A growing number of hockey clubs in the UK are claiming their facility is under threat off losing pitches. A synthetic turf solution is available, although it appears that has gone unnoticed to the relevant authorities.
By: Newsdesk
In the past few weeks, Sportsfields.info was approached for guidance by four different hockey clubs from all over the UK. All clubs explained that they couldn’t access money to have a synthetic turf surface installed yet had to witness how a football club nearby was granted budget for a surface, despite the need for a synthetic turf football surface not to be as urgent as these hockey clubs experience, the clubs claimed.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) even reported that hockey clubs in West Sussex say they are fearing for the sport’s future due to plans to replace all weather astro turfs with a modern 3G turf.
One reason why football clubs have fewer financial hurdles to cross, is the fact that the Football Foundation in the UK has a budget of GBP 100 million per year to install new synthetic turf surfaces. This money is pooled together by various stakeholders. This is not the case with England Hockey.
Non-fill to the rescue?
An investment in a non-fill surface could solve the problem for both the football and hockey clubs that are already sharing a facility or are situated close to each other.
Despite popular believes, FIFA and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) agreed that the latest development for synthetic turf for football, the so-called non-fill surface, is suitable for use in grass roots football as well as grass roots hockey. Both governing bodies even released an official document about the approval of this so-called Dual Turf.
A non-fill synthetic turf carpet holds a larger density of synthetic turf fibres and doesn’t have any infill at all.
Last month, FIFA announced that this type of surface is now eligible for FIFA Basic and FIFA Quality certification. The latter standard is commonly pursued for football at grass-roots level. FIFA’s latest decision also sheds light on what quality criteria the surface should meet.
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No response
Sportsfields.info reached out to England Hockey as well as Sport England. While a spokesperson for Sport England stated in the BBC article that “The loss of the facility will displace these two clubs and likely put their futures at risk, given the lack of a suitable alternative,” they didn’t respond to our question why they didn’t advocate for the use of Dual Turf. England Hockey also didn’t respond to our question.
A follow-up with two installing companies has taught us that, in fact, Dual Turf is hardly spoken about by either governing body. It appears that hockey clubs have to fend for themselves. Ganging up with a local football club might be the best solution for hockey clubs in England if they want to survive and improve their facilities.
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