Bury Hockey Club could be “on the verge of dying out” in the next year if no suitable pitch can be found to play matches and believe they are in the “perfect storm” of the ‘academisation’ of local high schools and 3G astroturf stifling hockey.
In the last 14 years, the Greater Manchester area has been blessed with five hockey-specific pitches but that is now under threat from 3G and the rise of school academies.
In recent years two have been converted into a 3G while one local school has refused to rent out facilities to hockey clubs on a Saturday afternoon, a problem heightened through the pandemic. Local clubs are feeling the effect of not being able to book pitches and no returned calls.
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