The Qatar Hockey Federation will soon have a new "state-of-the-art stadium with a seating capacity of 5,000," according to N.D. Prashant of the GULF TIMES. The new venue for field hockey has been planned by the Qatar Olympic Committee in "close proximity to the cricket stadium." QHF General Secretary Abdul Nazer said, "Yes, the stadium should be ready by 2013-2014 and QR50M ($13M) have been allocated by the QOC. Since the Al Rayyan Stadium will undergo extension for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we have been allocated a plot at the industrial area." Consultant firm EHAF has been appointed for the project, and the blueprints of the new stadium are the "same as the one proposed for the Al Rayyan Stadium." QHF has also expressed its "willingness to host a U21 three-match Test series between India and Pakistan." The QHF is "also planning a league on the lines of Hockey India League called Arab Stars League." Nazer said, "International Hockey Federation CEO Kelly Fairweather was here in Doha during the Doha GOALS [Forum] and we discussed with him about it. We are looking at having two sponsored teams and two franchise teams. In each team, one-third of players will comprise stars from around the world, another third would be U23 players and remaining would be local players" (GULF TIMES, 12/31).
