All-weather turf now open to serve community sport

A new multi-sport all-weather turf is now open at Queenstown Events Centre, providing a much-needed facility for the local sporting community.

Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) General Manager Community Services Thunes Cloete said the turf could be used in wet or dry conditions and would provide a welcome addition for athletes and sports enthusiasts across the district.

“The new facility will serve the booming local demand for sports, such as hockey and football, and will continue to serve the sporting community for years to come. It’s an important milestone in our vision to get more people, more active, more often. I’m looking forward to watching the sporting community grow.”

New all-weather turf with a back-drop of the Remarkables.

Wakatipu Hockey Club Vice President, Marty James, welcomes the new facility and is proud the club can now call this facility home.

“It is great to see the turf finally completed after a number of years of planning. This means that the Wakatipu Hockey Club members have somewhere to hold effective practices, which will make a big difference to our club,” she said.

“Its location and visibility to the general public will help increase participation and awareness for our sport, and we look forward to introducing new members to our club as it grows. In time we expect that we will be able to host competition games in Queenstown which has never happened for us before.”

Philip Ingham, President of Queenstown AFC, says that the all-weather turf is a step in the right direction for community sport and gives a great option for football players when other grounds become unplayable.

“This first all-weather turf of any kind at Queenstown Events Centre is a great step forward! Whilst it is not a football turf, it will be invaluable to the Queenstown Football Club in that it will provide a surface for our teams to use for training when the grass pitches are not available,” he said.

The full-sized turf, funded as part of the 2020-2021 Annual Plan, will be used for football, futsal, hockey, bootcamps and other fitness activities.

First off the ranks will be a Twilight Hockey League starting on Tuesday 2 November. For more information and to book the turf visit qldc.govt.nz/recreation.

ENDS|KUA MUTU.

Media contact: communications@qldc.govt.nz or call 03 441 1802.