Synthetic turf, digital scoreboard work to begin at KHA complex

KARACHI: A new blue turf is going to be laid at Karachi Hockey Association's (KHA) sports complex this week.

The new synthetic turf, which has been imported from England, reached Karachi a couple of days ago. A new digital score board will also be installed at the KHA’s hockey stadium, a sports department official of Sindh government informed 'The News'.

Sources said that the existing turf would be cut in four pieces and laid in those areas where the national game is regularly played and hockey clubs exist. These small turfs would be used for 5-a-side matches and practice for young players. KHA managed to get a regular turf and a hockey-5 turf approved by the provincial government for its complex earlier this year.

The PHF's newly elected secretary Haider Hussain told 'The News' that the new blue turf and the digital score board work would be started in a few days. The KHA complex is situated in the heart of the city off University Road in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The KHA had been making efforts for a couple of years for the replacement of the old turf.

Haider said that a 44-room hostel for the complex is also part of the development plan. He said the credit of this development work went to Sindh government's sports department. He said three or four hockey-5 turfs could be made out of the old turf and these turfs would be set up either in those schools where hockey teams are already established or in those ground where boys play hockey.

The KHA has a comprehensive plan of organising maximum number of hockey-5 competitions and establishing strong hockey 5 teams across the city. Haider said that after construction of the hostel, the problem of staying of hockey teams and other teams of other disciplines would be resolved. The KHA secretary said the work of the two turfs would be completed in two to three months.