The new state of the art hockey pitch at the Sport
Ireland Campus was officially opened by Minister for Transport, Tourism and
Sport, Shane Ross TD, providing a welcome boost to Ireland’s national hockey
teams ahead of their pivotal Tokyo 2020 qualification matches against Canada.
The surface is a Polytan PolygrasToyko GT surface
the same surface that will be used at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 2022
World Cup.
Speaking at the opening today which was attended by
senior international players, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane
Ross TD, said: “I am delighted to officially open this magnificent facility,
a new high performance training pitch for Irish hockey into the future. I am
sure that this new world- class hockey pitch at the Campus will be of great
benefit for our teams in terms of preparing for Tokyo 2020 and beyond. And I
want to take this opportunity to wish all of our athletes and teams well in
their bids to qualify for Tokyo and in their preparations for the Olympics and
Paralympics next year.”
Construction of the pitch was completed in recent
weeks and has been utilised by both squads, providing a timely boost ahead of
their crucial Olympic Qualifiers.
Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, commented:
“Following a remarkable period of success by our national teams, Sport
Ireland is delighted to be in a position to provide world class facilities for
our hockey players here on the Sport Ireland Campus. This development makes a
clear statement that the Sport Ireland Campus is the home of high performance
hockey in Ireland. The completion of the hockey pitch is another important
milestone for the Sport Ireland, which recently added the Phase 2 of the Sport
Ireland National Indoor Arena and Irish Rugby’s training centre to the long
list of world class facilities on the Sport Ireland Campus. I would like to
wish both the Women’s and Men’s senior international teams the very best in
their respective qualification matches against Canada.”
Both Irish senior squads have been utilising the
pitch in their preparations for their upcoming Olympic qualifiers and continue
to avail of the range of training supports and professional services offered by
the Sport Ireland Institute.
Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy, added: “The
location of the pitch here at the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus allows
all national players to avail of existing science, medicine and lifestyle
support services through the Sport Ireland Institute. This pitch will not only
be a huge boost to them, but also to our up and coming players who will no
doubt have been inspired by the recent performances of our women’s and men’s teams.”
Chair of Sport Ireland’s National Sports Campus
Committee, Patrick O’Connor, said: “The opening of the Sport Ireland Hockey
Training Centre is the latest world-class facility to open on the Sport Ireland
Campus. The development of this new pitch alleviates the need for Irish teams
to travel abroad to train, giving them access to the latest in pitch technology
here in Ireland. The construction of the pitch, coupled with the other
extensive facilities on the site, opens up opportunities to attract other major
international teams here to the Sport Ireland Campus.”
The Ireland Men’s squad have recently travelled to
Belgium for their final preparation matches ahead of their Vancouver qualifier
which will take place on the 26th and 27th of October. The Women’s squad are
currently in camp in their final phases of their preparations. They travel to
Germany next week for a two-match series before returning home to face Canada
in their Olympic qualifier on the 2nd and 3rd of November.
Speaking at the opening of the pitch, Eric Brady,
Chairman of Hockey Ireland, said: “Hockey Ireland is delighted the pitch on
the Sport Ireland Campus is now open. This new FIH standard pitch will be a
huge asset to our international teams in their training for world class
tournaments and events, especially considering its close proximity to the other
Sport Ireland facilities such as the Sport Ireland Institute. This great
addition to the Sport Ireland Campus will also provide a world standard state
of the art hockey surface for all Hockey Ireland’s development and underage
teams to practice and compete on, as they strive to emulate the achievements of
the current Women’s and Men’s teams.”
The Green Army – Ireland Senior Women - will play
the only Olympic qualifier, in any sport, on Irish soil this year on the 2nd
and 3rd of November. Tickets for the qualifiers can be purchased here: https://www.hockeyqualifierticketsdublin.com/
