Hockey turf officially open

Albany’s new hockey turf was officially opened on Sunday amid a challenging period for the Lower Great Southern Hockey Association given the current COVID-19 virus crisis.

Hockey supporters were on hand for the official turf unveiling, with the $500,000 project completed ahead of the Australian Country Championships that are set to be held at the venue in August.

The project to re-turf the Centennial Park Sporting Precinct synthetic field was jointly funded by the Federal Government, the City of Albany and the LGSHA.

The turf was suffering from significant wear and tare and was 15 years old.

O’Connor MP Rick Wilson and Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington cut the ribbon to declare the new turf open for business.

Doubt surrounds that major event and the 2020 LGSHA season after Hockey WA this week postponed all activities until May 31.

Hockey WA ran under-9 and under-12 development clinics on Sunday around the official ceremonies at 11am. An exhibition match between the local TAP athletes and the Presidents XI was played on the day, the TAP side winning 2-1.