Odisha's Rourkela was on Tuesday added as the second Indian venue, besides Bhubaneswar, for the upcoming FIH Pro League season beginning in October with the matches to be held at the stadium built to host the men's World Cup in January.
A brand new stadium has been built in Rourkela to host some of the matches of the FIH men's World Cup to be held from January 13 to 29.
Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium, which will host most of the matches of the World Cup, is the other Indian venue which will also stage FIH Pro League games.
Other venues which will host matches of the FIH Pro League from October 28, 2022 to July 5, 2023 are Newcastle and Hobart in Australia, Mendoza and Santiago del Estero in Argentina, Antwerp (Belgium), London, Eindhoven and Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand.
The FIH also said that it will implement the system of promotion and relegation from the upcoming season of Pro League.
While the team finishing last will be relegated as usual, the side winning the newly-added 2022 FIH Nations Cup will be promoted to the Pro League season in 2023.