The Namibia Hockey Union is excited over the construction of an artificial turf they are building in Windhoek. The new turf abides by international standards and is set to become the main national field in the country. Nowadays, all international hockey competitions take place on artificial turf. The Namibia Hockey Union is no exception, as they started to play on artificial turf in 2015. Since then, the sport has grown in leaps and bounds. The president of the Namibia Hockey Union Marc Nel said, due to this development the Hockey Union decided to replace their old grass fields by constructing an entirely new artificial turf. The builders are already finished with some of the ground work, which consists of sand, different levels of stone and eventually tar on top. The next step will be to install the shock pats on the turf, as well as the carpet and other minor features. "This project started a little bit more than ten years ago and it became a reality this year. It is quite expensive, in the region between 7-9 million Namibia dollars and therefore we had to first get enough funding to start with this project" Nel said. The project is funded by various institutions, including the government and the private sector. The construction is set to be finished by the end of April next year, so that they can actively start playing during the 2020 season, which kicks off at the end of May. The preparation of the national team will also take place on the new turf. "We would be playing all international matches, being either the senior team or the junior team or the school teams. They would be all taking place here to showcase our hockey to the African Continent and the world" Nel added. Once the turf is finished, the Namibia Hockey Union will request the Federation of International Hockey to inspect and certify the field. As soon as the Union gets the go-ahead, they can start with international hockey games and test matches.