Hockey Facilities in NSBHA
One of the key priorities for NSBHA is to promote improvements in the hockey infrastructure
available locally to our hockey players, schools, clubs and competitions. Whilst the NSBHA
catchment continues to be a heartland of hockey participants in NSW, only with improved local
hockey facilities will we ever be able to fulfil the true potential that resides on the north shore.
To this end, Hockey NSW now acknowledge that the NSBHA needs must be at the top of the priority
list in future funding support from State Govt. This funding pathway is uncertain nonetheless.
NSBHA can, however, report several positive prospects currently under development:
a)
Neutral Bay: The North Sydney Council continues to consider options for a new multi-sport
surface suitable for hockey.
b) Freshwater / Curl Curl: The new Northern Beach Council (formerly Warringah Council) and
the Department of Education continue to assess options for a new multi-sport surface
suitable for hockey.
c) Ku-ring-gai Hockey Centre: This facility is now 25 years old and the stakeholders are
currently progressing efforts aimed at improvements important to its next 25 years.
d) St Ives: Hockey, alongside other sports, is working with Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council
towards a proposal for a new multi-sport complex at a site on Mona Vale Road. Provisional
plans feature FIH standard facilities for outdoor/indoor hockey plus complementary
amenities. The parties are now focused on the challenge of finding the enabling funding.
Aspirations are for readiness within 3-5 years.
The NSBHA Facilities Strategy envisages such projects coming together for hockey to be more
locally accessible in the future. Our hope is to see local hockey serviced by a high class central
hub for competition, development and social needs, supported by a network of local facilities
promoting grass roots involvements across our catchment.
In the meantime, the membership continues to support NSBHA’s current financial strategy to
generate a modest annual NSBHA operating surplus (circa $25,000 in 2015) for the express
purpose of accumulating own resources to promote hockey infrastructure improvements. If you
ever wonder what the lion’s share of your annual membership fee goes towards, this is it!
The NSBHA Committee
July 2016