2021 Asian Champions Trophy will be played on Poligras in one of the world’s biggest hockey stadiums
2021 Asian Champions Trophy was played on Poligras in one of the world’s biggest hockey stadiums.
The Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium, which hosted the Hero Asian Champions Trophy from 14-22 December 2021, ranks amongst the world’s top 25 hockey stadiums. Both this stadium, with its 10,000 seat capacity, and the Donghae Sunrise Hockey Stadium in South Korea which hosted the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, have Poligras turfs installed by Polytan.
So with Dhaka’s Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium sitting at number 14 in hockey’s super stadium charts* which is the biggest stadium and how many fans can it hold?
*Source: Wikipedia
Poligras is trusted and chosen by 10 of the world’s biggest hockey stadiums
Poligras turfs are installed in more of the world’s hockey super-stadiums than any other turf. With 10 of the top 25 biggest stadiums featuring Poligras, they provide the stage for a whopping combined audience of over 132,000 fans. Nowhere is more famous than India and Pakistan for their ability to pull in huge hockey crowds and Asia dominates hockey’s mega-stadiums.
18 of the world’s biggest hockey stadiums are in Asia
With 11 of the top 25, India holds more hockey super-stadiums than any other country, notching up a combined capacity of over 163,000 fans. Pakistan boasts four of the largest hockey stadiums in the world with the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore, the Abdul Sattar Edhi Stadium in Karachi, Faisalabad’s Hockey Stadium and the Rawalpindi Hockey Club Army Stadium seating a combined 110,000 fans. The images of these stadiums packed to the rafters with fans is one of hockey’s greatest and most iconic sights. And as we pan out on Asia, hockey’s stadiums in the region remain proudly ambitious with Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh having another three of the 25 biggest hockey stadiums in the world.
Hockey goes big in Asia with Poligras
Poligras turfs have been installed in four of India’s biggest hockey stadiums including the Kaligna Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar which housed an incredible 16,000 fans for the 2018 World Cup. It will also provide the stage for the 2023 Men’s World Cup alongside the new, world-class Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela which, with a capacity of 25,000, will feature an Olympic-quality Poligras turf with the green technology developed for Tokyo 2020 at its heart.
Shaun Goudie, Head of Major Events for Poligras will lead the team installing it;
“I love working in Asia because the passion for the game there is huge and this is reflected in the scope of the hockey venues. I led the installation of the hockey turf at the Beijing and Tokyo Olympics and two Asian Games. The 2023 World Cup venue will be another exceptional project.”
Through its partnership with Asian Hockey Federation, Polytan also supported the continued growth of the game in the region with the donation of a Poligras turf to the Stadium Barkamol avlod in Uzbekistan. Holding over 18,300 fans it is the 6th biggest hockey stadium in the world and means that 50% of the top ten biggest stadia in the world have Poligras turfs.
WHICH OLYMPIC HOCKEY VENUE HAS HAD THE HIGHEST CAPACITY?
Olympics
The Olympic hockey facilities, although not permanent venues, can still be counted amongst hockey’s mega-stadiums. Sydney, London and Rio – all championing Poligras surfaces – had a capacity of 15,000 each and Sydney’s legacy venue is still inside the top 25 largest stadiums in the world. The hockey at London 2012 was watched by 600,000 fans, making it the 3rd most popular sport at the Games, after football and athletics. So, as well as a legacy capacity, hockey’s Olympic venues also demonstrate the spectator numbers that hockey attracts.
Big Stadium Hockey helps hockey to go bigger
Knowing that fans will come to bigger and better stadiums to watch top hockey gave England Hockey and Polytan the ambition to create a portable turf concept that allows hockey to break free of smaller hockey-specific venues. Big Stadium Hockey allows a full-sized hockey turf to be temporarily installed in large venues. This is how The Stoop rugby stadium in London, UK became hockey’s 10th largest stadium in 2018 with a capacity of 14,800. The Big Stadium Hockey concept has the potential to produce hockey super-stadiums around the world for one-offs games and major events.
Hockey’s potential is limitless
From the great stadiums of Asia, to World Cup venues like Germany’s Warsteiner HockeyPark and Wagener Stadium in the Netherlands which will host games at the 2022 Women’s World Cup, Poligras is at the heart of some of hockey’s biggest and most exciting venues. It is an enviable list to be part of and it will continue to grow as hockey’s potential is limitless.
