Concern at lack of hockey provision in Mid Ulster area

MID Ulster District Council has been urged to give greater consideration to the provision of hockey facilities across the district.

Speaking at a meeting of the development committee recently, Cllr Trevor Wilson welcomed a report on council’s proposed pitch strategy, but said it ‘did not make for great reading’.

The five year strategy aims to set out a strategic framework that will, council officers hope, reposition its outdoor recreation opportunities, and help improve coordination, collaboration, capacity and its capability to meet current and future challenges. It is projected the five year strategy will cost £9,580,000, of which 51.1 per-cent is to be secured from external sources, and 48.9 per-cent will be provided by council.

This will see council spend an estimated £4,273,792 from its capital budget over the five year period. A spend of £334,000 is also expected over the five year period by way of revenue expenditure.

The Ulster Unionist councillor called on council to ensure the Mid Ulster Sports Area (MUSA) is maintained as a centre of excellence, and urged officers to have a conversation with local hockey teams about the best way forward.

“Part of the report I am disappointed in is its inclusion, or lack of, of hockey. Our hockey teams, in Cookstown in particular, play in the highest leagues it is possible to play in,” said Cllr Wilson.

“Yet, this council offers very little to Cookstown, Dungannon or Magherafelt in terms of facilities.

“We have a very large indoor area that is used during the year, but only for practice.

“There is no help for match day, outdoor provision and this is something I have raised before.

“Dungannon has a good hockey team, as well, and I am really disappointed at this apparent oversight. I would ask that, before we go much further with this, we sit down with representatives of those clubs to discuss a way forward.

“I really can’t believe we have a premier hockey team in this district, yet we offer no support to them.”

A council officer told the chamber the pitch strategy ‘cuts across five sporting codes, and hockey is one of them’, and claimed the opportunity to work with council to achieve aspirations exists for all groups and organisations across the differing sporting codes.

However, Cllr Wilson said there is ‘nothing within the strategy’ for hockey clubs to feel like they are getting something.

With a council officer stressing ‘hockey will not be forgotten about under this strategy’, the council’s assistant director of health, leisure and wellbeing, Kieran Gordon, said the strategy will seek to ‘formalise’ relationships with hockey clubs in Coosktown and Dungannon.