Surbiton Hockey Club have announced their ‘Masterplan 2024’, which looks set to transform the club’s Sugden Road headquarters.
The project is set to begin in early 2022, before being finalised in 2024, to coincide with the club’s 150th Anniversary.
Surbiton are seeking to raise £600,000 through grant applications to upgrade their second pitch to international hockey standard, install a half-pitch and revamp their clubhouse, among other additions.
This redevelopment will enable the club to host more Premiership and international hockey fixtures.
The new half-pitch will also ensure that Surbiton is prepared for the impending growth of five-a-side hockey, with the International Hockey Federation (FIH) striving to widen the popularity of Hockey5s.
The club currently use remote pitches, at Kingston Grammar School, Reed School and Surbiton High’s Oaken Lane, regularly on weekends.
The project will need scaling back if sufficient funding is unable to be sourced.
Fortunately, the club have already raised significant finances through Elmbridge Borough Council’s community infrastructure levy and intend to gather more through other grants and internal fundraising events.
One such grant they are looking at is Your Fund Surrey, which was set up to fund community projects with a deadline before 2030.
This should reassure Surbiton’s more than 1,200 members that the UK’s largest field hockey club isn’t going anywhere just yet.
In fact, with Japanese brand Mizuno making their first venture into professional hockey as Surbiton’s official kit supplier, the club’s prospects post-pandemic are arguably brighter now than ever before.
Liselle Carey, Surbiton’s Colts admin, said: “We have three national league sides now, our men’s and ladies’ 1s and our ladies’ 2s are all national league level teams.
“The men’s and the ladies’ 1s are Premiership level and then the ladies’ 2s are one level down from that.
“That’s a big thing to have three national league playing teams.
“We have current GB internationals, we have a few Olympians who went to the last Olympics and the Olympics before and we consistently produce a raft of junior internationals each year.
“To enable us to continue to attract the best coaches and the best players, we have to make sure that the facilities that they use are of a sufficient standard to showcase their skills.
“One comes with the other.”
Another key component of ‘Masterplan 2024’ is the upgrading of Surbiton’s clubhouse, to provide a facility for community groups, such as church groups and book clubs.
For instance, the club currently run an under-five’s soft play out of the clubhouse on weekdays, from 9:15am to 2:45pm.
The clubhouse is also open during the week for people to come and have a coffee.
Carey added: “Our main goal is to get the message out that we’re not just a members-only hockey club, we’re here to be used by our local community.”
Featured Image Credit: Tim Reder
