New hockey surface close to completion

Press, 13 June 1984, Page 34

New hockey surface close to completion

The long awaited first artificial hockey surface in New Zealand should be in use at Mt Albert Park in Wellington by the end of this month. Since the contract was let early this year, work has progressed at bewildering speed in contrast to the years of talking and indecision that preceded the final go ahead for the field.

Members of the Canterbury hockey team had a brief look at the ground at Queen’s Birthday week-end — minus its carpet — and were enthusiastic at the prospect of playing Wellington on the surface on July 22.

Preliminary work on the field has been completed and the contractors were waiting for the arrival of the carpet which will be glued to the porous asphalt base.

The carpet was due to arrive in Wellington this week and two weeks has been allowed for its laying.

The first teams to use the surface extensively will be the men’s and women’s Olympic teams. The million dollar field is the same brand — Superturf — that the teams will encounter at the Olympic venue in Los Angeles. An opening week-end is planned by the Wellington men’s and women’s hockey associations on July 7 and 8. The intention is to play the men’s Olympic team against an invitation side and also arrange a game for the women’s Olympic team. The organisers also hope to assemble the 1976 Olympic team that won the gold medal for another feature match.

After the official opening the associations will start utilising the facility to its maximum. A schedule is being organised for club games in all grades. School teams will be able to use the facility in the afternoons and once floodlights are installed later in the season

the ground will be in use during the week until 9 p.m. Superturf is unlike Astroturf, the surface used for the majority of international hockey tournaments in recent years. Superturf does not require watering to reduce friction.

Once the surface is laid, holes will be drilled through the carpet to allow water to drain through to the porous asphalt base. No changing facilities have been erected at the park. These will be built next year, but a pavilion used by the Wellington Women’s Hockey Association about 50m from the field will provide showers and changing rooms. KEVIN TUTTY