FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022 at the Estadi Olímpic in Terrassa, Catalonia (Spain)
Durable and sustainable – the perfect turf for a professional hockey world championship
The FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022 was played both in the Netherlands and in Spain, to more effectively manage the immense costs of such a major international event. The tournament took place at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen and at the Estadi Olímpic in Terrassa, one of the largest towns in Catalonia with a population of 220,000, a little over 30 kilometres from Barcelona. The tournament was played between 1st and 17th July 2022. Polytan is proud to be a “Global Partner” of the FIH Hockey World Cup.
The Estadi Olímpic de Terrassa has space for 11,500 spectators and is currently used predominantly for home games by the Terrassa Football Club, two-time winner of the Copa Catalunya. The stadium was built in 1955 and was fully renovated in 1991 for the occasion of the Olympic Games in Barcelona 1992 – which is where it gets its current name. The Olympic field hockey tournament was played in Terrassa – for it is known as the cradle of Spanish hockey and is famous for its hockey tradition. With CD Terrassa, Atlètic Terrassa and Club Egara, the city is home to three top clubs in Spanish and Catalonian hockey.
The 1992 Olympics were won by Germany on the men’s side, and a gold medal went to the Spanish hosts on the women’s side. In the FIH Hockey World Cup 2022, 24 of 44 games were played at the Estadi Olímpic, including the two semi-finals and the final, which was won by the Dutch hosts against their Argentinian opponents. It was the Netherlands’ ninth title in the World Cup, a new record.
Extensive renovations and improvements were made to the arena ahead of the games, specially for the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022. For example, the stadium lighting was replaced with new LED spotlights and the playing field was renewed and converted into an exclusive hockey pitch. The FIH opted for our synthetic turf, Poligras Platinum GT. It is the latest development of the tried-and-tested Poligras Platinum CoolPlus, which was selected as the official turf for the hockey tournament at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016. This fully synthetic turf system meets all the requirements of a professional hockey turf. Thanks to dense, uniform surface, the rolling behaviour of the ball is not negatively affected by directional effects, enabling a fast, precise game. Special texturising techniques give the surface its extraordinary volume and durability. In Terrassa, the new Green Technology version was installed, the filaments of which contain at least 20% polyethylene (PE) made from renewable raw materials. Since the turf is manufactured using 100% green energy, we were able to offer the event organisers in Catalonia a modern, sustainable synthetic hockey turf with a reduced carbon footprint. The integrated CoolPlus function has a cooling effect and reduces water consumption. Like its counterpart in Amstelveen, the colour of the pitch is London Blue.
Before and after the World Cup, numerous other hockey competitions have been played at the Estadi Olímpic, including FIH Pro League matches between the Spanish men’s team and South Africa, as well as the Spanish women’s team against China. In the run up to the new tournament, FIH Sport Director Jon Wyatt is satisfied with the newly installed synthetic turf: “The turf has really proven itself and the stage is set for incredible spectacles when the best women’s teams in the world meet next month.” After the World Cup, the Estadi Olímpic de Terrassa is once again being used as a football stadium. The playing field was therefore disassembled after the event and reinstalled at the Estadi Municipal de Hockey Martí Colomer only several hundred metres away.
Photos: Josep M. Isidoro (Easy Fimls Bcn)
