England Hockey, the national governing body, says that clubs must build deep-rooted relationships with facility partners to safeguard pitches from the bigger sports and the continuing threat of 3G.
Earlier this summer, The Hockey Paper asked readers in a poll which topic we should investigate. Forty seven per cent of readers said that the 3G astroturf issue was most pressing – and over the next week we will be publishing another round of stories highlighting the issue.
Given that under 100 hockey clubs in England are asset-owned, it means that there are hundreds more who play at local authority facilities, their future uncertain as the sport grapples with the likes of football for space and provision.
“It’s one of the more significant risks facing the sport – but it’s not the only one,” says Rich Beer, England Hockey’s development director, on the issue of 3G.
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