FIH: Revolutionising Hockey – FIH Banning Water-Based mostly Pitches In Worldwide Video games Publish-Paris 2024

After the Olympic Video games in Paris, no extra international tournaments shall be performed on water fields. A revolution in hockey, to which consideration was paid in the course of the Nationwide Hockey Congress on Saturday. The Dutch golf equipment are following the adjustments intently.

It was a crowded Saturday afternoon within the cafeteria of Rabobank’s head workplace in Utrecht. On the place the place salads are often put collectively, the main focus was now on the inexperienced area of the long run. The event of the brand new, ‘waterless’ area is in full swing, as was obvious from the presentation by area provider Ten Cate Grass.

‘We’re on the verge of a significant change within the artificial turf market’, hockey directors from all around the nation have been informed. From Haackey to HIC and from Den Bosch to Pijnacker. They listened with prickly ears to the newest state of affairs within the area. A topic that fitted in seamlessly with ‘Wanting on the future, working collectively on an accessible and trendy hockey sport’, because the theme of your entire convention was.

A primary for Weesp, a preview of Gooische

The 2024 Video games will subsequently be the final ‘moist match’, as Michael Vogel, the CEO of Ten Cate Grass, as soon as once more emphasised. He revealed that the development of a brand new kind of area will already begin this season. At Weesp, the primary mat shall be positioned that’s utterly freed from water, however – it sounded hopeful – that ought to not compromise on velocity. ‘We need to experiment with these fields in varied locations within the nation. This primarily considerations the substitute of present synthetic turf pitches. A area two, or a area six. By-fields, subsequently, which needed to be overhauled anyway. It’s not our intention to encourage golf equipment to interchange their good, first pitches,” stated the grass specialist.

The advantages flew over the white tables of the lunch room. Much less put on and tear, much less water consumption and a improvement that contributes to globalization, as a result of there’s a shortage of water in lots of components of the world. The waterless area is being totally examined and additional perfected. They observed this at Gooische, the place a follow area was constructed two years in the past. A tentative style of the brand new regular. ‘We now have two ‘quarter fields’. Our keepers practice on it and it’s a enjoying area for youngsters. A 3rd area – not an entire one – is within the works’, says board member Ruurd Bakker.

‘It’s fairly good,’ says Bakker. ‘However on actually dry days you discover that it’s extra slippery than a water area. It’s then harder for keepers to slip or make slidings. Typically it requires a special method. It’s a good suggestion to experiment additional with this. However I feel it’s additionally good that the primary fields usually are not being changed but. That skid resistance should enhance if you need everybody to surrender their water area for it.’

Briefly: there are nonetheless steps to be taken. “We’re following developments with curiosity. That’s why we’re right here. After subsequent season we now have to interchange a water area. If the brand new, dry area has already improved barely, that’s actually an possibility to take a look at. As a membership, we need to be on the forefront of this. We now have held worldwide matches at our membership up to now. We want to proceed doing that.’

Carpet, but in addition the sliding subject

Casper Kruijt strikes a ball easily forwards and backwards on the small, busy demo area within the Rabo constructing. ‘It looks like a rug. As if I’m again in the lounge, the place my mom used to not let me play hockey’, grins the member of Huizen, who’s a part of the working group ‘new board’ of the North Holland membership. ‘I discover it tough to find out how a lot it will wobble. The damping can’t but be correctly estimated. However the first impression is sweet.’

The topic of ‘area substitute’ can be on the desk at Huizen. ‘We should and need to change three,’ says Kruijt. “We at the moment are discussing this with the municipality. We may also embody future plans for the dry fields. We discover it very fascinating, however it could be a bit too early for our want for the time being.’ 

Kruijt additionally calls ‘sliding’ one of many foremost points. “The dry fields which are constructed first usually are not for the highest groups. In the event that they do play on this, then all of us have to come back alongside. I’m very curious how the event will proceed. After all we wish to take part in that as a membership.’

So the curiosity has positively labored. ‘If it’s as much as me, we’ll have a area like that inside two years. Weesp is near us. If doable there? Exactly. Then why not on Huizen?’