Barry man calls for derelict hockey pitch to be restored
By MARCUS STEAD - Reporter
A HOCKEY enthusiast from Barry is calling on the Vale Council and other elected representatives to restore a pitch at Colcot Sports Centre that has fallen into a derelict state since closing at the start of the pandemic four years ago.
Michael Goode says the facility was widely used by pupils at the neighbouring Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg, and that since its closure, they have had to travel a considerable distance to develop their skills.
Despite the closure, hockey remains very popular at the school, and last year the girls’ team at both the under-16 and under-18 levels won the Welsh Schools cups at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Mr Goode’s daughter Gwenno was in goal for the under-18 team and has since started on an athletics scholarship at La Salle University in Philadelphia, and current Welsh junior internationals Lena Davies, Sofia Easterby and Mia Hall all attend the school.
He said: “We’ve done tremendously well to bring through so many international standard players and having this facility on our doorstep was a big factor. I want future generations of children to have the same opportunities.”
Following the closure of the pitch four years ago, pupils at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg have been able to use facilities at Pencoedtre High School more than a mile away, but Mr Goode says this is too far for them to travel safely, particularly after school hours in the winter months.
Barry currently has four full-sized Artificial Turf Pitches (ATPs), including three on school sites, one of which is at the nearby Whitmore High. There are two more in Penarth, along with one each in Llantwit Major and Cowbridge.
Vale Council officers are currently liaising with Pencoedtre High on the possibility of making their hockey facilities available for community use outside of school hours, as already happens at Whitmore High.
The council is currently developing plans for the future of the Colcot Sports Centre site, where emphasis is being placed on women and girls’ football as facilities need upgrading to meet growing demand, but there is little indication that hockey will be given priority in proposals due to be announced in an upcoming Cabinet report.
Mr Goode has been told it would cost around £350,000 to bring the derelict hockey pitch back into use, but he believes this would be money well spent: “The hockey pitch is in a very sorry state at the moment and I think it would be of huge value to the community for it to be brought back into use.
“There must be avenues of funding available, whether it’s from the Levelling Up fund or from other means I’ve discussed with Hockey Wales and others.
“Over the last year, I’ve written to all our elected representatives, and I’m of the view that the time has now come for all of us to pull together to make this a reality.
“We hear a lot about encouraging young people to lead healthy lives, and for this to happen, they need good-quality facilities at schools and near their homes,” he said.
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