France's Jean Baptiste Forgues (L) fights for the ball with Spain's Enrique Gonzalez during the field hockey group stage match between France and Spain at the 2018 Hockey World in Bhubaneswar on December 3, 2018. AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar
Bhubaneswar: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, hockey fans will get a chance to meet and interact with their favourite players participating in the Hockey Men’s World Cup at Kalinga Stadium here.
All participating teams will visit the Fan Village, set up on the premises of the stadium, in an attempt to offer the spectators an opportunity to see their favourite stars up close and personal.
There will be fun activities such as question and answer sessions with the players where the fans can ask them to sing, dance or even share their tips on hockey.
There will also be plenty of selfies being clicked with the team and the fans, a ball-juggling contest among players and much more which promises to leave the spectators enthralled.
The village set up in an area of 18,000 square meters has been designed to keep visitors engaged in various activities.
“We wanted to make the Hockey Men’s World Cup a truly memorable experience for the fans who have turned out in great numbers to cheer for their favourite teams and create an electrifying atmosphere in the stadium that motivates the players to perform their best,” said Elena Norman, CEO, Hockey India.
“While the spectators come and watch the exhilarating hockey action on the pitch, we wanted them to have an opportunity to meet their favourite stars up-close and the participating teams too were forthcoming to support the initiative,” she said.
While Belgium and South Africa will be the first of the teams to visit today, the favourites at the prestigious event India too are expected to visit the Fan Village on the same day to meet their fans, said an official.
Pool D teams Malaysia, The Netherlands and Germany will visit on December 6. France, New Zealand, Argentina and Spain will visit on December 7 while China, England, Ireland and defending world champions Australia will pay a visit to meet their fans on December 8.
There are plenty of other activities in the Fan Village spanning about 18,000 sq meters inside the iconic Kalinga Stadium with activities that range from anti-gravity photo booth which lets people click gravity-defying photos in a hockey stadium ambience while those who wish to take a 360 degree photo can do so easily.
The massive fan village spread across two grounds between Gate No.3 and Gate No.4 of the Kalinga Stadium opens at 1.00 PM on match days and features several eatery stalls including those of local specialties like the Odisha Millet Missions.
