Hockey Board lays multi-purpose plastic tile surface at Sports Hall

Aug 04, 2017 Sports

To also benefit Basketball and Futsal

With the permission of the Ministry of Sport, the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) has imported an Indoor Plastic Tile Floor similar to what is used in North America for almost all Indoor Sports. The floor was laid in the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) on Tuesday August 1st, last
The floor is suitable for basketball and many other sports and solves the hockey problem of the an uneven wood surface.
The floor is movable, so it can be picked up at any time if the need arise.
This much needed development has come at an opportune time as Guyana will be hosting for the first time, the Pan American Hockey Championships form October 14. The tournament, called the Indoor Pan American Cup, will feature two simultaneous competitions for Men and Women and serves as the Pan American Continental Qualifier for FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, scheduled for February 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
Yesterday, there was a media encounter at the CASH with the Director of Sport Christopher Jones and President of the Guyana Hockey Board, Phillip Fernandes, to discuss the benefits of the new surface.
Fernandes noted that the plastic tile surface is a fantastic initiative and explained that the CASH was once home to hockey but the wooden surface used for Basketball at the facility had posed some challenges.
The first benefit according to the former national player, now the chief administrator for the sport, is that the tiles are much faster than the volleyball mats that are utilised in the National Gymnasium.
”This will help our players to be up to speed when preparing for international tournaments because since the introduction of plastic tiles some 20-25 years ago, it has been the standard surface.
And, Guyana has been at a disadvantage when competing internationally, taking about two days to adjust to the pace of the surface,” Fernandes informed. Director of Sport Christopher Jones reiterated the multi-purpose use of the surface which will be utalised by hockey and basketball.
However, he noted that once the Guyana Basketball Federation confirms that the surface is accurate enough for their use, then it will remain at the CASH permanently.
Jones also reiterated the Sports Commission’s ready support to assist any association or federation with the hosting of international games.
He informed that Regions 2,6, 7 and 10 are currently being looked at to have a similar multipurpose facilities.

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