Women national tourney to bring hockey action to Panchkula’s turf

Come March 1, the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Sector 3, will host the 11-day 15th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2025. It will be the first women’s national meet being hosted at the facility since the 2021 Khelo India Youth Games.

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The national championship, being organised by the Hockey India and hosted by Hockey Haryana, will witness multiple stars who have represented India on the international stage.

Sources privy to the developments said Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will be the chief guest for either the opening or the closing ceremony.

“The association has hosted national events for women and men in previous years, but it will for the first time that an event of such level will be conducted at Panchkula. The stadium suits our requirements and is also located in the centre of the city. The work on providing logistics and other essentials will start soon,” said an official of Hockey Haryana. Notably, national championships held in the state in the past were conducted in Hisar, Sonepat, Gurugram and Rohtak.

Hockey Haryana records show that the association had last hosted the 11th Hockey Sub Junior National (Boys) Championship in 2021, at Uchana, Jind. Jharkhand had won the title while the host team finished second and was followed by Uttar Pradesh.

Previously, the ninth Sub Junior Women’s National Championship (A Division) and ninth Hockey India Senior Women National Championship (A Division and B Division) were held in June 2019, at Hissar.

In 2021, however, a new AstroTurf was specially built for hosting hockey matches for the Khelo India Youth Games at Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex.

The state-of-the-art facility also offers the provision of playing under floodlights.

The fenced arena, meanwhile, has a special spectators’ stand to adjust over 500 sports lovers, and also offers changing rooms and physiotherapy centre for the hockey players.

Notably, the Hockey League (HIL) franishee Soorma Club had also held their pre-season coaching camp at the venue recently.

In 2022, the hockey facility was granted the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Category 2 field certificate based on its construction, performance and player welfare requirements.

Under the lights