State-of-the-art hockey astroturf at KU to be ready in 3 months

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, March 30

Young hockey players studying in the Kurukshetra University and its affiliated colleges are set to get a state-of-the-art synthetic hockey astroturf on the university campus.

Accredited by Int'l Hockey federation

The turf, accredited by the International Hockey Federation, is poised to serve as a hub for both academic and community engagement. It will cater to the budding hockey players of Kurukshetra University and its 290 affiliated colleges, besides local hockey enthusiasts — Sanjeev Garg, Sector 25 part-2

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had granted a budget of Rs 5.50 crore under the New Khelo India Scheme-Sports Infrastructure Development after seeing the record and achievements of the university. The work started in December 2021. Officials say that about 60 per cent of the work has been completed and the project is likely to be be completed by the end of June.

The turf has arrived for installation and the hockey ground will also have floodlights on which an amount of Rs 50 lakh is being spent. The university will also spend an amount of Rs 1.25 crore for developing an area for spectators having a capacity of 2,000 persons. So far, students used to practise on the university ground and games used to be organised at the Shahabad hockey stadium. Director of Sports, Kurukshetra University, Rajesh Sobti said, “The institute has received a grant of Rs 5.5 crore for the project from the Ministry of Youth Affairs empowering the Kurukshetra University to embark on this transformative project. About 60 per cent of the work has been completed and the work is likely to be completed in three months.”

“The turf, accredited by the FIH (International Hockey Federation), is poised to serve as a hub for both academic and community engagement. It will cater to the budding hockey players of Kurukshetra University and its 290 affiliated colleges, besides local hockey enthusiasts. This development marks a significant milestone in enhancing sports infrastructure in the region,” he added. The Director, Sports, said hockey players belonging to the Kurukshetra University had tasted success on the national and international levels.

Pehowa MLA and former captain of the Indian hockey team Sandeep Singh, Olympians Surinder Kumar, Savita Punia, Navneet Kaur, Dronacharya Awardee AK Bansal and several other players have been the alumni of the university.

The new facility at the Kurukshetra University will not only boost the morale of the students but also attract more students towards the game. “Since the money has been given by the ministry of youth affairs, hockey players of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) will also be able to use the turf for camps. The facility will also be available for the local enthusiasts for tournaments on payment basis. After getting the facility, the university will be able to submit its claim to organise Khelo India University Games and other national championships on its campus,” he said.

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