Mumbai: Mumbai, the city which has produced many a hockey great, will now have a refurbished arena in which future hockey stars will be born. The Mumbai Hockey Stadium will now be fully equipped to host an International tournament.

In preparation for the first edition of the path breaking World Series Hockey event, the Mumbai Hockey Association has completed the up gradation process for the stadium which will play host to the Mumbai franchise in the biggest hockey tournament in the world.   

The renovation included the laying of a new top-of-the-line turf that is also being used for the 2012 London Olympics; installation of brand new floodlights capable of providing lighting at three different intensities i.e. 600, 800 and 1200 Lux for domestic, national and international matches respectively; a cutting edge electronic scoreboard along with the addition of a fresh manual scoreboard; the addition of a stand for video recording by coaches; a modern players dugout; a technical table for officials; and contemporary dressing rooms for the players among other facilities.

Gurbux Singh, Secretary of Mumbai Hockey Association, said, “The support provided by WSH was the motivation in getting the MHA stadium ready in time. It will be a privilege to host a tournament as big as WSH and we are keenly looking forward to the home matches that the Mumbai team will play here.”

Yannick Colaco, COO of Nimbus Sport, said, “The primary aim of WSH is the reinvigoration of the sport of hockey in India. Ensuring that stadium infrastructure is up to the standard maintained for global hockey events is one of the focus areas in working towards this objective. I’m delighted to see the excellent world class facilities at the MHA Stadium I am sure it will provide a great experience for players and fans alike in the inaugural season of WSH”

Adrian D’Souza, Captain of the Mumbai team said, “I have fond memories of playing at the MHA stadium.  It is an absolute honour to lead my home team at this superbly renovated facility in WSH and I am sure the passionate Mumbai fans will have a delightful in-stadium experience” 

Joachim Carvalho, WSH Technical Committee member and former coach of India said, “The upgraded MHA stadium is a symbol of pride for everyone involved with Mumbai hockey. With its state of the art artificial surface (Poligrass Olympia 2008) and floodlights, the venue is truly representative of a bold new era for Indian hockey that will be ushered in with the launch of WSH next month.”