BOA provide better services and support both during competition and after retirement.

The commission has 12 members in total, made up of a mixture of past and present athletes from both summer and winter sports.

Incoming Chair Ben Hawes said: “Competing for Team GB across three Games were the highlights of my sporting career, and continuing to be a part of this by chairing the Athletes’ Commission is a fantastic opportunity. It’s a great time to be part of the Team GB, following the success of Sochi and now the build up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and I can’t wait to get started and offer support to all those involved. Having already seen first-hand the important role the Athletes’ Commission plays within the BOA, I’m delighted to have been chosen for the role.”

Outgoing Chair Sarah Winckless said: “It has been a pleasure to serve as the Athletes’ Commission’s first Chair and the past four years have been a hugely enjoyable experience. My knowledge and understanding of the Olympic environment has been transformed, and the skills and friendships I’ve gained will be invaluable in the years to come. I’ve worked with Ben on the commission throughout my time as Chair and he’s an excellent candidate to take the group forward. I’m really pleased he’s taking on the position.”

BOA CEO Bill Sweeney said: “The athletes that compete for Team GB are the core purpose of the British Olympic Association and the work that the Commission does is crucial for our ability to support them before, during and after an Olympic Games. It’s great to have Ben on board and we’re excited about the future contribution this (delete – new  look) Athletes’ Commission will make in the run up to Rio and also Pyeongchang in 2018. I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely than Sarah for the outstanding work that she has done during her term."

England Hockey Board Media release



Faridkot turf dangerous for trainees, needs urgent repair

Balwant Garg


Apart from the pitch, the tiled area around the turf has also collapsed at certain areas and the tiles are coming off. Tribune photo

Faridkot - Less than two years after it was inaugurated by the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, the first synthetic turf hockey stadium in Faridkot has become dangerous for the trainees and needs major repairs.

The base of turf at the international-standard stadium, which cost Rs 6 crore, has collapsed at multiple places. The pitch has become uneven and could lead to injuries to the trainees.

Apart from the pitch, the tiled area around the turf has also collapsed at certain areas and the tiles are coming off. The drainage system also needs repair. The stadium has hosted only two national level tournaments so far.

One year after its construction, the Sports Department handed over the stadium to the SGPC, which is running an under-4 academy here. The supervisor of the academy, Harbans Singh, said that the base started collapsing six months ago. He added that till now the base has collapsed at over 15 different spots. He had written over six letters to the Sports Department to raise the issue with the Delhi-based company that laid this turf, Harbans said. The turf has a six year maintenance warrantee.

The company had sent the experts to gauge the problem a few months ago. Some parts were repaired but the problem still remained, he said.

The District Sports Officer, Karam Singh, said that after signing an MoU, the maintenance of the turf was the responsibility of the SGPC. But he added that if there were some defects in the pitch, it is the liability of the company that laid the turf.

Sources in the Sports Department revealed that the work of preparing the base and laying the turf was done in a hurry as the Deputy CM had to inaugurate the turf during the Baba Farid Annual Festival in September, 2012.

The Tribune

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