New playing surface for hockey closer

Press, 26 November 1979, Page 27

New playing surface for hockey closer

An artificial playing for hockey in New Zealand is I nearer reality than ever, judgingi by comments by a Manawatu! delegate, Mr I. Gurney, at thei annual meeting of the New Zea-| land Hockey Association on Sat-! urday. Two years ago, with the support of the Palmerston North

I City Council, the Manawatu asso- 1 [elation found a site for an artificial surface, but the Ministry of I Recreation and Sport did not support the application for ! funds. But the two recent “Double Banger” lotteries have realised several million dollars profit, and Mr Gurnev told the meeting that at the end of last week the Ministry had approached the Manawatu association and told it to reapplj' for funds for an allweather surface.

The association is looking at a New Zealand-produced surface that would cost less than half the price of the Astro-Turf surface used at the Montreal Olympic tournament and the Perth international tournament last April. The Manawatu association asked for the support of the N.Z.H.A. in its application for funds to build the surface, and the meeting agreed. Wellington delegates told the meeting that they were investigating laying an all-weather surface but the cost would be much more than the Palmerston North venture — about $500,000. A national inter-club competition next season, similar to the Philips Cup competition of 1977. is a possibility. The University club in Wellington intends to run the tournament. It has no sponsor, but hopes to cut downexpenses by keeping travel to outside districts to a minimum. The meeting agreed to_the introduction of under-15 and under-17 tournaments to try to develop players who, to a large extent, are neglected. Tournaments will be held in several venues around New Zealand in the May holidays and at Queen’s Birthday week-end to avoid clashes with the national second secondary schoolboys’ tournaments. A national goal-a-thon will be held again next season to try to raise money for a capital fund to be set up by the N.Z.H.A. But the distribution of the money raised has been altered. Clubs, which one delegate pointed out do most of the work, will receive 50 per cent and the rest will be split between associations and the N.Z.H.A. Tournament venues for 1982 were allocated at the meeting. The national tournament will be in Dunedin, the colts tournament in Auckland and the Hatch Cup tournament in Wanganui. The Auckland association reported that it had 45 grounds available for next year’s national I tournament. But unless the weather is very poor most will not be used. Hobson Park will be the headquarters, but grounds at Papatoetoe will be used to spell the Park. Officers elected were—. Patron, The Governor-General, (Sir Keith Holyoake) president, Mr B. Bremner; vice-presidents, Messrs M. R. Good (Canterbury) and A. S. Palmer (Auckland); management committee, Messrs D. L. Coulter, R. H. Campbell, J. R. Gillespie, A. C. McAllister, L. T. Taylor, G. S. Payne, B. R. Penfold, T. C. Thomas, regional delegates, C. Christie and R. McCready (Northern), I. Gurney and K. Mills (Central), K. McEwen and J. L. Thompson. (Southern).