Work has been completed on the major expansion of a world-class hockey facility, thanks to £2m investment by Nottingham High School.
Two synthetic pitches have been laid at Nottingham Hockey Centre, bringing the total to six and making it the largest concentration of hockey pitches outside of the Netherlands.
Necessitating the removal of 4,500 tons of topsoil and installation of 1km of ball stop fencing, the finished project is the result of more than 75,000 hours of labour.
“Since our very successful move to coeducation in 2015, we have focused on hockey as one of our major sports for boys and girls,” said Nottingham High School head Kevin Fear.
“This facility will also be used by the local community and means that our pitches play an important part in the city’s sporting offering.”
This facility will also be used by the local community and means that our pitches play an important part in the city’s sporting offering – Kevin Fear, Nottingham High School
Nottingham High School’s relationship with the centre stretches all the way back to its foundation in 1907. Then known as Beeston Hockey Club, it was built on land left in trust by Boots founder – and Nottingham High School old boy – Jesse Boot, for the purpose of sport and recreation.
“During the course of the pandemic nothing has given me greater pleasure than to finally be part of the formal handover of the newly enhanced Nottingham Hockey Centre,” said the centre’s chairman David Griffiths.
“There is plenty of work to do for our sport, not least the beginning of our ambitious community outreach programme. I’m in no doubt that Nottingham High School’s investment will be one of the most critical parts of this incredibly important undertaking.”
Dan Tilley, director of sport at the University of Nottingham, added: “As partners in the Nottingham Hockey Centre, we are delighted to see this significant investment from Nottingham High School that will make the venue a leading international hockey venue.
“We look forward to working with Nottingham Hockey Centre, Nottingham High School and England Hockey to help maximise the opportunities of this world class venue, to increase participation and improve the visibility of the sport through hosting major events.”
