The association has had a tough few weeks after fields were inundated with water in the recent flooding. But a silver lining has appeared in the form of $190,000 in funding from the NSW Government to upgrade the lighting on turf fields 1 and 2.
The ClubGrant will mean players will be able to play for longer into the evening extending the use of the facilities. The new lights will be LED and competition grade standard reducing the appearance of shadows on the field.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole met with some of the committee to deliver the good news.
“Sport is such a big part of our local community and investing in our local facilities will help deliver better services for local people to enjoy.”
“Like we have experienced recently, many of our sporting fields struggle to cope with water. Bathurst Hockey Centre has been the saving grace for many sporting clubs to train on.
“Now they have the capacity to host other sporting clubs such as rugby, soccer and AFL on their fields for training of an evening under the lights.
This comes after Bathurst Hockey Centre was announced to have upgraded toilets and change rooms ahead of the next season’s competition thanks to the NSW Government granting Bathurst Hockey Association $7,500 for the upgrades as part of the Local Sports Grants program for 2021-2022.
The Bathurst Hockey Centre is a sporting destination for competitive players with a state-of-the-art water-based field and two hybrid turf surface fields all under lighting. The complex accommodates up to 2000 spectators and will now have upgraded toilet and change room facilities to house such large crowds.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said the funding means the complex will now have amenities to accommodate local and visiting teams.
“Bathurst Hockey Centre is home to some major hockey tournaments and now there will be change room and toilet facilities to accommodate for such large numbers of teams and spectators,” Mr Toole said.
“This will make weekend sports more enjoyable and bring even more tournaments to the region which is great for the sport and for the local economy.”
Bathurst Hockey Association President Kent Bestwick said the club is excited for the upgraded facilities.
“We have had a lot of work done to the fields in the past years and now it is time for the rest of our complex to match the high quality of facility we have to offer local and visiting teams,” Mr Bestwick said.