New hockey stadium at Seeb to open on March 1

Seeb's long and glorious association with hockey has led it to capture a record 11 titles of the prestigious His Majesty's Cup Hockey Championship. Its love affair with the game is well-documented over the past many decades.

Come this Thursday, the club will secure another piece of hockey history in the sultanate, as it officially inaugurates a new hockey stadium with top-class facilities.

March 1 is also special to Seeb as it is the day when one of the sultanate's most successful sports club was founded in 1972.

And to mark 46 years of its success and achievements in sports and in particular, hockey, Seeb will dedicate its hockey stadium at a ceremony that will be presided over by H E Sheikh Khalid bin Omar al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service, in the presence of H H Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq al Said, who has been the president of the club for the past 36 years.

The inauguration ceremony will begin at 7pm.

Speaking ahead of the inauguration, Yousuf al Wahaibi, the club's vice-president, said, “It is a proud moment as the game of hockey has been close to the hearts of the Seeb Club and its fans.

“The record successes that our hockey teams have achieved over the past four decades is a testimony to the popularity of the game in the club.

“We are committed to developing the game not only in the club but also keen to nurture young talented players for the national team in the future. We are hopeful of starting a full-fledged academy in the future.”

Wahaibi set that the stadium with the astro-turf pitch and other facilities was built, thanks to the Royal grant of RO 1mn. “We have spent RO500,000 for the whole project. The Royal grant was awarded to all the clubs by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in July 2013.”

A file photo of Seeb hockey team after it had won the HM’s Cup title for record 11th time in 2016 (Muscat Daily)

Missed title

Seeb failed to add to its tally of 11 titles in the 2017 edition in

December as it lost 0-3 to Al Nasr in the final. Its last crowning glory moment was in 2016 when it won the trophy after a wait of 13 years. Prior to the title triumph, Seeb had won in 2003.

Besides hockey, the club is also a three-time winner of HM's Cup Football Championship and last week reached the semifinals of the 2017-18 HM's Cup with a shock win over the defending champion Al Suwaiq.

Seeb has also been a force to reckon with in volleyball, handball, basketball and table tennis. It is the holder of the HM's Cup for Youth, the symbol of club's supremacy in Oman, which it won a record 11th time last year. The Ministry of Sports Affairs started the award in 1998.