FIFA collaborated with the Goa government to build India's first hybrid pitch, which would be used during the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
Goa is the first state in India to receive a hybrid pitch. The international football committee paid for the entire project and brought in professionals from England to finish it. Thomas Alcock of SIS Grass, who has conducted similar operations throughout the world, arrived with his crew and an unique machine brought in from Holland by container to enable this endeavor.
Thomas spoke to ANI about the use and advantages of the hybrid pitch. "It increases the field's safety and allows it to be used for longer periods of time. With the FIFA World Cup coming to town, it's the ideal method for securely playing many games on one stadium turf," Thomas explained.
Thomas admitted that this is the first-of-its-kind installation in India, as well as his first project in the country. "Yes, this is India's first hybrid installation. We've placed it in nations all around the world, but this is the first in India," he added.
"We make it ourselves in Holland. We ship it here in a container. When it arrives in the field, we put a polyethylene yarn down to a depth of 180 mm at 2 cm intervals. This is what strengthens the field," Thomas added.
Thomas shared insight on the job that he performs all year and referenced some of his prior work, which was pretty amazing.
"We do about 50 pitches every year all throughout the world. The United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, and now India. Costa Rica is also a FIFA member, as are Qatar, the United States, Mexico, China, and Japan. We have an Indian partner here in the form of Abhay. As a result, we want to accomplish more in India. We have a machine that can accomplish the same thing on a cricket pitch as well as a football field," he explained.
"We are incredibly delighted to be here, good to be here, the Englishman said, explaining the labor that goes into fortifying the field and the time it takes to create a pitch hybrid. I'm honored to be a part of this initiative. Very lovely stadium. The pitch is decent and will improve as we work on the ground. It's a 10-day procedure that lasts 24 hours in two 12-hour sessions."
Nandini Arora, FIFA's project director, was in the stadium overseeing the preparations for the big occasion. According to the source, India receiving its first hybrid pitch is a remarkable feat.
The Indian team is slated to play all their group matches at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. The host nation has been drawn in Group A along with Brazil, Morocco and USA. The other two venues for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022 are Goa and Navi Mumbai.
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