A SUCCESSFUL hockey team has been waiting over 20 years to get a pitch to play on in their home town.
Dursley Ladies Hockey Team are desperate for a sand-based astroturf pitch to be built so they can train and play their matches at home.
Instead they have to travel to Whitecliff to train and to Stroud for their matches, which they find inconvenient.
Stroud District Council has been in talks with the team about funding a pitch out of a regeneration budget of around £300,000 it has for Dursley, but no firm decision has been made on where the money will be spent.
"It is extremely frustrating having to always travel to train or play matches," said Lucinda Beale, former captain of Dursley Ladies Hockey Team.
"We have done remarkably well considering we haven’t got our own astroturf pitch."
The team has just been promoted to division one in the county league and it also has a thriving juniors section.
Helen Jones, current captain, said: "It makes a big difference to be able to play in your own town.
"Having the grounds here would hopefully get more people involved in the team.
"If people could see us playing our games they might want to give it a try themselves. It would also help us attract more sponsorship and I think if there were facilities in Dursley it is likely a boys' hockey team might start up."
Rednock School has an all-weather pitch, but it is made of rubber-crumb and is not suitable for hockey.
Ralph Darby is chairman of the hockey team and since starting the club 22 years ago for his daughter he has been trying to find suitable grounds for the team.
"Having a pitch in Dursley would mean a tremendous amount to the team," said Mr Darby. "We have been going 22 years now and we would really like to have somewhere to play in Dursley or nearby.
"We have a number of extremely talented youngsters. The future is looking up for the club, but they have to get their parents to drive them to Whitecliff to train and Stroud to play."
A Stroud District Council spokesman said: "We have £336,000 for community use. We are keen to see it used for a permanent project which benefits the most people. But no firm decision has yet been taken."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here