Hockey association constructing temporary pitches in Blantyre

The Hockey Association of Malawi (HAM) has started constructing two temporary pitches at its stadium project site at Upper Stadium along Chipembere Highway in Blantyre.

According to HAM president Tochi Gill, the pitches, which will be ready in the next few weeks, are to be used for training free of charge by local clubs.

“At the moment, we are clearing the ground to create two pitches so that as our new season starts next week, clubs should not struggle when they want to train,” said Gill.

He said the clearing of the two pitches will cost over K240 000 [about $1 437] while construction of the grilled wall fence around the project site is estimated at K4.5 million [about $26 946].

“We have already sourced the money for clearing the grounds and we have intensified our fund-raising activities, which include golf tournaments to find finances for the fence,” said Gill.

In 2010, local hockey clubs had nowhere to train when Country Club Limbe (CCL) introduced a K250 000 (about $1 497) fee for the clubs per year.

The hockey stadium project was estimated at K100 million (about $598 802) in the 2009 budget, but the cost is likely to go up due to increase in cost of construction materials.