tiger country
so much more than just a playing surface!
The hockey field today is very different
to the past. In past years, a good level
grass field required the availability
of land and the ongoing care and
maintenance of club members to
regularly mow, weed, top dress, water
and line mark – with relatively minor
cost spread out across the season.
What came later and the big capital
cost was generally the club house, a
place where club members, families,
juniors and seniors called “home”, we
trained, played games, socialised at
night, mixed with our peer group and
sometimes met our life partners. It was
the basis for home and away matches,
a place where we belonged and where
generations connected through hockey.
Today, as it currently stands we play
at a central venue that belongs to
someone else, we don’t socialise at the
venue and due to the significant high
upfront cost, the artificial field becomes
the destination, and sadly that’s all it
is – a thing, a hockey field, just like the
hockey field a thousand miles away with
no link to our home or where we feel
part of our community and extended
family.
Many of us have such fond memories growing up and developing friends around our hockey club. We watched Mum and Dad interact with their hockey mates, developed friends of our own, grew up to train hard and play hard with these same mates and now, later in life, reflect on the wonderful experiences we had as children and wish for the same opportunities for our children.
Our Vision in building the artificial hockey surface at this venue is to provide for this generation and the generations that follow a home, a place where we can all
feel a sense of connection and community and with that set an example with today’s youth that they may lead and develop this same sense of pride and desire to pass on to the future generations.
As we all know too well, Brisbane and S.E. Queensland has continued to grow rapidly and the demand for access and playing time to the available synthetic surfaces in Brisbane far exceeds the available supply. Our project has the support of Queensland and Brisbane Hockey Associations.
In connecting with the Camp Hill/
Carina Welfare Association (CHCWA) at
their facilities we have the opportunity
to build a high quality, international
standard wet dressed synthetic turf
surface at a venue that already has
an available club house and change
rooms. Some modifications and
upgrades are planned to develop this
further as our new home.
We have engaged consultants
to prepare and submit our grant
submission to the Queensland
Government Major Sports Facility
grant program and have recently
registered the Eastern Suburbs Hockey
Club Synthetic Turf project with the
Australian Sports Foundation Ltd
(ASF), enabling donations to be tax
deductible.
I encourage you to support the endeavors of Eastern Suburbs Hockey Club by donating to the Australian Sports Foundation and providing where possible in kind contributions that will see the successful completion of this project.
