The next set of FIH Hockey Pro League matches are scheduled to take place in less than two weeks’ time, with the Netherlands men and women gearing themselves up to take on the national teams of Great Britain on 27 and 29 October 2020.
The matches will take place at one of the world’s most famous and historic hockey arenas, with the Wagener Stadium in Amsterdam providing a truly wonderful stage for this double header between two famous hockey nations.
Throughout its 82-year history, the iconic venue has been renowned for the thousands of fans who pack the stands whenever the Oranje are in action, with Dutch hockey lovers having been present to witness some truly historic moments down the years.
Due to the health and safety requirements in relation to the COVID-19 global health pandemic, the famously vociferous Dutch spectators will be unable to attend the upcoming clashes, which will be played behind closed doors. Whilst it will be rather odd to see the renowned setting without any fans, the excitement, energy and desire from the competing teams – who have not played a competitive international match for nearly over half a year – should ensure that those tuning in to the global broadcast are in for a real treat.
Built in 1938, the Wagener Stadium – which is located in the Amsterdamse Bos [Forest] in the Amstelveen district – is named after former Hockey Club Amsterdam chairman Joop Wagener and has so often been the stage for some of the world’s greatest hockey events. These include the men’s FIH Hockey World Cup in 1973, where the home favourites became world champions for the first time in their history thanks to a penalty strokes victory over India in the competition final. Netherlands legend Ties Kruize finished as the competition top scorer with 11 goals in seven matches.
Between 1974 and 2016, the stadium hosted three European Championships (1983, 2006, 2011) and seven Champions Trophy competitions (1982, 1987, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2011), not to mention various Four Nations and international friendly events. Although the pitch has been resurfaced on numerous occasions, the famous wooden grandstand changed little since its construction.
That all changed in 2017 when the stadium underwent an incredible renovation in readiness for hosting a fourth European Championships. A brand new, state-of-the-art grandstand was constructed, creating a truly world class environment for the competing teams and for a potential 9000 fans. The revamp was another significant chapter in the history of this wonderful stadium, with the new look arena going on to host both the FIH Hockey Pro League Grand Final and the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier events in 2019.
Although the fans will not be allowed into the stadium itself, all four matches will be available to watch via television or digital streaming thanks to our broadcast partnerships, as well as on the new Watch.Hockey app in every country where a rights holding broadcaster is not showing the matches live.
You can also keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels -Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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