Sheffield hockey club's desperate plea in hunt for new playing facility

Chapeltown Hockey Club, which has been existence since 1951, will use the facilities at Ecclesfield Secondary School for the final time on March 22, after over 15 years playing at the site.

It comes after the school revealed it would be replacing its current sand dressed artificial turf pitch, which is used for fast-paced games like hockey, with a more up-to-date 3G, or third generation, surface which is better suited to football and rugby.

The club says their future now “hangs in the balance” as they haven't yet managed to secure new facilities for the next season in September.

Committee member and player, Rachel Gillott, said: “Our future hangs in the balance as we have lost the use of our current playing facility as it is being replaced with a surface not suitable for hockey but suits football. There are no other playing facilities in the north of Sheffield and so we are left ‘homeless’ and without local facilities, we are likely to have to travel a considerable distance to pitches that are not in our local area.

“This obviously threatens our membership, adults and youth, as many will be reluctant to travel further afield and removes a sports opportunity for the youth in our area.

“At this stage, we don’t have any playing facilities secured for next season starting in September and if we are unable to do so we will inevitably cease to exist which would be a massive shame.”

England Hockey, the national governing body for hockey in England, states that although 3G pitches are adequate for school and introductory hockey, they should not be used when playing competitive league hockey.

It is the second time in the last three years that Chapeltown Hockey Club has had to change their playing facilities, after losing their previous ones at Hinde House School because of the same issue.

Rachel added: “Hockey provision in Sheffield is generally underprovided for, we are just looking for anybody that can help.”

In the short term, Chapeltown Hockey Club are hoping to secure nearby facilities such as those at Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park – but this is proving tricky as two other clubs already have use of the site.

Further to this, in the mid-to-long term, the club will be trying to work with Sheffield Council, England Hockey, and schools in the city, to find to a more permanent solution.

This could include fundraising to build a new multi-sports facility in the north of Sheffield, which the club and members of the community could use, or trying to find some other land to rent.

In a statement, Ecclesfield school said: “We have invested a lot of time in researching the options for upgrading our current all-weather pitch to create a space that could be used for a variety of sports, including community hockey. The new multi-use pitch will be accessible to our 1,700 students during break time and lunch to play football and other sports, and will best meet the needs of our curriculum.

“Sadly whilst we are aware that the upgraded pitch won’t be suitable for competitive hockey, we have had to make the decision based on the best interests of our students and the need to give them the best facilities possible for outdoor activity.

“We sincerely hope that Chapeltown Hockey Club can find an appropriate home as soon as possible.”

Do you know of any playing facilities Chapeltown Hockey Club could use? If so, get in touch: [email protected]