Hockey association not looking for ‘special treatment’ amid pitch proposals
The association says the Lerwick pitch idea would benefit both the council and hockey in Shetland
THE SHETLAND Hockey Association has sought to clarify that the council approached them about the idea of a new hockey pitch in Lerwick – and not the other way around.
The association also said that it is “not asking the council to subsidise hockey” or divert funding away from other sports.
Meanwhile a briefing note to elected members from Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) children’s services department says:
- Shetland Recreational Trust (SRT) is willing to transfer ownership of the Brae hockey pitch to the council, potentially to be resurfaced for football, for a nominal sum
- A Lerwick-based hockey facility could generate annual income in the region of £28,500
- Brae would be without a football pitch for a number of years if councillors stick with the original proposal which would keep a hockey pitch in the village
The SIC had consulted on two prospective options regarding the hockey pitch, which relate to plans for a new school in Brae.
The current plan – option one – is to build a new synthetic football pitch on the current school site once the old buildings are demolished. This is because the new school is proposed to be built on the existing grass pitch nearby, which is used by Delting FC.
A second option is for the council to take on the existing Brae astroturf hockey pitch from Shetland Recreational Trust (SRT) and resurface it for football, while creating a new 3G hockey pitch in Lerwick.
Councillors are being asked which option to include in a full business case for the new Brae school, which will come up for decision next year.
The topic got its first airing in the council chamber last week, where elected members sided with option one following a 7-3 vote – with local councillor Andrew Hall pressing for the hockey pitch to remain in Brae.
However the matter will also come up at a meeting of the policy and resources committee tomorrow (Wednesday), and then a full council meeting next week for a final decision.
Estimates from the council show that it could cost £7.97 million to build a new 3G football pitch on the existing Brae school site but would cost £7.46 million to instead build a new 3G hockey pitch in Lerwick and play football on the former Brae hockey surface.
Over the course of 25 years, however, the SIC said it could cost around £1.3 million more resulting from the “need to maintain and replace both a synthetic football in Brae and hockey pitch in Lerwick”.
Following consultation with its members, the association voted 13-2 in favour of supporting option two, with the Delting and Whalsay clubs against the proposal.
As the decision-making process continues, the association has sought to explain why it is supporting ‘option two’ and make it clear that the proposal did not originate from the group.
It said the SIC approached the association after identifying the relocation of Shetland’s hockey pitch as an opportunity to improve the Brae campus project while reducing construction costs.
The association said it believes option two improves the SIC’s Brae school project first and foremost, and that benefits to hockey would then follow.
It said option two would create a “much simpler construction sequence”, releases outdoor land adjacent to the school and would provide Delting FC with a replacement pitch much earlier.
Shetland senior ladies hockey coach Derek Leask said: “From the association’s perspective, the proposal isn’t really about relocating a hockey pitch.
“It’s about identifying a less complex and more efficient way of constructing the new Brae campus, generating significant savings for the council and delivering wider benefits for the Shetland community.”
Shetland captain Rhiannon Inkster also said that “in this time of financial strain, we’re not trying to stand on the rooftops and demand that we get this facility – we were approached, and it can ultimately help with the costings of the potential new school”.
The association also said it is not asking the council to fund changing rooms or welfare facilities at a new hockey pitch in Lerwick.
The association said welfare facilities could be delivered separately through partnership working between hockey, football and rugby, with sportscotland indicating this type of project could attract external funding.
In terms of long-term cost, the hockey association also said it is not asking the SIC to accept responsibility for future surface replacement, given that sportscotland funded an upgrade to the Brae hockey pitch more than a decade ago.
It believes that there also may be a “misunderstanding of how artificial sports facilities are maintained”, with a view that the relocated facility could be operated through a financially sustainable model.
Pointing to population figures around Lerwick, Inkster – who is also a junior development coach – said having a pitch in the town could allow participation to grow and “just make hockey so much more accessible for a number of people”.
She said there has been a “massive decline” in numbers of people playing hockey since the move was made from grass pitches to the Brae astroturf, with there no longer being a junior league or a Southend team for example.
“People are very honest and they say it’s due to travel,” Inkster added.
She said she started playing hockey at around age 12 and reflected on the number of players who “just don’t exist anymore”.
“I’m only 33, but I’m one of the old guard now, and I look behind me and I think who is coming along to take my place?”
Shetland has performed well on the Scottish mainland in recent years, winning the Scottish District Cup twice.
It has been said that Shetland is “punching well above our weight” in hockey given participation and access to facilities, Inkster added.
“We’re trying really hard, but it does feel like you’re fighting a losing battle when you can’t grow it from grassroots and up.”
Meanwhile a briefing note to councillors from children’s services director Samantha Flaws also said there is an assumption that more people would play hockey – at both senior and junior level – if the pitch was located in Lerwick given its location.
She said there is potential for further growth, including the development of junior leagues, expanded training provision and inclusion in national competitions.
Flaws said the SRT would not be seeking to make a “financial gain” from any transfer of the Brae astroturf to the SIC and that the handover would be with a nominal purchase price.
The note also confirms that the proposed new 3G football pitch in Brae, which would be constructed under option one, would be suitable for some school and community hockey sessions, but could not cater for higher-level training or matches.
Flaws said provisional sequencing shows that a new Brae school could be constructed by October 2028. However, the old school buildings would then need to be demolished before a new 3G football pitch there (option one) is constructed. The estimated timescale for competition would be late 2029.
For option two – having a new hockey pitch in Lerwick and resurfacing the Brae astroturf for football – work could take place on both pitches, and the new school, at the same time.
It comes after there was some concern from councillors at last week’s meeting that changing the plans for a pitch could affect the timeline for a new school.
There has been no recommendation given to councillors, with elected members asked to use their own judgement as to what option to support.
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