Though seven-a-side football will be played on the same pitch as the Olympic hockey takes place, a separate pitch will be created for the five-a-side football at the Paralympics.

The Great Britain women's hockey squad were training on the field today, just weeks after it was originally laid.

Jeff Davis, the Football Association's National Development Manager for Disability Football, said: "We're hoping that Paralympic football will be a big draw at London 2012 and I'm sure the brand new pitch and Hockey Centre will help create an exciting atmosphere for fans and players alike."

With its blue and pink playing surface, it will be a striking colour scheme for the football, and visually impressive for spectators at the venue and watching on television alike, particularly for encouraging audiences for sports such as hockey and Paralympic football, something Sport and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson was keen to point out.

"The clever thing about this surface is that it makes it much easier for spectators to follow, I think it's a sensible way of making the sport accessible to large numbers of people," he said.

Though the surface is now in place, the arena will not be completed until April, with a test event scheduled for May 2-6.

The Hockey Centre will be able to hold 16,000 spectators, and after the Games, the venue will be dismantled and parts used elsewhere, including at Eton Manor, where wheelchair tennis will be played during the Paralympic Games.

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