Teams playing in the Hockey World League Semi Final in Valencia in June will be one step further along their preparations for the Olympics in Rio 2016 as the pitch surface at both events will be identical.
The top three placed teams from the HWL Semi Finals will gain an automatic berth to Rio, so the experience of training and competing on the new pitch at the Sports Centre Virgen del Carmen-Betero will prove invaluable for the players and their coaching teams.
A number of top international teams have already tried out the surface with 2014 World Cup Winners, the Netherlands, Germany, India, Ireland, England and Spain among the sides that played test matches earlier in the year.
So what is different about the Valencia facility from any of the other artificial pitches that have been built recently? The main thing is the yarn the Hockey Turf is made with. With an ever-increasing awareness of the need for reduced water consumption, particularly in places prone to very hot temperatures such as Valencia and Rio, the manufacturer, Polytan STI, has used their Cool Plus technology to develop a Hockey Turf that remains cool even in strong sunlight, meaning it requires less water than older products to produce the required playing qualities.
At a more prosaic playing level, the turf also promises faster, truer and smoother movement of the ball.
This pitch, like the one in London for the 2012 Olympics and Rio in 2016, is blue. This has proven a very successful innovation as it allows better visibility for television coverage as well as helping players and spectators to see the ball more clearly. Valencia has been a world leader in pitch innovation: the pitch that existed before this new one was the first blue-grass pitch in the world.
The president of the Federation of Hockey in Valencia, Jesus Gracia, says: “This gives us the best facilities for hockey in Spain. Teams from around the world will have the same conditions as they will face in Rio 2016.”
Both the pitch and the venue met with approval from players and coaches alike. German midfielder, Hannah Kruger, said: “Playing on the Valencia pitch, by the sea, is my favourite hockey venue. And manager of the England and Great Britain women’s hockey team, Karen Brown, said: “The pitch has settled in really well. There was still a lot of building work going on around it, but everything looked really well organised. Certainly we had no issues with the pitch, the ball travelled well and the pitch looks very striking. We are looking forward to going back to play there in June.”
