By Greg Pearson
Preparations are on schedule for next month's Champions Trophy, the first time New Zealand has hosted hockey's elite tournament.
The event will be the last major hit out for the top nations before the London Olympics, and tickets to see top calibre players are in high demand.
Capacity at the North Harbour hockey stadium has been boosted to 3,000 for the tournament, and organisers say they’re already exceeding targets.
New Zealand were only selected as hosts two months ago, and former Hockey New Zealand head Ramesh Patel has stepped back in to help put it all together.
Patel says “tremendous hockey” will be on display with the world’s top eight ranked nations attending.
“It's going to be great to come out and watch a New Zealand vs. anyone,” he says.
“The match after that could be Australia vs. Germany or Spain vs. England… to get four games like that in one day at that level, it makes it a hockey player’s dream.”
This will be just the sixth appearance for the Black Sticks in the elite event and Patel, a member of New Zealand’s Olympic gold-winning side in 1976, believes the current side can mix it with the best.
“At this stage we'd want them to be a top four,” he says.
“It's a big ask, but with the home crowd support anything's possible.”
The Black Sticks open their campaign against reigning Olympic champions Germany on December 3.
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