Hockey turf Olympic quality
February 23rd, 2008, 5:19 am Hobbies News
SOUTHLAND will go from a hockey backwater to having one of the best water-based facilities in the country during the coming months.
Two water turfs featuring the same technology as that used at the Beijing Olympics will put the venue in line to host national tournaments and international tests, and provide the sport a chance to grow locally.
Hockey Southland chairwoman Penny Simmonds said replacing existing sand base turfs at Queens Park and Mataura was inevitable.
%26quot;We always knew that they had a limited lifespan, like 10 to 12 years, so both of them have lasted well beyond their lifespan.%26quot; The introduction of water turfs to New Zealand about 10 years ago made the old surface increasingly obsolete.
%26quot;Its got to the stage where the New Zealand federation was saying you cant get tournaments unless you have at least one water turf,%26quot; Simmonds said.
While sand is a faster surface, water turfs have a more consistent nature and allow players to slide and dive without fear of losing half their skin.
%26quot;From as long as 10 years ago we knew that this was the stage we would need to get to. The real planning for it started two and a half years ago when I wrote to Hockey Southland, I wasnt involved or on the board then, asking if I could drive a committee to convert our sand turfs to water turfs.%26quot; In 2006 the project turned into an amibitious $12 million idea of building three covered water turfs.
%26quot;While it was a wonderful concept, it was way beyond the capabilities of our funders and way beyond the capability of our association to make it operationally viable,%26quot; Simmonds said.
%26quot;In many ways that delayed the process by over a year. It was really only about February or March last year that the project was pulled back to a more manageable two water turfs here in Invercargill and, hopefully, in the next 12 to 18 months, a further water turf in the Eastern Southland area.%26quot; Just where that third turf will be sited is yet to be decided. Mataura has traditionally been the home for the game in the Eastern area, but Gore has not been ruled out as an option.
Although work started in February, local body elections caused a significant delay.
%26quot;There was quite a hiatus in time, about six or eight weeks, when the process started to when it could be considered by the council. Its made it really tight in terms of getting the weather and the temperatures right.%26quot; Simmonds, who is also the Southern Institute of Technology chief executive, denies claims she used contacts or her position to have the project hurried through.
The rate of progress did raise eyebrows at council level, along with the ire of Touch Southland, the largest user of the Turnbull Thomson Park area.
Several sports had to be moved to allow hockey to take over the site.
Some issues remain unresolved.
Simmonds says she did not exert any undue influence.
%26quot;It was a very open process and (that allegation has) only been levelled by one sporting code (Touch Southland) who perhaps didnt get quite what they wanted. This has been a very long process, if Id been able to pull strings Id have had it started in October,%26quot; she said. %26quot;We did consult widely. I started the consultation process back in May, I made several phone calls and had meetings and sent e-mails to the other users of Turnbull Thomson.%26quot; Simmonds said the sport had been relaxed about where the development was sited.
Queens Park was suggested, although there were issues around having to fell a large number of trees that would have shaded and spread debris on the turfs.
The Blues rugby grounds were looked at and soil testing done, but were not seen as an optimal venue.
Surrey Park was also less attractive because of concerns about car parking facilities and uncertainty over the future of the old primary school site, Simmonds said.
Simmonds sees immediate benefits for junior hockey in Southland.
Junior players are forced to practise their skills on concrete floors in halls in Winton and Invercargill because turf time is so precious.
%26quot;They have no concept of playing on a hockey field, which is bizarre.
This is your junior players that you hope to take through to your senior club players.
%26quot;We hope its going to make a big difference to those junior players.
Its all very well to have them doing skills, but kids want to play games.%26quot; While the new turfs should mean more people will get an opportunity to play the game, Invercargill will also become a regular stop for top level hockey.
The city has missed out on hosting the Blacks Sticks series against China in April, but it will probably get some secondary school tournaments this year.
Simmonds stressed the economic benefits of hosting tournaments.
%26quot;I think for minor sports its easier to be able to host those international games and the tournaments are big, the sort of tournaments range from 16 teams up to masters, which is 35 teams.
%26quot;They are all a week long and have about 20 people per team with administrators and things so you are talking about a huge number of people in the town. When you are talking about masters you are talking about big spenders, they come to have a good social time as well as play hockey. Economically, its a really good thing for us to do.%26quot; As well as making money, it would also save the sport and its participants from having to travel away for any sort of preparation or tournament play.
However, dont expect a rush of homegrown players suddenly bursting into the Black Sticks.
Southlands relative isolation meant top level players would inevitably have to shift to the bigger centres to further their international ambitions.
%26quot;Thats just the nature of almost any provincial sport. Hopefully, we will be providing more of the national level ones at under-16 and under-18 level.
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