Wellington Hockey Club Capability and Communications Officer George Wilson says “Wellington Hockey has been in operation for over one hundred years, during which we have been committed to developing, growing, and supporting our players in the Wellington region. Many have advanced to represent Aotearoa New Zealand in the Olympic Games, World Championships, and international fixtures beyond count, while the association has acquitted itself with distinction in national competitions at all levels.”
“The funds supplied by NZCT will give the Fraser Park Hockey Turf the upgrades it desperately needs and facilitate a dramatic improvement in our Lower Hutt facility. The current turf had reached the end of its life span and become a Health and Safety issue. Now we're able to replace it with a water turf, rather than the current sand carpet.”
Wellington Hockey Club Capability and Communications Officer George Wilson
“Currently, the only water turfs that Wellington Hockey have available are three at the National Hockey Stadium in Berhampore, Wellington. This means that any players who play hockey at the highest levels in Wellington have to travel there to train and play. This is a big barrier to participation and is one of the main reasons the Wairarapa college teams withdrew from playing in our competitions.”
“With the new turf we will be able to offer to our community a world class surface for them to develop and grow as hockey players. Once the upgrade has been completed, Fraser Park will be the new central hub for all Hutt Valley based Open Grade, Secondary, and Junior teams. The benefit this upgrade will have to the community and hockey in the Wellington region will be considerable as players will now have access to first-class local facilities.”
“Not only will the new turf be multi-user and thus increase our financial sustainability, it will also make Wellington Hockey more environmentally sustainable by reducing the time spent in cars traveling to Berhampore and back. In addition, we are investigating running the lights through solar power. Once the travel costs and time impact are reduced, we will be in a much better position to recruit and retain more players in the future.”