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GHB President praises outfield at Stadium

Jul 12, 2009 Sports

“This is probably the best grass pitch that I have ever played on, and I have played on grass in many different countries” was the profound statement made by the President of the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB), Philip Fernandes when asked his opinion on the performance of the outfield at the Providence Stadium during the recent Digicel/Bounty One-Day tournament.
Last Monday, the GHB was granted permission to stage the first ever hockey tournament at the prestigious facility and Kaieteur Sport solicited a comment from the President on his thoughts about the venue and conditions and what it meant to the sport locally.
According to Fernandes, quite often the true condition of a playing field cannot be determined until players actually go out onto the pitch and try it out.
“I was pleasantly surprised on Monday because the field at the Providence Stadium exceeded my expectations.
The surface was flat and the grass cover was perfectly kept, but the most impressive feature about the stadium was the way it drained after the rainfall.
While a few drizzles are usually enough to terminate play at most of the other facilities, rain does little to affect the field at that venue.
Throughout the day the rain fell sporadically and in less than 10 minutes the pitch showed very little signs of water at all.
None of the matches were stopped as a result and this is a significant difference to what we have become accustomed to.”
Fernandes disclosed that he has played hockey on grass pitches in many countries including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Venezuela, the USA and Canada, but have never experienced one so close to an artificial pitch as the one at the Stadium.
The quality of hockey displayed during the competition was a clear indication of the impact the outfield made, it immediately raised the level.
He added that national teams especially have been extremely appreciative of being able to use from time to time the GCC ground and other such facilities in the country whenever they are available, but the occasional use of the stadium for international preparation would be of immense value.
“With the introduction of artificial pitches for hockey several years ago, Guyana was no longer considered a venue to host outdoor competitions and so we had to resort to encouraging indoor teams only with the use of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
While an artificial surface is mandatory for international matches, I feel strongly that the superb quality of this field is good enough to encourage some of the leading clubs to consider returning once again to Guyana for outdoor competitions,” Fernandes pointed out.
He further mentioned that the Providence Stadium does not replace the need for an artificial surface since this is the requirement for international competition, but its occasional use for hockey would serve the sport well and no doubt encourage even more young people to participate and hopefully lift the standard of the game to a level where it could fill a considerable amount of the seats.
He said the GHB greatly appreciated the kind consideration extended by the Manager of the Stadium, Mr. Anthony Xavier, and the cooperation of the staff.
Fernandes revealed the GHB has been assured by Mr. Xavier that, providing the sport continues to meet the rules and regulations of the facility, it could be made available if there are no conflicting commitments.
He said there were no difficulties in running off the tournament and therefore look forward to hopefully repeating the activity in the future.

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