In order to get the first hybrid pitching India, FIFA has come together with Goa government for the upcoming FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Goa has now become the first state to get a hybrid pitch.
Thomas Alcock of SIS grass who has been known for such projects came with his team and a special machine. Thomas talked to ANI and said, “It improves the safety of the field and allows it to be used for more hours. With the FIFA tournament coming here, it's the perfect solution to enable you to play lots of games on one stadium pitch safely”.
Since it’s the first project in India, he said, "Yes, this is the first hybrid installation in India. We have installed it in countries worldwide but this is the first one in India”.
"We manufacture it ourselves in Holland. We transport it here in a container. It comes to the field and we insert a polyethylene yarn down to a 180 mm depth on 2 cm spacing. This is what reinforces the field," explained Thomas.
Thomas also informed, “We do around 50 pitches a year all around the world. UK, Italy, France, Spain, and now India. Costa Rica also for FIFA, Qatar also for FIFA, US, Mexico, China, and Japan everywhere. We have a partner in India here, which is Abhay over here. So we are looking to do more in India. We have a machine that is able to do the same process as this on a cricket pitch as well as football”.
FIFA project director Nandini Arora was present at the stadium and she also spoke to ANI and said, "India's first-ever hybrid pitch that is being installed by FIFA at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa. This is going to be a lasting legacy for the first-ever FIFA women's tournament that is being held in India. Matter of pride for us that it is happening here. We have a maximum number of matches in Goa, so we wanted the pitch to be sustainable and stronger so this is one reason. We are looking forward to great matches now”.