Next summer’s Vitality Women’s Hockey World Cup is already ensuring it leaves a long-lasting legacy with the installation of two new stage-of-the-art pitches at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Event partners UK Sport, England Hockey and the Greater London Authority have committed funding from the World Cup to support investments made by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and Polytan, Official Global Supplier to International Hockey Federation, for the pitches.
The pitches being installed have been developed from those used during Rio 2016, where the National Lottery funded women’s team stormed to Gold after a nail biting penalty shootout against the Netherlands.
The £600,000 investment will provide widespread benefits to the hockey community, providing every level of the sport, from England and Great Britain’s national and development squads, university, school and hockey clubs with world-class pitches to play on. London will also have one of the best pitches in the world ahead of hosting the newly created Pro League in 2019 a new Olympic qualifying tournament.
Esther Britten, Head of Major Events at UK Sport said: “This investment is a fantastic example of the benefit of the UK hosting a major sporting event. Through the funding commitment from partners, including UK Sport and The National Lottery, it means that every stage of the hockey pathway, from junior to elite, will benefit from the Vitality Women’s Hockey World Cup."
The World Cup takes place at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre from 21 July – 5 August 2018. Tickets are now on general sale to see the top 16 nations in the world bid to be crowned championships.