Hockey call for pitch meeting

GUERNSEY Hockey chief executive Andy Roberts has added his voice to the St Sampson's High all-weather surface dispute. He said he was surprised that, if it was designed with both football and hockey in mind, there has been no discussion with hockey about its requirements.

The Junior Hockey Development Leagues referred to recently utilise half a full-size pitch at present by playing across the field.

'This means that we can have two matches per pitch playing at the same time,' he said.

Junior representative sides use full-size pitches for all their matches, as do the schools that currently play visiting sides.

Roberts said he can understand the concerns raised by the Education Department with regard to costs and the environment.

But if the pitch is 90% of full-size then he doubts there would be a significant difference for a full-size pitch.

As far as he is aware hockey has not been involved at all in the decision-making process and he believes that had the communication been better initially, these issues could have been resolved much earlier.

The department has emphasised that its new all-weather sports facilities at St Sampson's High will be available for community use.

The new schools development will provide two full-size grass football pitches, which have been fitted with specialist drainage to ensure that they can be used throughout the winter months.

Between the football pitches is a synthetic cricket wicket.

To the rear of the new buildings is a large floodlit tarmac area housing four tennis courts and three netball courts, a floodlit synthetic pitch for hockey and football, grass pitch for five-a-side matches and a dedicated outdoor basketball court.

Inside there is a six-lane swimming pool with spectator area, a sports hall with sprung wooden floor large enough to house four badminton courts, a basketball court and cricket nets.

A separate gymnasium with a sprung floor and dedicated climbing wall room is being provided due to sponsorship from the Wooden Spoon charity.

'All of these sports facilities, plus the associated changing facilities, will be available for community use after school hours, at weekends and during school holidays,' said Education.

The department is working closely with Culture and Leisure to confirm the administration and booking of the facilities for community users but stressed that they are primarily to cater for Education's core demand - the teaching and coaching of secondary age pupils in a wide variety of sports.

'The facilities we are providing fulfil that brief excellently. Out of hours they will also provide additional areas for the development of these sports, fulfilling the need for appropriate sized pitches for the target age groups instead of competing for areas used for league matches,' it said.

The Guernsey Sports Commission and Culture and Leisure have been informed and consulted every step of the way, it claimed.

Last week Education vigorously defended itself against accusations that it rejected a funding offer of up to £500,000 from the Football Foundation Fund towards the school project.

Nussbaumer is angry that taxpayers' money is being used to fund the project and the offer was dismissed.

He has demanded the Education call an emergency meeting to reconsider its decision.

Education insists that a successful partnership already exists between education and local sports organisations, including the Guernsey Football Association.

School sports facilities across the island, including swimming pools, outdoor grass pitches, artificial pitches, indoor sports halls and gymnasiums and associated changing facilities are made available for community use at extremely competitive rates to encourage use by sporting organisations, especially those involving young people.

'The Education Department must clean and maintain these facilities to as high a standard as possible with maintenance budgets that are decreasing in real terms,' it said.

Geraint Ap Sion, the department's planning manager (schools) sits on the GSC's sports facilities working party, which it is claimed, discussed the GFA's pitch requirements at its meeting in June.

Education said the GFA's director of youth and football development Chris Schofield attended the meeting and explained that the biggest problem facing the GFA was funding a site for mini soccer and also three-quarter size pitches for the Corbet Cup age group (Year 7).

The department claimed Schofield said that the artificial pitch being provided at the new schools would also prove popular with the GFA for representative training sessions and also as a venue for coach education.

Education also hit back recently at accusations that its planned sports pitch is too small and insisted the brief was for a school-sized pitch appropriate for the school.

Nussbaumer has expressed dismay at the decision to go with an undersized facility.