FIH Pro League: Rourkela In Odisha Second Indian Host City Besides Bhubaneswar

Rourkela: Steel City Rourkela in Odisha was on Tuesday added as the second venue in India, besides Bhubaneswar, for the FIH Pro League season beginning in October. Matches in Rourkela will be played at the Birsa Munda Stadium, built to host the 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup.

Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, which will also host matches of the Hockey World Cup, will also host FIH Pro League matches.

Other venues which will host matches of the FIH Pro League from October 28, 2022 to July 5, 2023 are Newcastle and Hobart in Australia, Mendoza and Santiago del Estero in Argentina, Antwerp (Belgium), London, Eindhoven and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand.

“As already announced in March, a new schedule — based on a series of ‘mini-tournaments’ where several teams will gather in one venue to play two matches against each other — will come into force for this new Pro League season,” the FIH said in a statement.

“This format will have a major positive impact on players’ welfare and the environment, thanks to a substantial reduction in the amount of travel needed for each team and the officials. Another great advantage of this revised format is that it increases the number of dates available for athletes to compete in their domestic leagues and club competitions,” the statement further read.

The FIH also said that it will implement the system of promotion and relegation from the upcoming season of Pro League.