Parkes Shire Council is pleased to have delivered the $3 million upgrade of the Stephen Davies (Turf 1) hockey pitch in Parkes.
The upgraded pitch will allow the Parkes hockey community to access a world-class facility, ensuring Parkes remains a regional hub for the sport and can continue to bid for and host regional, state and national carnivals.
The project was divided into two stages. Stage 1 included the removal of the old hockey pitch surface, installation of new drainage, site preparation and resurfacing of the pitch. Stage 2 included the installation of a new irrigation system to ensure a wet play turf, tanks to buffer the water usage, a new surrounding fence and new LED lighting.
Minister for Agriculture, Regional NSW and Western NSW Tara Moriarty said the upgrades will secure Parkes’ place as a premier hockey destination in regional NSW.
“Parkes is such a key location for teams playing competition hockey with players of all ages travelling from across the region and the State to play here,” Minister Moriarty said.
“With these upgraded facilities I’m sure the players can’t wait to get out there and hit, scoop and flick their way towards some winning goals.”
Mayor of Parkes Shire, Cr Neil Westcott, said the economic benefit of the new pitch was significant for the town.
“Events of similar attendance to Hockey One attract over $2 million, and a junior championship injects over $1 million into the Parkes and surrounding visitor economy”, said Cr Westcott.
“Bringing Turf 1 to an international playing standard will create opportunities for high-level achievement in the sport from athletes in rural areas, as well as better physical and mental health outcomes for the community as a whole,” he added.
Parkes Shire Council constructed Parkes’ first synthetic pitch called the Stephen Davies Field in 1992. Also known as Turf 1, it was constructed at the Cheney-McGlynn Sports Complex to honour our local players’ participation at that year’s Barcelona Olympic Games.
This project is proudly joint funded by the NSW Government and Parkes Hockey Inc.
