Owen G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy to be played on locally manufactured TigerTurf!

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TigerTurf, manufacturers of world class synthetic hockey surfaces, are excited by the announcement that Hockey NZ has secured the third biggest tournament on the hockey calendar, and the biggest tournament to be held in New Zealand – Owen G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy, Auckland 2011.   

Behind the Olympics and World Cup, the Owen G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy gives New Zealand’s top Hockey players the opportunity to play the world’s best teams.

In December 2011, for the first time, NZ will host all 8 top ranked sides - Australia, Germany, Holland, England, Spain, Korea, New Zealand and Pakistan at Auckland’s North Harbour Hockey.   North Harbour’s number 1 surface (TigerTurf’s TT37), although not blue, is similar to that which will be used at the London Olympics in 2012.  

This tournament will draw big crowds from all around the world with pressure not just on the players but on facilities and surfaces alike.  Two sites were considered for the tournament, Auckland’s Lloyd Elsmore Park and North Harbour Stadium, both sites having TigerTurf surfaces and having previously hosted Olympic qualifying tournaments. 

To be able to host such tournaments, it is critical that the playing surfaces are accredited by the Federation of International Hockey.  This requires on-going maintenance and testing to ensure the facilities uphold FIH standards.  Testing by FIH certified companies is on-going at North Harbour with final certification by October.  

“It is hugely beneficial to our players to be hosting a tournament at home on surfaces which the Blacksticks Men train on every week” says Hockey NZ CEO, Hilary Poole.  “TigerTurf hockey surfaces are installed in many of New Zealand’s provincial areas as well as all of the main centres including Northland, Harbour, Auckland, and Hamilton, throughout the Midlands area, Napier, Wellington, Canterbury and Dunedin.  This will enable our top players to train on world class surfaces including those which will be used at the Champions Trophy tournament in December, even when back in their home centres.”  

The benefit to both the New Zealand teams and visitors is that these surfaces are consistent in their playing nature promoting the high skill levels of the top 8 teams attending.   

Following an innovative step taken by the FIH to improve visibility for crowds and television, TigerTurf are offering a Blue surface with TigerTurf UK having already installed its first of this new generation surface, Evo Pro, at Leeds University, West Yorkshire.

NZ Hockey