![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/CommGamesSteadPa_62244.jpg\")
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The two new pitches for the Commonwealth Games will cater to a crowd of up to 15,000 in a mix of permanent and temporary seating.<\/p>\n
Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery and Acting Premier Jacinta Allan met with Hockey Geelong president Peter Stuart and players from teams across the region during her visit to Stead Park, alongside Parliamentary<\/p>\n
Secretary for the Commonwealth Games and South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman, Lara MP John Eren, City of Greater Geelong mayor Peter Murrihy, and Victoria 2026 Organising Committee chief executive officer Jeroen Weimar.<\/p>\n Mr Stuart said the association was excited about the possibilities presented by the upgrades at Stead Park.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an enormous opportunity for us, really. Hockey is a fabulous sport but it\u2019s one that doesn\u2019t quite get the exposure I\u2019d like it to get \u2013 this sort of arrangement certainly can lift our profile and allow us to do recruiting and so on with more confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cThen there\u2019s the events and the legacy that comes from it.<\/p>\n \u201cI really see this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity if we can get these facilities built to a fantastic standard, for not only our local players currently, our upcoming players, but also we\u2019ll be able to bring in events from other locations with very high level participants.\u201d<\/p>\n He believed the two new pitches at Stead Park, when they were built, would be only the third and fourth in Victoria built to the FIH (F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de Hockey) standard.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, the competitors that play on those really high quality pitches will be looking at this to come to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGeelong is a proud sporting city, and the Commonwealth Games will deliver great benefit to the entire community through improved infrastructure and exposure on the world stage,\u201d Ms Allan said.<\/p>\n \u201cVictoria 2026 will provide a boost to jobs, hospitality and the local economy and allows use to share our incredible regional communities with the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Eren said Geelong was thrilled to host part of the Commonwealth Games and could not wait to see the athletes in pursuit of hockey gold here in four years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n Mr Weimar said competition dates had been announced and venues for seven of the 16 sports on the existing program had been locked in.<\/p>\n \u201cVictoria 2026 is getting ready to take the baton from Birmingham 2022 in just over a month.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" STEAD Park has been confirmed as the home of hockey at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with the Corio venue to get two international-standard hockey pitches in a major upgrade. Geelong will also host eight other sports \u2013 aquatics, para swimming, beach volleyball, gymnastics, table tennis, para table tennis, triathlon and para triathlon \u2013 at the […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2022\/07\/CommGamesSteadPa_43469.jpg\")